EAST PROVIDENCE — Rest easy East Providence. The city's iconic water tower in Kent Heights is scheduled to finally be painted.
At the behest of At-Large Councilwoman Tracy Capobianco, the topic …
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EAST PROVIDENCE — Rest easy East Providence. The city's iconic water tower in Kent Heights is scheduled to finally be painted.
At the behest of At-Large Councilwoman Tracy Capobianco, the topic was broached at last week's City Council meeting.
Mrs. Capobianco, who has served on the council for the last four years, but who is not seeking re-election, expressed what many other residents of the city feel when she said, "Everywhere I look at it from the highway all I see is rust."
She remembered former City Manager Paul Lemont had told the council in 2015 the city had received an estimate of $500,000 to repaint the structure, which is 20 years old and replaced the old tower painted in checkerboard fashion in East Providence's familiar red and white colors.
"This needs to be a priority in the near future," Mrs. Capobianco added.
In response, Public Works Director Steve Coutu acknowledged the estimate, but said the process will have to start over again. Mr. Coutu told Mrs. Capobianco and her colleagues refurbishing the tower is already in the works, likely slated for some time in 2017.
Mr. Coutu said once the current construction of a new water storage tank and chlorination station at the Kent Heights site is completed, the tower is the next project on his department's agenda.
"We all recognize the tower needs to be painted," Mr. Coutu said. "It's 20 years old. It's past due. Right now we have a very active construction site. We're in the process of formulating bidding documents. It's our next project for that location."