Pumping Station Renovations Continue

In preparation for its 150th anniversary, the Louisville Water Company has been renovating its pumping station and water tower on River Road.Work began in April. The company hopes to have the front of the pumping station renovated in time for the sesquicentennial celebration in October. Crews have studied archival evidence and will make the building look like it did in 1860.As he stood outside of the station on Thursday, company president Greg Heitzman said work is on track."We're literally essentially disassembling many components of the water tower, " he said. "What we're doing is stripping off all the paint, so you're seeing all the original brickwork, you're seeing all the original terracotta and the masonry work that's all being exposed. That's completely being renovated."Other work on the building will continue into next spring. The project will cost about two million dollars, paid for by the water company. A state tax credit of 180 thousand dollars will be used to build a terrace on the pumping station looking out to the river. The station has not pumped water for nearly a century; the Louisville Visual Arts Association has leased the property since 1977.