News File Photo Contractors working on a water tower in Alpena Township repel down from the structure on some scaffolding in this May 2023 News archive photo.

ALPENA — Alpena Township is spending roughly $350,000 of the $920,000 it received via the American Rescue Plan Act to make improvements to one of its water towers.

Over the last several days, passersby may have noticed contract workers hoisted high above the ground on scaffolding near the top of the water tower on M-32 West near Walmart. The workers will continue to scale the outside and inside of tower in the coming weeks while it undergoes a complete renovation.

Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe said the township has three water towers — one on Piper Road, another on U.S.-23 South, and the one on M-32. Each receives large upgrades once every 10 years. He said the current project, which will last about 40 days, requires the water tower to be drained, but it won’t disrupt the service of residents and business in that part of the township.

Skibbe said after the tower is empty, the interior will be cleaned to remove corrosion and the inside walls will be treated with materials to help protect and preserve the metal.

Catherine Winn, regional manager of F&V Operations and Resource Management — the township’s water contractor — told The News before the Piper Road tower was redone in 2021, the coating and material applied are certified and approved for this type of use to be sure water remains safe for consumption.

“You just can’t throw a coat of paint on it. Everything is very specific, because it comes into contact with the water,” she said.

Skibbe said there will be a lot of work done to the exterior of the tower too. He said crews will address any oxidation issues and then the entire tower will be painted.

“When it’s done, the tower will still be white, but we are incorporating the new Charter Township of Alpena logo,” he said. “I think it will look sharp.”

Throughout the project, water samples will be tested to make sure the water is safe before it is redistributed to the public when the job is done. Skibbe said water samples are taken before the large storage tank is emptied, once it is refilled, drained once more, and refilled a final time.

“There is testing throughout the entire cycle,” he said.

Once the M-32 tower is done, two of the three township owned towers will have recently been improved. Skibbe said the final one, on U.S.-23 South, will be renovated in 2025.

He said the township reapplied for a $20 million loan from the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to help pay to have the water tower maintained and to pay for other large projects that include replacing approximately 2,600 water service pipes from the water main to the curb, creating a water main loop at South Partridge Point Road to U.S.-23 and South Partridge Point Road to North Partridge Point Road.

Last year, the township applied for a $15.8 million low-interest loan for the needed projects. Skibbe said increases in the cost of materials pushed the cost of the proposed projects up and that is why more money is needed in this loan request.

Skibbe said the township should know if it is granted the loan late this year, or early next.