Put on a Happy Face
Active Assignment for the week of Feb 16 to 23: Clouds
Smiley the water tower’s days are numbered. After repeated stays of execution during the past two years, the Grand Forks City Council decided Tuesday to pull the plug on the 77-year-old water tower.
Smiley got his grin during the economic recession of the late 1970s. But now, in the midst of another recession, few taxpayers see the sense of spending money to renovate a water tower that hasn’t held water since 2000.
City staff have estimated it would cost $396,000 to extend Smiley’s life another 15 to 20 years. The estimated cost of demolition is $99,000. Renovating Smiley is so costly because of old layers of lead-based paint that underlie the newer paint. Paint removal crews would have to use a containment system to ensure that the toxic lead-based paint doesn’t get into the environment.
In the face of certain doom, Smiley keeps a bright attitude.
WIT: I got up early to go chase the few clouds that were forecast for the day. Smiley wasn't on my agenda, but noticed him while waiting at a light. Shot in RAW then adjusted curves before exporting to PSE4. Cloned out a rogue piece of street light, then cropped in a bit closer.