KANSAS CITY, MO – A municipal water tank in Wamego, Kansas, is this year’s winner of the Tank of the Year competition sponsored by Tnemec Co. Inc., a leading provider of high-performance coatings. The pedestal water tank was selected by a panel of water tank enthusiasts based on criteria such as artistic value, significance of the tank to the community, and challenges encountered during the project. The tank was also designated the People’s Choice winner based on online voting conducted earlier this month.

“The Wamego tower represents a connection to the city’s Oz museum, which includes a large collection of Oz memorabilia and artifacts,” explained Randy Moore, Director of Sales – Agency Development & Industry Affairs for Tnemec. “The 500,000-gallon Wamego water tank was repainted with a HydroFlon fluoropolymer coating system that will help the many hues on the tank retain their color and gloss over time.”

Other water tanks among the top 12 finalists for 2019 are in Campbell, Missouri; West Palm Beach, Florida; Columbus, Ohio; Farmers Branch, Texas; Camden, Alabama; Clinton, Mississippi; Sammamish, Washington; Apple Valley, California; Gulf Breeze, Florida; Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania; and Maxville, Ontario, Canada.

Opened in 2003, the Oz Museum is home to the largest permanent public display of Oz artifacts in the world, including an original flying monkey, costumes and production notes from the original 1939 MGM film, “The Wizard of Oz.” Also among the museum’s unique collection are books from L. Frank Baum who authored 14 novels in the Oz series.

The Wamego tank, which was painted by Classic Protective Coatings using eight different colors, received the most online votes to claim the People’s Choice title. More than 300 water tanks were nominated, and nearly 20,000 online votes were cast this year from across the United States and Canada.

 “This is the 14^th anniversary of the competition, which recognizes the most impressive coatings projects in the water tank industry,” Moore added. “This year’s finalists represent several different types of water tanks including legged designs, composite constructions, ground storage tanks and pedestal styles in various shapes and sizes.”

The Tank of the Year will be featured as the month of January in Tnemec’s 2020 water tank calendar. All finalists and nominees will be included in the following months of the calendar.

Established in 1921, Tnemec Co. Inc. manufactures more than 120 architectural and industrial coating products at facilities in Kansas City, Baltimore, Dallas, and Shanghai, China. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, Tnemec also operates distribution facilities in Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Seattle and Compton, California.