Northville water tower being repainted later this fall

NORTHVILLE — The skyline along Eight Mile Road will have a new look this fall.

The Northville water tower will receive a fresh coat of paint, the first new paint job for the tower near Hillside Middle School off Base Line Road since 2006. The work, planned for September and October, will take the water tower out of service for six to eight weeks.

"This time, it's going to be a little different," said Mike Domine, the city's public works director. "They're going to be sandblasting the whole water tower, completely down to its original metal and repaint it."

In addition, the 450,000-gallon tower will sport a new design: The city's new logo, approved in 2020, will adorn the bulb of the tower. The water tower will be painted in two colors, with the arm beige and the top white with the city's logo.

In addition to the new paint job, the tower will see additional work, both inside and out. Some of the cellular service antennas atop the tower may be removed or upgraded. Other work will include platform hatch replacement and overflow flap gate replacement.

The city council authorized Domine to sign a contract with Shelby Township-based Seven Brothers Painting for up to $362,040 for the work. Seven Brothers submitted the low bid out of the seven received by the city.

More:Second Northville Township water tower under construction at new park

More:Northville to seek state funds to help pay for water infrastructure improvements

More:Consumers Energy doing pipeline work in preparation for Taft Road construction in Novi

The work will take place during a time when less water is used, Domine said, but Councilman John Carter asked about the city's plan when the tower is out of service in case of a fire that required large amounts of water.

"That makes it very smart and logical to do it in September and October, but doesn't provide comfort to anyone who has a house fire in September or October," Carter said. "We're still going to have incidents and we need to be prepared if that takes place."

Domine said the city has its underground reservoir, as well as assistance from other communities in the case of a large structure fire.

Contact reporter David Veselenak at [email protected] or 734-678-6728. Follow him on Twitter @davidveselenak.

Get the latest headlines for metro Detroit every morning in your mailbox by signing up for our daily briefings newsletter.