The Sault Ste. Marie water tower, located on 4th Ave, is undergoing a blast and repaint.
Over the next several weeks, the tower will be sandblasted to bare metal prime and then repainted.
But it will not just be a normal paint job.
Last fall, the city held a contest for people to come up with a design for the water tower.
The winner was Mallory Young and her design of a blue water tower with the top half light blue and the bottom half a darker blue. Within the light blue area, "Sault Ste. Marie. Founded in 1668" will be painted and on the other side of the tower, the "Upper Peninsula" will be painted in. The original design did have to be modified a bit, according to Sault City Water Director, Kirk Tews.
"This tower was last painted in 2004. Typically, water tower paint last 20-25 years. We are in that window for a paint job," Tews said.
But in order for Young's winning design to be painted, several weeks of prep work must take place.
"The structure that they are placing on the tower is for a large containment tent. This is necessary when a tank is sandblasted as it creates dust and fine particles that cannot be allowed to travel through the air. The process is expected to take 4-6 weeks, depending on the weather. The crew has been on site for two weeks. The company that was awarded the bid is Viking Industrial Painting out of Omaha, Neb.," Tews said.
