Grafton’s North Elevated Tank Rehabilitation
Grafton’s 300,000-gallon North elevated water tower was built and first put into service in 1993. Through the years the North tower has served the residential and business community providing constant water pressures when as designed, especially when called upon to provided the supply greater demand during calls from Grafton Village Fire Department to meet needed water supply during all village fire events.
Although the North Tower has aged well throughout the constantly and ever changing weather northeast Ohio can expect, a 2018 scheduled periodic inspection identified areas where the tower was in need of service and repairs along with added recommended updates. As Grafton leadership has successfully done on other costly village projects, application for grants and low-interest loans were sought and applied for. In 2019 the Village was granted $150,000 from OPWC, secured a low-interest loan from OPWC for $150,000 and a second low-interest loan from OWDA in the amount of $250,000 to cover the engineering estimated cost of $550,000 to rehabilitate and update the elevated tank.
The work included in part a complete cleaning of the always visible exterior, media blasting the exterior and applying a primer seal coat followed by multiple coats of the new exterior coating matching the exterior color of the downtown elevated tank when it was completed in 2018. All elevated tower lighting was being replaced with LED lighting. The finishing touch on the exterior is the new logo. The old logo faced North and was only visible to passerby’s driving South on Main St. The new logo was design in lettering closely matching the downtown tower with the added sunburst graphics to signify the dawn of Grafton commitment to renewable energy generation through solar power. Added to the logo is Grafton website address VillageofGrafton.org. Finally, the new logo now faces East to daily greet the morning sunrise over Grafton and this new position on the tower is parallel to Main St allowing SR-57 passerby’s heading both North of South the ability to see Grafton’s Pride shine.
Out of sight and inside the elevated tank, likewise work was done to make needed repairs and recommended updates and improvements. Cleaning the inside of the bowl and application of new and improved coatings were applied. An internal stirring system was installed, and data-communication improvements were performed. Another improvement addressed internal climbing safety systems with the addition of a safety cable for system technicians to utilize when future need to inspect the tower requires an internal climb.
This project was aggressively bid by many contractors, the lowest and best bid came in well under engineering estimates and even with expected change order add-ons, at the time this article is being written Grafton believes the project will be completed on-time and significantly below original engineering estimated costs. The lower cost will result in Grafton lessening the loan funding request from one or both of the loans approved to fund this project.
Grafton’s commitment to address aging infrastructure continues to energize the local economic growth regionally as all locally where all can see great things continue to happen in greater Grafton. Even with all the recent added demands put on everyone socially, Grafton moves forward as a BEACON of regional pride and progress… with the hope sometime soon social distancing guidelines no longer be needed, until then Grafton will steadfast understand we are all in this TOGETHER and through it all GRAFTON WILL CONTINUE TO SHINE.
Stay safe, say well Grafton!
