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Elevated tank may follow mural and just fade away

St. Petersburg has no plans to refresh a sea-themed mural on Crescent Lake Park's 83-year-old water tower. If it requires too much work, it might be better to get rid of it, an official says.

By PAUL SWIDER
Published January 8, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - A fading landmark might fade altogether in a few years, if the city decides not to refresh the fish mural on the water tower at Crescent Lake Park.

"The city doesn't have anything budgeted or planned to touch up the mural," said Richard Voakes of the sun-bleached coral reef mural painted on the tower in 1994. "If it became an aesthetic issue, then maybe we'd have to do something."

But Voakes, manager of water treatment and distribution, also said the 83-year-old tower is a legacy of a bygone era and no longer serves a cost-effective purpose in supplying city residents with water. The city removed two other raised tanks about 15 years ago, he said, and could not only operate without the Crescent Lake tower but would have better water pressure if it did.

"It's not costing too much now, but if we have to repaint it or do some structural repairs, we could do without it," he said.

Voakes said the protective coating over the 150-foot tower's metal skin is still in good shape and could last many more years, but the artist who painted over that is concerned that the mural is starting to deteriorate.

"I cringe when I think it might get much worse," said Tom Stovall, the St. Petersburg artist who raised the money for and painted the mural. "I thought they were required to do something with it."

Stovall said the worst part of the mural is the top of the tank, where black paint is starting to peel and flake as it has before. The black roof and the tower's blue legs were repainted in 1998.

Stovall said the fish have faded and will do so more quickly soon, but are in better shape. Still, the peeling on top might indicate damage beneath the mural. Stovall said Voakes told him he would inspect the tower.

Stovall persuaded the city to let him paint the tower in 1993 by offering to raise money for and maintain the mural. He got all the paint and materials donated and received other contributions for his own labor and that of several others.

He received about $10,000 of the $35,000 total bill for the six-month project. Donors' names are painted along the tower's central column.

"I guess I could have raised more money for maintenance," Stovall said. "It's time for somebody to do something."

Stovall said he's disappointed to hear the city has no plans to work on the mural but will solicit a bid from another artist on a cost-effective solution and present it to the city.

He said it might be possible to revitalize the mural without the full expense of having to re-create it. Voakes said any decision to improve the aesthetics of the tower would not be his to make and might be a political choice, given the utility of the tower.

Another of Stovall's murals, a display of birds on a water tank in Seminole, has come under criticism lately and may be repainted even though Stovall said it is in much better condition.

[Last modified January 8, 2006, 00:44:19]