The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Painting water tower begins
Work marks the start of transforming iconic landmark into a tourist site
Motorists who regularly drive by the Interstate 90/Route 528 interchange are seeing less of the familiar carousel mural that has adorned the Madison water tower for about 30 years.
That’s because a coat of white paint has started to cover portions of the carousel design, marking the start of transforming the water tower into a welcome area for tourists and a destination symbol for the Grand River Valley region.
About 60 percent of the tower has been repainted white, Madison Village Administrator Dwayne Bailey said on Nov. 30.
“But (the contractors) can’t paint when it gets below a certain temperature,” Bailey said. With winter fast approaching, contractors have put the project on hold and will finish it in the spring, he added.
When the paint job is completed, it will conclude the first phase of a project to expand the water tower’s traditional role as simply an iconic landmark. Instead, plans call for the tower and its adjacent property to serve as a stop-off point, where visitors can view informational postings about the Grand River Valley; wineries; waterways; parks; and other attractions in the region.
“We really want to increase and enhance awareness of that area,” Lake County Visitors Bureau Executive Director Scott Dockus said on Dec. 3.
A ceremony was held on Oct. 15 to kick off Phase 1 of restoring the 128-foot tall, 90-year-old tower that is a prominent fixture at the Interstate 90 westbound and Route 528 interchange in Madison Village. About two dozen people gathered at the site for the event, where it was announced a fundraising drive secured enough money to paint the tower, as well as perform rust mitigation and an antifungal treatment on the structure.
The village and Lake County Visitors Bureau have been working together since 2017 to restore the tower and save it from demolition.
Since a traditional ribbon cutting or groundbreaking with shovels didn’t seem to fit with a portion of the project that involved painting, Dockus was looking for a different activity to highlight the Oct. 15 ceremony.
In a conversation with Mark Rantala, executive director of the Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority,
Dockus said on Dec. 3 that artwork for the bowl and/or additional signs will have three focal points: Welcome to Remarkable Lake County, Ohio; the Grand River Valley region; and Madison.
Dockus and Rantala began kicking around different ideas. It was Rantala who raised the idea of involving paintbrushes as a prelude to the tower painting.
People who assembled at the event were issued paintbrushes and matching painter hats. Dockus popped open a can of white paint, and he and Bailey brushed a few symbolic coats onto a leg of the tower, with other guests following suit.
The celebratory mood at the event contrasted with the dire tone of most other news about the water tower
in recent years. Those reports usually focused on unsuccessful efforts to raise money for rehabilitating the structure, or announcements by the village that the tower would soon be demolished.
“I like to say the water tower is like a cat because it’s got nine lives,” Bailey said on Oct. 15. “It’s very nearly been demolished several times, as close as days away from being demolished.”
Bailey said government funding wasn’t available to recondition and stabilize the water tower because the leaking, deteriorating structure had been disconnected from the village’s water system in 2013.
But several community groups, including the Madison Community Improvement Corp. and Madison Merchants, took the lead on raising substantial amounts of money to ensure the water tower’s survival. Additional funding was secured by the Lake County Visitors Bureau and through anonymous gifts from individual donors.
Fundraising continues for the second and third phases of the tower restoration, Bailey said.
Phase 2 will involve painting artwork and text onto the tower’s bowl, as well as considering other signs for the site.
Dockus said on Dec. 3 that artwork for the bowl and/or additional signs will have three focal points: Welcome to Remarkable Lake County, Ohio; the Grand River Valley region; and Madison.
“We just have to figure out how we’re going to position everything,” he said.
The third and final phase of the project will involve landscaping the welcome area, and sprucing up the eastbound and westbound I-90/Route 528 interchanges to help attract visitors. Bailey said project planners are hoping to create something similar to what Geneva has done at its I-90/Route 534 interchanges. At those interchanges, travelers on westbound I-90 are greeted by a small-scale covered bridge with the word “Geneva” that sits in a grassy area near the Route 534 entrance ramp. Meanwhile, eastbound I-90 motorists heading onto Route 534 see the word “Geneva” along with a sculpture of grapes on a small hillside.