Caldwell Constructing Tank in Mount Olivet
A Towering Achievement
MOUNT OLIVET | Just shy of a year after Gov. Steve Beshear visited Mount Olivet to present a ceremonial check to begin construction, a new water tower can be seen along Kentucky 165, south of the city.
The style of a tank on four legs is a change from the silo-style old water tank.
Caldwell Tanks of Louisville is building the tower, said Jeff Reynolds of HMB Engineering.
Once the legs were in place, getting the tank into place took a crane, he said.
“They go up pretty fast,” he said.
“They just brought in a crane and lifted (the tank) right up there,” said Mount Olivet Mayor Linda Reed. “They have all been very easy to work with.”
Funding for the $1.1 million project came from a Community Development block grant of $500,000, an Appalachian Regional Development grant of $150,000 and $350,000 from a Kentucky Infrastructure Authority loan.
State Rep. Tom McKee, along with State Sen. Robin Webb, had been lobbied by local officials for funding to replace the 53-year-old Mount Olivet Water Company tower.
When completed, the 150-foot-tall tower will hold 100,000 gallons of water, Reynolds said.
Low water pressure has been a problem in the community, including limiting proper water access for the school and courthouse complex, officials said.
Though construction is expected to be completed by Nov. 16, full operation may not happen until the beginning of December, Reynolds said.
“When it is done being built it will have to be filled with water and the pump station lines have to be completed,” he said.
The new tower will be painted a teardrop blue and the city name will be painted on the side, he said.
The old tank will be demolished once the new one is on line, officials said.
“This new infrastructure will help Mount Olivet reach its full potential. A reliable water supply is crucial to a healthy, growing community,” said Webb in 2012. “I am thankful to Governor Beshear, the Department for Local Government, Kentucky Infrastructure Authority and Appalachian Regional Commission for partnering to make this needed project a reality.”
**Source: Written by Wendy Mitchell, The Ledger Independent
