When crews perform some “necessary” maintenance and aesthetics work – including a paint job – on the Park Ridge water tower, the name of the local hospital that has been emblazoned on it for nearly two decades will be removed.
In his report to the City Council at the Sept. 16 council meeting, City Manager Joe Gilmore said the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital name and logo will be taken off of the water tower when it gets painted within the next six months or so.
“There was an agreement that they have right of first refusal to have their name … or their logo potentially appear on the water tower again,” Gilmore said at the meeting about the hospital.
Gilmore explained that the hospital paid $40,000 in 2007 to have its name appear on the city property. He said he reached out to hospital officials to see if they had interest in “partnering, sponsoring” the water tower again.
They said no.
“They basically declined to have their name or any reference to ‘Advocate Lutheran General Hospital’ on the water tower,” Gilmore told the City Council.
As a result, he said, the city’s name will be painted on it.
“Most water towers just have the city name on them” anyway, he told the City Council. “Ours is a little unusual in that way.”
Gilmore offered to seek other sponsors if the council wanted to go that route, but said he had seen the hospital as the “only viable one” for the water tower project.
So, hearing no objects from the aldermen at the meeting, Gilmore said the city would proceed with something a bit more customary.
In the coming months, the water tower will be painted “likely white with city name/logo” on it, he told Pioneer Press.
In all, the painting is part of a broader $1.3 million project that will include mechanical upgrades, as well as inspection and replacement or upgrade of piping, valves, hatches, doors, ladders, vents, railings and more – as needed – the city manager told Pioneer Press.
