Painters union raises water-tank coating failure; village says warranty repairs under way and confirms routine water testing

Alberto Brazza, director of organizing for the Painters Union, presented inspection photos and a one-year inspection report alleging interior paint blistering on La Grange’s elevated water tank following its 2021 repaint. Brazza said the failure could threaten long-term corrosion protection and urged the board to consider a responsible-bidder ordinance to ensure qualified contractors for water-system work.

Director Colby (Public Works) told the board staff treat the condition as a warranty issue, that the village’s third-party engineering inspection found the blisters intact and not creating an immediate safety hazard, and that scheduling warranty repairs presents logistical challenges because the tank must be taken out of service during low-demand weather windows. Colby said the contract requires the original firm to perform warranty work and that there will be no additional cost to the village for labor or materials.

A resident asked whether the village tests water going into and coming out of the tank; Colby said the village performs routine sampling sent to a certified suburban lab and publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Report on the village website. Multiple residents then raised flooding concerns and asked whether the planned parking-lot permeable-paver retrofit (lot 3) — described earlier as capturing roughly 37,000–37,800 gallons — will be part of the north-of-47th flood study; staff confirmed it would be included in that study and reiterated that larger, comprehensive solutions are the board’s priority over piecemeal fixes.

Next steps: staff will schedule the warranty repair when conditions permit, continue follow-up inspections after repair, and report back to the board on the work’s completion and any permitting questions.