Bay's Water Tower Receives a Facelift

If you didn't know that Whitefish Bay had its own water tower, you do now.

The 63-year-old water tower at Craig Counsell Park recently underwent an exterior paint job that included sandblasting, four coats of paint, welding repairs, and for the first time, the village's name on the side of the water tower.

The Village Board sprung for the "Whitefish Bay" lettering, which costs roughly $10,000, when it approved the $1.2 million contract in April.

Dixon Engineering finished the painting and the lettering last week. In the spring, Dixon will finish the rest of the contract, which includes sandblasting, welding repairs and painting the inside of the water tower.

Dixon started working on the project in May, but was held up for 3 1/2 months because wireless companies had to remove their equipment from the top of the tower, said Village Engineer Dan Naze.

The exterior of the water tower was last painted in 1989, and the interior was last coated in 1996. With the maintenance work, the 63-year-old water tower may have another 50 years left, Naze said.

The tank was shut down for the paint job, and in the meantime, the village's water pressure has come from the North Shore Filtration Plant located on the other side of I-43 at 400 W. Bender Road in Glendale. Naze said the village pays increased electrical bills to pump water from the filtration plant.

After pressure washing and disinfecting the interior, the tank has beeen filled with water and is expected to start operating again on Wednesday.