Town of Hempstead to replace — not renovate — Uniondale water tower
The Uniondale water tower that will be replaced, shown on Tuesday. Credit: Barry Sloan
The Town of Hempstead plans to build a new water tower in Uniondale to replace an aging tower that has long drawn complaints from residents, town officials announced Tuesday.
Town officials had previously said the tower would be renovated but at a news conference in Uniondale, Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. said it made sense to spend a little more and get a new tower.
“Just to redo an existing 70-year-old facility, it's going to cost about $9 million when to build a new one, state of the art, is a little over [$10 million], it really was a no-brainer on the investment,” Clavin said Tuesday.
The estimated cost of more than $10 million includes the cost of demolishing the existing tower after the new one goes into service, Clavin said.
He said the rationale for the investment is to remove an eyesore as well as reduce maintenance costs of an aging structure.
“Overall it’s just cosmetics,” Clavin said.
The tower design is underway and the construction will be put out to bid in the summer, he said. Construction is expected to last 18 months, he said.
The tower holds 1.5 million gallons of water and primarily serves the East Meadow Water District, according to town officials.
Clavin said the town would seek federal assistance through Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Residents have long complained about the condition of the tower, which is near Turtle Hook Middle School in Uniondale.
At a Dec. 5, 2023, town board meeting, Hempstead Town Water Department Commissioner John Reinhardt told a Uniondale resident who asked about the tower’s dilapidated condition that it would be rehabilitated “next winter, during the offseason,” according to a transcript.
Last January, Reinhardt said, “We're doing some interim work on the inside of it this spring and next winter, as we said, the entire structure will be done,” according to a transcript.
On Tuesday, Reinhardt told Newsday that building the new tower alongside the existing tower would allow water to continue flowing until the construction is finished. Then the old tower will be demolished at a cost of approximately $800,000, he said. The new tower will have a reinforced concrete pedestal that will require less maintenance than the older steel structure that requires painting to prevent rust.
“That steel needs regular maintenance,” Reinhardt said. A concrete pedestal “doesn't require any maintenance so it doesn't need to be painted,” he said.
Residents have long complained about discolored water. Reinhardt said the new tower won’t address that issue, which he said can be caused by “high flow” situations that dislodge mineral buildup in water mains.
“We have high mineral content in our water, so you get that buildup of minerals and iron,” Reinhardt said.
The Town of Hempstead plans to build a new water tower in Uniondale to replace an aging tower that has long drawn complaints from residents, town officials announced Tuesday.
Town officials had previously said the tower would be renovated but at a news conference in Uniondale, Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. said it made sense to spend a little more and get a new tower.
“Just to redo an existing 70-year-old facility, it's going to cost about $9 million when to build a new one, state of the art, is a little over [$10 million], it really was a no-brainer on the investment,” Clavin said Tuesday.
The estimated cost of more than $10 million includes the cost of demolishing the existing tower after the new one goes into service, Clavin said.
He said the rationale for the investment is to remove an eyesore as well as reduce maintenance costs of an aging structure.
“Overall it’s just cosmetics,” Clavin said.
The tower design is underway and the construction will be put out to bid in the summer, he said. Construction is expected to last 18 months, he said.
The tower holds 1.5 million gallons of water and primarily serves the East Meadow Water District, according to town officials.
Clavin said the town would seek federal assistance through Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Residents have long complained about the condition of the tower, which is near Turtle Hook Middle School in Uniondale.
At a Dec. 5, 2023, town board meeting, Hempstead Town Water Department Commissioner John Reinhardt told a Uniondale resident who asked about the tower’s dilapidated condition that it would be rehabilitated “next winter, during the offseason,” according to a transcript.
Last January, Reinhardt said, “We're doing some interim work on the inside of it this spring and next winter, as we said, the entire structure will be done,” according to a transcript.
Town of Hempstead Department of Water Commissioner John Reinhardt speaks Tuesday during a press conference in Garden City to announce that a new water tower will be built in Uniondale. Credit: Barry Sloan
On Tuesday, Reinhardt told Newsday that building the new tower alongside the existing tower would allow water to continue flowing until the construction is finished. Then the old tower will be demolished at a cost of approximately $800,000, he said. The new tower will have a reinforced concrete pedestal that will require less maintenance than the older steel structure that requires painting to prevent rust.
“That steel needs regular maintenance,” Reinhardt said. A concrete pedestal “doesn't require any maintenance so it doesn't need to be painted,” he said.
Residents have long complained about discolored water. Reinhardt said the new tower won’t address that issue, which he said can be caused by “high flow” situations that dislodge mineral buildup in water mains.
“We have high mineral content in our water, so you get that buildup of minerals and iron,” Reinhardt said.
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