Selkirk ‘renewal’ reflected in water tower repaint

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This article was published 06/04/2021 (1810 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The iconic Selkirk water tower will be getting a facelift this summer.

The white, blue and touch of red that has covered the 41-metre structure for decades will be sanded off and replaced with a new design, beginning in May. Scaffolding has been put up around the tower, and the project is expected to be completed by September.

“In my opinion, and I think in the opinion of a lot of our council and the community, I think this is sort of an official notice that Selkirk is a different kind of community,” Selkirk chief administrative officer Duane Nicol said Tuesday.

Built in 1961, the tower moderates the water pressure for the city, and provides around 200,000 gallons of backup drinking water supply in its reservoir. The paint is more than just aesthetic flair; it provides a protective skin around the bulb. However, it has begun to chip away since it was last painted in 1998.

“You can’t just get a house painter to paint this thing, we want to strip the entire thing because the paint is old,” Nicol said.

A request for proposal for the project, which is estimated to cost $560,000, was sent out by the city for a new design that reflected Selkirk’s rebranding initiative currently underway.

A simple, colourful design by graphic designer and Selkirk native Robyn Kacperski was selected out of more than 30 entries. The stripping and repainting process has been contracted to Carlson Commercial and Industrial Services Ltd.

After being postponed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, giving the tower an aesthetic face lift was long overdue, Nicol said.

“We selected the design that really reflected where the community’s at today, it’s reflective of the renewal we’re seeing in Selkirk,” he said. “It reflects the multi-faceted nature of our community.”

Kacperski, who has worked with prominent large-scale local organizations, including Sport Manitoba and Skip the Dishes, said she was happy to “give back to the city and leave my mark on (her) hometown.”

“Growing up in Selkirk, you see the water tower every day, and it’s such a big part of your life, in that it’s always there and people are always talking about it,” she said.

“Going to the high school in Selkirk was where I got my first education in graphic design. It’s something that I didn’t know existed until that point; it’s where I got my start.”

Selkirk will be sending out a request for proposal for a mural design to be placed at the bottom of the water tower, paired with signage about the history of the structure.

Intertwining a piece of critical infrastructure with a piece of art is indicative of a city shifting to “adopt a more progressive urban model,” Nicol said.

“I think it’s reflective of the pattern we’re seeing already — after 30 years of decline in Selkirk, population decline, and aging of our infrastructure, we’re seeing that trend reverse, the community actually is growing,” he said.

“We’re seeing significant investment into renewal of our infrastructure, and there’s a lot more energy and a new enthusiasm you’re seeing in our community.”

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_