Water tower paintjob decided once and for all

There will be no complete makeover this summer for one of Hartley's most well known structures.

The city council on Monday voted to keep the water tower's design as-is. It will be repainted later this year, but its current look will remain the same.

The council deemed a design overhaul too expensive. According to an estimate given last month, a revamped look would cost anywhere between $9,831 and $25,678 depending on how many logos were painted.

"I don't think people pay attention to the water tower unless they're on an airplane," said Council Member Mary Westphalen.

The council voted 4-1 to keep the water tower's current look intact. Council Member Jerry Olson was the lone dissenter, as he's been an ardent supporter of changing the design for a year.

Olson believes the current cursive lettering is too hard to read. The council had previously OK'd a new look that was more legible from afar, and Olson believed that was the city's best option.

"I'd still like to see it done," Olson said. "I know it's an expensive proposition, but I think about the money spent on all the other things."

The council didn't disagree with Olson, but the project's price tag was too large to overlook.

"I agree 100 percent because I hate that cursive writing, but it's a lot of money," said Council Member Ron Hengeveld.

Council members noted the water tower sits far away from Highway 18 and also pointed out the city's two large signs on the east and west edges of town. Westphalen said it's hard to read any city's water tower unless you're relatively close to it, not that anyone's looking anyway.

"I've looked at more water towers with this since we started this discussion than I have my entire life," she said.

The water tower's current design was painted in 2010. It was due for cleaning and touchups in 2020, but that work was postponed to 2021 to accommodate the changes.

The city has a maintenance contract with Suez worth $17,500 each year. Included in that price is a 10-year painting agreement. The water tower gets repainted every decade, and the city doesn't have to worry about paying one lump sum because it's already been covered.

It will be repainted with a fresh coat later this summer.

"It's hard to read, but it's still one of a kind," said Mayor Rodney Ahrenstorff.