With the inside of the Bridgeview Water Tower cleaned, repaired, and resurfaced, work to do the same on the exterior of the tower began. Workers attached lines to the top of the tower to hold a skirt/cover protecting the area around the tower from any potential debris falling during exterior maintenance. With safety preparations completed, workers began sandblasting the entirety of the tower from the legs to the top. After the sandblasting, paint primer covered the tower to ensure the next layers of paint would properly coat the surface. Soon the tower became a bright white, ready for the brilliant blue paint that moved from the body down the legs. The remaining white section of the body had the word “BRIDGEVIEW” painted on it in bold blue letters next to the painted American flag. Finally, the top of the tower was painted blue, completing the look of the newly improved Bridgeview Water Tower.
Village of Bridgeview Trustee and Chairman of the Public Works Committee Gary Lewis explained that, “With $1,000,000 invested in updating the exterior of the water tower, we can feel good about this portion of our water infrastructure for years to come. The interior and exterior work will not only help keep our drinking water clean and safe but also represent a pillar of community investment in something we all rely on.”
The Water Tower is now back in service after months of work. Updating the water tower adds to the investment in Bridgeview’s water infrastructure that included work on the ground-level reservoir and the underground reservoir, the replacing of 50+ end-of-life cycle fire hydrants, the replacement of Chicago water meters, the adding of numerous monitoring points to our water-monitoring software, and the removal of the last known lead service lines in our village. Modernizing and maintaining our Village of Bridgeview water infrastructure will continue into 2025 and beyond as we continue to invest in the health and safety of a community as vibrant as our Bridgeview Water Tower.