KENS 5 asked Lone Star Boat & RV Storage when the tower would be cleared. As of Wednesday, the business was “actively coordinating” with contractors to get it done.
SAN ANTONIO — TJ Whitworth has worked as a fishing guide on Calaveras Lake and Braunig Lake for more than 20 years. The job depends on his boat, and he keeps that boat at Lone Star Boat & RV Storage.
But on Dec. 9, something unexpected happened.
“I heard from a neighbor saying he heard a loud boom and he felt the vibration at his house,” Whitworth said.
The top half of a 438-foot communications tower had fallen straight across the storage facility, forcing the business to completely close for safety precautions.
Management texted Whitworth: “We’re working to get this cleared up asap.”
Unfortunately, more than 55 days after the incident, the tower is still there.
And Whitworth still can’t access his boat.
The fishing guide had to cancel his December clients and then couldn’t book any jobs in January. He continued texting the storage company every few days.
“If I don’t have my boat, I don’t work,” Whitworth said. “It’s been almost two months already. Two months that we can’t access our stuff.”
Finally, he called KENS 5.
KENS 5 contacted Lone Star Boat & RV Storage on Friday and asked when this issue would be resolved.
The business sent back a lengthy response the next day which said they were waiting on an engineering assessment, adding that the tower could not be moved before insurance was finished with it.
Lone Star Boat & RV Storage told KENS 5:
“Due to the scale of the tower structure and the nature of the equipment involved, the tower removal requires a formal assessment by the licensed structural engineers engaged by the insurance adjuster. This process is necessary to generate their reports and determine the safest method for removal.
“They are currently in the final stages of this assessment. Under standard insurance practices, altering the scene of a major loss before the investigation is complete is considered a violation of protocol, which would expose the property to significant liability.
“Our insurance policy and standard claims protocols contractually prohibit us from altering the site until the investigation is finalized. Moving or removing the tower prematurely would result in a full denial of the claim. Maintaining the integrity of this process is the only way to ensure the removal is approved and executed by the specialized heavy-recovery teams required for a structure of this complexity. The insurance company’s safety clearance must be received before we are able to move forward.”
KENS 5 let the company know we working on a story as this affected local business owners.
The company then provided an update on Wednesday afternoon, telling KENS 5:
“We have just received the insurance approval to proceed with the full removal of the telecommunications tower. At this time, we are already actively coordinating with our contractors to finalize logistics and scheduling in an expedited manner. Our goal is to remove the tower safely and resolve the matter as quickly and safely as possible. Safety remains our top priority, and all work will be performed in accordance with engineering and removal requirements.”
Whitworth said the company also previously offered to waive rent for January. The fishing guide appreciated that, but he still can’t put food on the table until he gets his gear.
“Thank you for not charging us rent, but what about people’s livelihoods?” Whitworth said. “We all need our stuff in here.”
KENS 5 asked Lone Star Boat & RV Storage if they would also waive part of the February rent as the issue continues. The business did not answer that question in their reply.
KENS 5 will continue to follow up.
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