Airway Heights' water tower gets a facelift

The water tower in Sunset Park is getting a makeover this month as the water tower recoat project kicks off in Airway Heights.

After several years on the docket, the city is finally tackling the project, removing old paint and primer from the water tower and giving it a fresh new look.

The water tower transformation was originally planned to take place a few years ago when paint began to peel and the tower started to look unsightly, Airway Heights Public Works Director Kevin Anderson said.

Unfortunately, city staff found that the tower would have to be stripped down to bare metal and a lead-based primer underneath all the paint would require removal. This cost was just too prohibitive and the subject was put on the back burner as the city has focused on other issues - mainly water supply contamination - in the intervening years.

Now, the city is able to prioritize the venture again. The project is expected to cost about $366,458.

The city hired Extreme Coatings, Inc. to do the work, and the company began work on the project this month. Scaffolding should be erected sometime this week, Anderson said.

The process involves fully encasing the tower, stripping off the old paint and primer and repainting a fresh coat from scratch.

"We'll have to temporarily remove the communication equipment like cell towers and microwave dish from the top," Anderson said. "And then we'll start removal of the old paint."

The color scheme won't be glaringly different from the one that currently exists, featuring three different colors - a dark green, white and light green in a stripe pattern with the Sunset Elementary School Falcon logo in the place of honor in the middle section of white.

"The color scheme is essentially the same color scheme as the elementary school," Anderson said.

Anderson estimates the project will take a couple of months to complete.

"I think it'll look tons better," Anderson said.

Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].