Sussex Water Towers to Get Million-Dollar Facelift

The Sussex Village Board Tuesday approved a nearly $1.3 million contract with Georgia-based Utility Services Co. to maintain and repair the village's water towers over the next 13 years. 

The first water tank to receive the treatment will be the Standpipe, the tower in northern Sussex off Salem Drive. It has been described by village officials as the tower in the worst condition, so it'll get a complete overhaul in 2012. 

Under the contract, Utility Services will inspect, clean, test, paint and install new items on the tanks in accordance with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' policies. In addition, the company will inspect and repair each tower annually throughout the contract period.

The breakdown of how much each tower will cost is as follows:

Standpipe Tower, located off Salem Drive

• 2012 renovation, repairs and painting, $279,000
• Yearly maintenance and repairs, $61,000
• 2024 renovation, repairs and painting, $363,000

Plant Tank, located off Highway 164

• 2016 renovation, repairs and painting, $238,000
• Yearly maintenance and repairs, $69,000

Woodside Tank, located off Woodside Road

• 2020 renovation, repairs and painting, $218,000
• Yearly maintenance and repairs, $40,000

The length and price tag may be daunting, but trustees agreed this long-term maintenance would save the village money in the long run. In addition, Village Attorney John Macy assured the board such a long contract would be in the village's best interest.

"This is very atypical that we would approve this lengthy of a contract," Macy said. "My general advice is no more than three years."

However, after working with the language in the contract, Macy believes this is the right move for the village, and termination of the contract under certain circumstances is a possibility.

The contract begins on Jan. 1.