Bridgeport council considers exterior finish on renovated water tower.

BRIDGEPORT – Running mustangs? A large orange “B”? Pine trees? These were among the suggestions for an exterior design on the renovated water tower that the Bridgeport City Council addressed at its regular monthly meeting last Wednesday, August 16.

All members are in agreement that it’s a good idea to add a design to the tower. The next step is to settle on a specific one, calculate the cost, and include that work in the overall finishing contract.

Superintendent of Public Works Stuart Dezellem said the city has time to include its request for decorating the tower façade added to the contact to finish the interior and exterior of the renovated tower provided the city acts in time to have it done next year.

Mayor Janet Conklin inquired if the city could afford the extra cost?

Dezellem said grant money allocated to the city through Senator Patty Murray’s office for $751,000 for renovation of the city’s original reservoir provides funds sufficient to include the exterior design in the remaining work. The money allowed the city to drain and refurbish the interior of its Water Storage Facility.

The city applied for the Murray grant last year and was advised just before Christmas that its request had been approved.

“Getting federal dollars back to Washington state to support its communities and economy is a top priority for Senator Murray,” said Murry’s website, murray.senate.gov.

Dezellem said the original estimate done a few years ago to renovate the reservoir came in at $450,000-plus.”

“With inflation that figure might be over $500,000 now,” said Dezellem, but noted again that the Murray dollars should be adequate money to cover the increased costs.

Council member Zeke Martinez inquired if the exterior would be done with paint or with a vinyl wrap?

That is among the options the council has taken under advisement.

As to who could be hired to do the work, Dezellem said a similar 1981 city project reached out to mostly commercial painters for that work.

“It’s going on over 40 years now since that was done so it was a pretty good paint job,” Dezellem said.

He added that if the request is included in the finishing contract, then the general contractor would be responsible for hiring any subcontractor to do the graphics or painting. 

Dezellem explained that the interior of the tower can be finished over the winter months during low water consumption.

“They can heat the inside of the reservoir and coat the inside then,” said Dezellem.

The exterior work would come later during the warmer spring months.