The city of Wichita blew it by putting a bright blue roof on the water pump station at 21st Street and Webb Road. But now, after neighbors have had many months to adjust to the color, the city is compounding the offense by replacing the roof at a cost of $78,000, up from one $36,000 estimate last year. The decision seems final: The installation of a concrete tile roof is under way. But the city is throwing good money after bad with this, and sending a poor message about City Hall priorities to neighborhoods where the needs are more basic than aesthetics.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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11 Comments
i don’t know all the ins and outs of this story nor do i live in that neighborhood. did the city have a reason for a blue roof? did that neighborhood have some sort of agreement with the city about that building? unless there was some sort of legal thing replacing that roof was a big waste of taxpayer money.
I guess it’s great to be represented in the City Council by one of Bush’ premier beggars (money gatherers). Blue roof after all is a national security issue, being highly visible from the air!
I think it is an absolute waste of of taxpayer money to replace the roof because of color.
I wonder why they just didn’t build the fake house in the 1st place. It looks really odd, regardless the color of the roof, it doesn’t fit!
It would probably have been better leaving the pumps exposed out in the open sitting on a concrete pad. At least the plumbing architecture would look cool. It would have saved the city many thousands of dollars, and I don’t think people would mind that.
Off by June 6th, finished by SEPTEMBER? If any company took that long putting a roof on Mayans’ house do you think he’d “raise the roof” about the amount of time to do the replacement? What a waste of money and time.
I think there should be full disclosure as to why they installed the blue roof in the first place. Whoever made that decision within the city should be fired. Too costly of a mistate not to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Too bad… just add a big blue revolving light and that place would have made a great “Blue Beacon Truck Wash”!
Do you think the city would have spent more than the blink of their half blind eyes if the blue roof was in south wichita and not in Tallgrass? Awwww, did poor little prissy boys in Tallgrass have their pristine neighborhood spoiled with a little blue roof. Its hard to sleep with a pea under your mattress isn’t it? Hey Mayan’s, you’re pockets full yet or are you still filling up on kickbacks from Onex?
A city official claims that the roof warranty covering building damage would have been voided if they painted it. That sounds like pure BS to me. And the prices they pay for roofing would put a 30 year roof on ten 2000 sq ft homes. Isn’t anyone watching these guys before they make such stupid commitments?
More to the point, I’d take a plain old pumping station in my neighborhood any time, even if only hidden by some cheap bushes. Street water rises 3 ft and gets into my house once or twice a year because of inadequate drainage in this area; but instead the city spends its money to put two (TWO!) outrageously expensive roofs on a gold-plated, showhouse pump station in Wichita’s Neverland.
I agree with you, Ireland. I personally think the blue roof blends well with the strip malls in that particular intersection. I still don’t see how a blue roof can lower property values of that neighbourhood. Are those people militantly monochromatic?
How many pairs of shoes would $78,000 dollars buy? How much food in the local food bank? Supplies for shelters? Medical supplies? Adult education? The list just goes on and on. Shame on all of you, shame on you!!!