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NCRWA.COM|
Fall 2015
T
his time last year, NCRWA circuit riders Marty
Wilson and Keith Buff were inspecting the
Town of Marshall’s water infrastructure with
the town’s Maintenance Supervisor, Jamie
Chandler, looking for leaks. As they worked
their way around, they came upon the town’s
water tank. Covered in mold and riddled with
cracks, Marty immediately knew that this
tank would be a perfect candidate for local
coatings contractor, Carolina Management
Team’s “CMT Gives Back” program. With
the application deadline fast approaching,
Marty and Jamie went straight from the tank
to Town Hall. The two quickly completed and
submitted the application in the nick of time.
Once the application deadline passed, a group
of independent judges toured the state to get
a first-hand look at the water and wastewater
infrastructure submitted. After reviewing each
town’s infrastructure and resources it was
determined that the rehab project would be
awarded to the town that would reap the most
benefit from the gift, the Town of Marshall.
So what did the Town of Marshall get?
For both the tank and the nearby pump house,
CMT performed the following:
1) Pressure washed the exterior
2) Applied caulk to the cracks
3) Applied 2 coats of breathable, textured,
acrylic waterproofing
4) Applied 1 topcoat of high performance
acrylic coating with a gloss finish to add
better color retention and dirt release
“There weren’t any real surprises on this job
with the exception of how many cracks were
on the tank. During the caulk process, the tank
looked like a very large road map. While there
were lots of cracks, only a few were severe, but
none warranted a repair with mortar,” said Terry
Boger, CMT’s Superintendent for this project.
So what’s the catch?
The Town of Marshall did ante up. They
provided a tent and supplied beverages for
the crew and even bought them lunch a
couple days. The Town also threw the “reveal”
luncheon so that everyone could come out and
share in their excitement. Not a bad trade off,
if you ask me.
That brings us to Thursday, August 20, 2015.
I was certain I was not going the right way.
I’ve never had much luck when it came to
driving directions – some would say driving,
in general, but that’s neither here nor there.
Just as I was about to turn around, I saw a
gentleman step out of his car with “CMT”
embroidered on his shirt. Maybe I’m not lost.
I kept going in search of a place to park, not
even sure I was on a road anymore. With
nowhere to turn, I drove past an industrial
production plant right off onto a dirt path,
only to find the newly rehabilitated and
freshly painted water tank. Marty Wilson was
already there talking to Jamie Chandler, both
with grins from ear to ear. Their few minutes
of paperwork had resulted in infrastructure
improvements valued at over $45,000. For a
small rural town, $45,000 is a lot of money. A
lot. A whole lot.
After talking to some of the other folks, I
didn’t feel so bad not knowing where I was
going. Turns out, some of the town’s own
council had never even seen the tank. So often,
small-town assets, such as water tanks, are
“out of sight, out of mind” to the governing
body and so gaining support to upgrade or
even maintain these assets can be a struggle
for the operations and maintenance staff. As
many of you know, small towns often equal
By Amy Everett, CAE, NCRWA
Town of Marshall Water Tank Rehabilitated
Thanks to the CMT Gives Back Program
system & associate member spotlight
Before
After