NILES — Should the Cherry Street water tower continue to feature a Niles Viking logo or the get a whole new look that features the city logo?

This was the question that spurred discussion Monday night at a Niles City Council meeting as city leaders discussed three potential options for the tower, including:

•  One color, plain paint job (base), with urethane coat for a total cost of $252,900

• Niles Vikings logo (additional cost of $2,000) for a total price of $254,900

•  City of Four Flags logo (additional cost of $6,000) for a total amount of $258,900

City leaders voted 5-4 in opposition of picking the Viking logo Monday. Niles Mayor Nick Shelton cast the tie-breaking vote.

“I’m going to say ‘no’ for now, and I’m going to try to solicit some feedback from the community, and we will have that for our next meeting,” Shelton said. “I read through this agenda and did not anticipate a tiebreaker.”

A motion was made to vote on the issue during the March 11 meeting. City council members then voted unanimously to support the new motion.

Councilmember Charlie McAfee asked whether both logos could be put on the tower and if the Niles Community School District would be willing to chip in.

City Administrator Ric Huff said he had talked with the school district and they declined to do so.

City councilmember John DiCostanzo agreed that getting feedback was a good idea, so long as it did not hold the project up. He said he preferred keeping the tower simple.

“I prefer the single color that still has some durability and put the extra money toward some sidewalks or something,” he said.

Jeff Dunlap, the Niles utilities manager, said both logo options were well below the cost estimate of $300,000. Funds for the recoating will come from the Water Division Enterprise Fund. The life expectancy of the new coating, no matter which option is selected, is approximated to be between 15 to 20 years. 

The Utilities Board has discussed the issue and had recommended to the council to select the Niles city logo.

The Cherry Street water tower was constructed in the 1950s and holds 500,000 gallons of water. It was last repainted in 2001 when the exterior was painted blue and gold and accented with the Niles Viking mascot.

The tower was recommended for recoating in 2015. However, the work had to be deferred because of budgetary constraints. 

L & T painting, of Shelby Township, Michigan, has been selected to recoat the tower. The project is tentatively slated to take place in the fall. Dunlap said they have about 30 days to decide on the paint options. The bid cost will include adding a new sidewall, roof ladders, platform and aviation lighting.

Shelton advised residents interested in sharing their feedback to respond to his Facebook page, where he has created a post about the issue.