Carthage OKs water tower rehabilitation project

Carthage city officials awarded a $1.234 million bid to an Andalusia, Alabama company to repaint its water towers. Repainting helps extend the life of the water tower.
Meredith Shamburger

The Panola Watchman
By Meredith Shamburger mshamburger@panolawatchman.com
December 29, 2022

Carthage city officials awarded a $1.234 million bid to an Andalusia, Alabama company for a rehabilitation project on three water towers.

Dixie Painting & Sandblasting received the bid and was the lowest out of 13 bids the city received, City Manager Steve Williams said. The highest bid was $3.6 million, and Dixie Painting’s bid was more than $100,000 cheaper that the second-lowest bid.

“Anytime you get a bid like that, you want to do your due diligence and make sure they’re capable of doing the job,” Williams said. “So KSA (Engineers) talked to them, went through their bid and they were comfortable with what they bid and that they can do the work. They have a good reputation of doing that work, so our recommendation is that we issue that award.”

Williams said the difference in cost was due to other companies adding in contingency costs for lead abatement.

“If you have lead paint in there, they have to do whatever they have to do to make sure that’s safe,” Williams said. “They were cheaper on that. One, they did not think that the Live Oak tower will have it because it’s the newest tower. But they understand that if it does come back to have it, they still have to abate that.”

“So they’re taking a little risk?” Commissioner Tate Barber asked.

“Yes,” Williams replied.

Painting water towers prolongs the life of the structures and helps to prevent things like corrosion or problems from weather and pollutants. The last time the city repainted its towers was 1997, Public Works Director Byron Roberts previously said while discussing infrastructure needs at a 2021 workshop.