Water tower to be repainted in 2019, village says

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Renovations on the Sunrise Highway structure known as water tower No. 3 are slated to begin in fall 2019, according to village spokeswoman Julie Scully. The project will cost approximately $3 million, will be paid for with bond funding and should take about a year to complete, she added.

The 200-foot-tall, white and baby blue steel monolith sits on Sunrise Highway next to the village’s Department of Public Works shed and the Mill River Complex Park, and residents have complained of its rusty look. It is one of four towers in Rockville Centre that, altogether, hold up to nearly 4 million gallons of water.

In spring 2017, the village had planned to start rehabilitating tank No. 3 in fall 2018. It is now looking to hire engineers to inspect the tower and expects to choose an engineer at the January board meeting, Scully said.

Engineering will begin in winter 2019, she added, and from there, the scope of the project and specific renovations will be determined. At the least, the project will entail engineering design work and the recoating of paint for both the interior and exterior of the tower.

According to the village Water Department, tank coatings can last 20 to 30 years if done correctly. The last time tank No. 3 was rehabilitated was in 2005, when the interior surface was sandblasted and given a fresh coat of paint specially designed for surfaces where drinking water is stored, the Herald previously reported. The exterior was given an additional overcoat, but that paint has been wearing for years.

The last tank to be renovated was tower No. 1 by South Side High School in 2016.

Peter Belfiore contributed to this story.