It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Water Tower!

It almost looks bat-like, but if you've been in downtown Gilbert lately, this is what you'll see. It's the draping as the workers remove the lead-based paint so that the tower can be repainted. You may have seen one of the newspaper articles on it. If not, here is what The AZ Republic had to say a few days ago:

GILBERT -One of Gilbert's most storied landmarks is going to disappear, but only for a short time.

Last week, workers draped a tarp over the 123-foot water tower, an initial step toward giving the iconic structure a new look. Lead paint on the tower will be removed and replaced with a fresh coat of "titanium white."

The tarp is intended to prevent any contamination during removal of lead paint, said spokesman Greg Svelund. Work is expected to wrap by the end of the year.

Repairing the water tower has been a community priority for some time. Town Council approved in August spending nearly $250,000 to refurbish the tower. The project also includes adding a Federal Aviation Administration beacon light, removing antennas and repairing the guardrail and service platform.

Additional plans call for land underneath the tower to be transformed into a park. An adjacent adobe pump house, which served as Gilbert's first jail, also will get a face-lift.

The tower was built in the 1920s to help firefighters, and later served as a drinking water storage facility. It is located on the west side of Gilbert Road just south of Guadadlupe Road and can be seen from blocks away in most directions.

It sure doesn't look like the job I'd want; one guy was hanging off those spindly things yesterday. I'm sure they are following safety procedures, but it looks scary. It should look great when it's finished, though.