OCEAN CITY — While some are calling the new water tower under construction at 1st Street a temporary blight on the downtown landscape and others are humorously referring to it as an overgrown martini glass or wine goblet, no one is calling the project behind schedule.
For the last few weeks, the new water tower under construction at 1st Street and St. Louis Avenue has steadily risen from the downtown landscape, eliciting a variety of responses. Obviously, the tower while under construction is not much to look at, but it will ultimately be painted in a “beach ball” scheme somewhat unique to Ocean City.
Last summer, the Mayor and Council approved the beach ball design for the new water tower at 1st Street after learning it would come in only $10,000 more than the traditional light blue paint scheme with “Welcome to Ocean City” logo. The water tower is now rising above the small cottages and beach houses in the downtown area in shades of gray steel, but it could be reincarnated as the beach ball sooner than expected.
Public Works Director Hal Adkins said this week the new water tower is expected to be fully operational by next fall, but it could be adorned with the beach ball design much sooner than expected.
“The water tower project is far ahead of schedule,” he said. “A lot of the top parts are getting welded on this week. As soon as mid-May, it should be ready for sandblasting and painting. Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but we would like to have the beach ball up there for our tourists by the middle of the summer season.”
The new water tower at 1st Street will cost around $5.2 million and is being paid for through the town’s $16.7 million bond sale for capital projects in December. The plain is to eventually eliminate the existing water towers at 15th Street and Worcester Street and replace them with the single tower at 1st Street, improving operations and minimizing future cost of maintenance.
The removal of the existing tower at 15th Street will provide additional space for the expansion of water and wastewater facilities in that area. The removal of the water tower at Worcester Street will provide space for a new municipal parking lot in the area. Ironically, the existing tower at Worcester Street was one of the first to be adorned with a design different from the traditional water tower designs used by the town when the Dew Tour placed a message.
