Brookfield’s dolphin-bedecked water tower at Maple and Southview avenues is a much-loved local landmark. But is it the fairest tower in the land?
After a furious round of online voting during the past couple of weeks, the water tank is in line to be named Best Water Tank in the nation by Kansas City-based Tnemec Inc., a manufacturer of paint products widely used to coat structures like water towers and other industrial buildings. All of the water tanks in the contest used Tnemec coatings and were painted this year. Brookfield’s water tower was repainted late this summer.
But it won’t be until Nov. 1, when the company plans to announce the winner on its website (www.tnemec.com), that we’ll know for sure.
“The votes were really to establish the top 12,” said Mark Thomas, vice president of marketing for Tnemec. “We have a panel of people here who will choose the winner. They’ll factor in the design and the story behind it. We find out lots of times there are very interesting reasons for the designs.”
All of the top 12 will be featured in Tnemec’s 2014 water tank calendar. The winner will get top billing in January.
Brookfield voters certainly sent a message to Tnemec about the tank they think deserves the New Year’s first month. While Tnemec took the voting website down at midnight on Oct. 19, Brookfield led the field as the final minutes ticked away. Following close behind was the tank from Silvis, Ill., which designed its tank to look like a golf ball on a tee — a tribute to the PGA John Deere Classic golf tournament held there annually.
“There was a big surge of voting on Thursday and Friday,” said Thomas.
