PERRYSBURG – A simmering racial controversy about the city water tower art came bubbling to the surface as council agreed to repaint the structure with an updated version of the current art.

Debate about the art on the tower, which is silhouettes of families playing with their children, centered around fiscal responsibility issues and involving the community in updates to the art, but it took a racial turn on Tuesday when the option for maintaining the current art became a formal motion.

Mayor Tom Mackin said that several people had commented to him that there were “negative racial overtones” associated with the current art.

“The administration is concerned about that and that’s why we made another recommendation,” Mackin said, referencing using the new city logo, with the silhouettes. “I also think it’s fiscally responsible. And again we have to be mindful that the community is changing and becoming more diverse.

“If one person feels unwelcome, and was teased … I think my administration would like to get rid of that problem,” Mackin said, in direct reference to the silhouette art.

Councilman Cory Kuhlman said it’s not the water tower that’s the problem.

“I don’t want anyone to feel unwelcome in our community,” Kuhlman said. “So we have a water tower with black silhouettes. If we’re going to have a grown-up conversation about it, we have to address what the joke is. The joke is that there are not many Black people in Perrysburg and the people on the water tower are the few that live here.

“When I look at that sentiment, to me it’s not the water tower that’s the problem. Racial jokes are going to be made no matter what we do and changing a water tower is not an appropriate reaction to that. Changing the culture that we live in, in our community, and trying to harbor diversity here, which I think our administration is doing a great job at, by the way — I’m not taking a shot at that — but changing a water tower, because one joke is being made, is not fixing a problem,” Kuhlman said. “Most jokes hurt when there is a hint of truth to them.”

He suggested making Perrysburg a more diverse and welcoming place, and said that it is “the people who are willing to make those jokes that are the problem.”

Calling the current art a “familiar landmark,” Kuhlman cited support for keeping the silhouettes. He said on social media he saw two different discussions, with hundreds showing support.

“The consistent sentiment was that they like the idea that the silhouettes create, that Perrysburg is a family-friendly town, and I don’t want to take that away without talking to my constituents, and I don’t think we had ample discussion with them to make that choice on their behalf,” Kuhlman said.

The council went on to approve maintaining the silhouettes, but with a modern update. The new rebranded logo colors would be used, with the black becoming cobalt blue. Council also approved spending up to an additional $55,000.

Council in November approved the $438,725 painting of the water tower by Seven Brothers Painting Inc. The elevated water tank is located on Ohio 199; $800,000 had been budgeted.

Several council members complained at previous meetings that they had not been consulted by the administration about the water tower art work.

The project has a narrow window of time to be accomplished because of weather and heat, that is estimated to start in April and be finished before summer. During that time the tower would also have to be drained.

Administrator Bridgette Kabat said that a new paint job is required by the Environmental Protection Agency. Water towers are inspected every five years, as part of a safety evaluation and the city had notice of an inspection in January 2020. There was corrosion found and it needed to be removed and recoated.

She said that, like many building materials, the price of paint has gone up during the last year. Kabat reported that the current price of the specialized paint needed for the project is $250 to $300 per gallon.

The lone vote on Tuesday against the motion came from Councilwoman Jan Materni.

“I won’t vote for anything that adds cost,” she said.

Materni came out immediately against the motion, citing fiduciary responsibility at a time with rising water rates as her primary reason against it.

Materni said that the costs could increase dramatically with any change to the signed contract. Kabat confirmed that the scope of the expanded project would be outside the allotted final cost variance of the initial contract and the cost estimate on the additional work was only verbal.

Council President Jonathan Smith said that the assumption of the motion is that the additional painting would be done at the same time as the rest of the work. Other ideas had also been discussed, like getting a local artist to come up with something new. Because of the time constraints and rising materials costs, alternate ideas were abandoned.

Last year the city went through a rebranding effort that included standardizing the type-face and colors of the logo.

The contract signed in November included the basic city logo on the water tower, which Kabat said would cost the city $35,000, and she said the motion council agreed to would allocate as much as an additional $55,000, for a new total maximum cost of $90,000. The initial quote did not include the silhouettes.

“It is just that, a verbal. Until we have written pricing we can’t confirm that,” Kabat said in a follow-up question.