It’s time to vote in the #ELGLKnope Sweet Sixteen! Read about this matchup, and then submit your vote! One vote per email address, please. We’ll tally the votes and will post the next round of matchups on Tuesday!
Vote! Vote! Vote!
Florence Y’all Water Tower
500 Mall Circle Rd, Florence, Kentucky 41042
- Three words to describe Florence Y’all Water Tower: Iconic, Controversial, Attraction
- Why are you nominating Florence Y’all Water Tower: The Florence Water Tower is a legend in Kentucky Interstate Lore. Initially painted with the name of the Florence Mall (where it stands), it had to change because it predated the mall and thus fell outside advertising law. In a rush to change it, the developers temporarily changed it to say “Florence Y’all” … this was in the mid-1970s, and it’s remained this way ever since. It’s an absolute icon, and serves as a welcome to the South for everyone arriving from the north in Ohio.
- Anything else to share? I am not kidding, this thing is such an icon that it has a whole baseball team named after it, the Florence Y’alls. (https://twitter.com/florence_yalls) Bet that’s the only one of those on this list.
Northglenn Wastewater Treatment Facility
2350 West 112th Avenue, Colorado 80234
- Three words to describe Northglenn Wastewater Treatment Facility: Efficient, Sustainable, Reliable
- Why are you nominating Northglenn Wastewater Treatment Facility: I am nominating them for recent efforts they have made to help our residents and citywide operations:
1) Set a goal to cut power usage by 10% at the facility for sustainability and cost efficiency purposes. An outside contractor was brought in and through the optimization of air usage in the biological nutrient removal process, the facility saved 17% on energy usage in the last year.
2) The data from COVID-19 wastewater testing by the facility as allowed the city to react and pivot based on spikes in the data two weeks earlier than the state has released numbers and made decisions based on their data.
3) Recently decommissioned a raw sewage lagoon to fill with dirt for potential sustainability efforts in the future
4) Responsive to resident complaints about odor from the facility. The facility has spent $80k in new technology to oxygenate the water to help mitigate the odor. Further, they are working with a consultant and applied with the state to pilot a program to add chemicals to the water to help further reduce odor. This has been a long process but worth it if it furthers helps our residents improve their quality of life. The application is currently in the public comment period.
5) Collaborated with the Parks Department who wanted to start a tree nursery. It is on unused land at the facility being watered by reclaimed water. - Anything else to share? When I told the Operations Manager of the facility that I am applying on their behalf for this award, he was hesitant to provide me with details because his co-workers don’t see themselves as award-worthy- they’re just doing their jobs and don’t want any recognition. I told him, well good news is that the City Manager’s Office is applying for you so you can blame us! They are very dedicated to their community and take pride in their work. We believe they are deserving and thank ELGL for the opportunity to recognize wastewater (and water, stormwater) facilities!