LAKE GEORGE — A plan to seek $300,000 or so to put a replica fire tower in Charles Wood Park has transitioned to a plan to spend half that amount to put a real fire tower in the park.

Lake George Mayor Robert Blais said news media coverage of the effort to build a replica tower resulted in Blais being put in touch with a Plattsburgh-area man who has a retired, refurbished Adirondack fire tower that he is willing to part with.

The tower once stood on forest land in the town of New Russia in Essex County, until it was taken out of service in 1972.

It eventually wound up in the hands of a Clinton County man whose hobby is to refurbish and build fire towers, and Blais said he has offered to sell it to the municipalities that own the park.

The cost, with installation, would be about $150,000, less than half the estimated cost for a replica.

“It’s the only tower of its kind in the country,” the mayor said. “I couldn’t believe it when I got the call from him about it.”

Blais said it is has a metal cabin atop it instead of wood, as some towers were made, and is about 40 feet tall.

The owner, Michael Vilegi, has also built towers that have been put up in parks in Wilton and Rhinebeck in recent years, Blais explained.

The proposal to put a replica in Charles Wood Park had generated some backlash, as some were concerned about the price tag, and Blais acknowledged that some environmental groups weren’t enthused about a replica tower going into the park.

But he said he hoped the fact that a real Adirondack tower could be used instead, serving as an educational piece to allow people to learn about fire towers, with a significantly lower cost, would sway those who criticized it.

A state grant is being sought to pay 75 percent of the tab, and the park’s owners, the village of Lake George and Warren County, hope to use revenue from the park to pay the remainder.

Lake Luzerne Supervisor Gene Merlino, chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors Tourism Committee, told his fellow supervisors on Friday that he hoped the lower cost would satisfy those concerned with the price.

“We won’t need engineering or design work that would help the price get up there,” he said.

The county Board of Supervisors approved a resolution Friday to spend $4,900 to have a consultant apply for a state grant for the project.

Blais said leaders from the town of Lake George, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce and Warren County Tourism Department are supporting the plan as well.

He added that there was a possibility of donations from supporters to help defray the cost.

Blais said village public works crews could prepare the site for the tower, which would occupy a 16-by-16 foot area of the park, to cut costs, with the location in the park to be determined.

Charles Wood Park is located off West Brook Road, on the site of the former Gaslight Village amusement park. The southern portion of the property is a man-made wetland built to filter stormwater before it gets to Lake George, while the northern parcel is home to a park with a performance area and numerous other features. The tower would be put on the northern side.