VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For decades, some Sandbridge residents have wanted the water tower at the end of Sandbridge Road to serve as a more welcoming symbol for the community.
That could soon become a reality after the Virginia Beach City Council approved $75,000 for a mural on the water tower.
Elane Fekete with the Sandbridge Beach Civic League said residents have discussed painting the water tower for decades.
“I moved to Sandbridge 31 years ago, and even then people were saying, ‘Why can’t we paint something on the water tower?’” Fekete said.
She spoke in support of an ordinance approved by City Council Tuesday night that allocates $75,000 from the Sandbridge Special Service District Fund for the mural.
The fund is used for beach replenishment and maintenance. With the next two beach replenishment projects already fully funded, the city approved using money from the fund for the mural.
Fekete said the city’s recent cleaning and painting of the inside and outside of the water tower created an opportunity to finally move forward with the project.
“So that was the opportunity we had to jump on this because the only cost would be for the design and the artwork itself,” Fekete said.
The mural will require ongoing maintenance, but Fekete said it will give residents something to take pride in as more people visit Sandbridge.
“It’s become the locals’ beach. We have 17,000 cars a day on the weekend, if that gives you any indication of how popular it is, and I think it will be nice now that we have the new entrance to Sandbridge to also have a welcoming symbol,” Fekete said.
According to the ordinance, the Department of Public Utilities will be responsible for coordinating the creation of the mural.
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