Sussex Comes Up with Plan for Painting Water Towers

The village’s three water towers are on track to get back onto 10-year cycles to replace the exterior and interior paint.

The Sussex Water Commission has approved allowing village administrators to finalize the process for the Woodside Tower and the 1-million gallon standpipe to get on A 10-year painting cycle immediately and to get the Well No. 5 water tower on that same schedule soon.

“We’re looking to work a schedule like the road program,” said Eric Nitschke, director of public works. “It’s something we’d like to have spread out over three to four years, so you don’t have to pay for them every year.”

Nitschke said the village is looking to hire the Utility Service Co. to take on the maintenance and annual inspection process for the towers because the company guarantees its work in between paintings and will fix any flaws in its work for free.

The first project being eyed by administrators is the standpipe tower, which Nitschke said is in terrible condition and the outer layer of paint can be pulled off by tape. If the contracts are approved, the village will paint the exterior in the early part of next year and the interior in two years.

The annual maintenance of the paint will cost the village about $16,000 per year, which is up slightly from its current maintenance budget for the towers. Costs for painting the towers will come from borrowing or leftover money from other village projects.

The contract with Utility Services will go to the village attorney and come back to the Water Commission for approval at its October meeting. The contract will also need approval of the Village Board.