During the most recent installment of KVOE’s Q&A With Trey segment Monday morning, Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking had two exciting announcements.
The first announcement was that the two-month-long restoration project on Emporia’s East 12th Avenue Water Tower was officially completed this past Friday. The second announcement? The city’s water watch, in place since late September has been officially rescinded.
The water watch resulted from more than 40 line breaks after the water tower went offline at the beginning of the interior restoration work. Cocking says while it was not an ideal situation, there was a silver lining to the rash of breaks in that they accelerated the timeframe for several city infrastructure projects.
As for the work on the tower itself, Cocking says the project rejuvenated the interior and is hopeful it will be another 30 years or more before such work is needed again. Additionally, Cocking noted the recent facelift the tower received with its new paint job promoting Emporia State University.
He tells KVOE News the tower’s exterior serves as a great visual representation of everything that has gone into the project the past two months.
Cocking notes he is hopeful the new design on the 12th Avenue Tower will be just the beginning of similar work on the rest of the city’s tanks and towers over the next several years.
