Big blue tower getting a major makeover

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) - "The big blue water tower" in Amherst along the 290/90 split is undergoing a makeover, and we decided to get a sneak peek.

Tarps now cover the tower as the old paint is removed, and most of the structure is primed in a gray color, ready to be painted blue on Wednesday.

Erie County Water Authority Executive Engineer Wes Dust said, "Well basically, they're sand blasting and painting underneath the tarp so you've got the tank structure, then you've got the scaffolding and then you've got the outside tarps that prevent any over blast or sandblasting to interfere with traffic on the thruway."

Andy Dalgleish of Wendel Duchscherer Architects wasn't sure exactly how much paint it will take to coat the tower, but noted 90 gallons were needed just to prime half of it. The tower is almost 180 feet tall and it took crews around six weeks to set up all the scaffolding and tarps now surrounding it.

"The total price tag to repaint this tank is a little over $1.8 million," Dust said.

The tower is almost 25 years old now. During the nighttime, it slowly fills up with water so that during the high water usage hours in the daytime, the gravity alone can push the water down and provide good water pressure for homes in Amherst and Cheektowaga. Its function is just as important is its landmark status.

Dust said, "We knew we couldn't change the color of this so we went with the exact same color."

The job will be done sometime in October. It will look brighter because it will have a gloss finish instead of satin.