For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD — Marshfield Utilities (MU) will soon begin the project of painting the Grant Park water tower just off of West Doege Street. Depending on weather, the project is expected to take about two months to complete with the goal to have the painting finished by July 1.

“Water towers need to be painted on a regular schedule to maintain the integrity of the tank,” said MU Water Superintendent Dave Wasserburger. “Not only does it vastly extend the life of a tower, it also improves the appearance. Depending on the elements a tower is subjected to, it could completely rust out over a span of five to six years, so regular upkeep is extremely important.”

Wasserburger said the bid price for the project was $475,000 and included sandblasting, painting, and priming the tower.

“It is pretty labor intensive,” he said.

The Grant Park tower was constructed in 1990. This will be the first time the water tower has been repainted. MU wants to minimize the impact on the community and the neighborhood and expects only minor traffic inconveniences on West Cleveland Street during the project.

“This is quite an intricate project,” Wasserburger added. “There is a lot of coordination between all of the utilities involved, including MU’s electric and communications utilities and various cellular carriers who make use of the tower for their antennas.”