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Paint the water tower copper and see what happens
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Editor, Manteca Bulletin,

I missed Linda Silverman’s letter regarding the fate of the water tower when it was published. However, after several other writers to the Bulletin referred to her letter,  I did find it and read it. I think that Linda really hit the nail on the head, and I agree completely with her appraisal of the situation.

Linda makes a very cogent argument for replacing the current non-functional and structurally unsound water tower with the proposed flagpole/cell tower which will generate real income for the city. Removing the water tower will also free up a large piece of land in the corporation yard that the city will be able to use for something else.

If the water tower was functional, it might be cute to paint, and repaint and repaint, it to look like a pumpkin, provided that the city had surplus funds available after all policemen, firefighter, and city employees salaries, as well as everything else, had been paid for. But because it is unusable and unsafe as it is, why spend another cent on it?  As water towers go, it is unremarkable, and just like hundreds or maybe even thousands of other water towers scattered across the state. Painting it to look like a pumpkin might work if the viewer was standing somewhere downtown, but from a short distance away, it’s “pumpkin-ness” would be lost, so what is the point?

I think that the water tower should be taken down before it falls down. I can see the headlines now: “Manteca, CA. Giant Pumpkin Tower Collapses, Derails Train Which Destroys New Transit Station! Hundreds Feared Dead!” (You may substitute “new animal shelter”, or “new city vehicle maintenance facility” for “transit station” if you wish.) On second thought, the water tower could possibly generate some publicity for the city after all, but there must be a better way.

Perhaps the proponents of a paint job should, instead of orange, paint the water tower bronze or copper. The meth freak “metal recyclers” would dismantle it overnight.

Stephen Breacain
Manteca
March 31, 2012