STOCKTON, Calif. — As thousands of people travel into the heart of Stockton from its outskirts each day, an unofficial landmark greets commuters with a welcome message and a blast from the past -- in the form of an eye-catching water tank.
The iconic "Welcome to Stockton" water tank, one of three white-painted, city-owned water tanks at 10004 Trinity Parkway, is among the first structures separating the agricultural land off I-5 south of Sacramento from the sharply contrasted active metropolitan scene of I-5 through Stockton.
One of the three 3.43 million-gallon water tanks, most visible from the busy stretch of I-5 south of 8-Mile Road, features the words “Welcome to Stockton, on our downtown waterfront” followed by seven logos and the link address to the city’s website.
The tanks, built in the mid 90s, are due for routine coating within the next two years -- meaning the drive-by landmark might soon look less colorful.
“The tanks will be recoated within the next two years; the cost to recoat is well over $1 million,” City of Stockton spokesperson Connie Cochran said. “The special coating used protects and maintains the structural integrity of the tank. When the tanks are recoated, the logos will be removed or coated over.”
Although the tank acts as a welcome sign and is a "critical component" of the city's drinking water system, some of the teams represented through murals of their logos on the tank have already seen the city’s exit sign.
Of the seven mural logos on the tank, only three are still relevant. In 2009, the city's arena football team, the Stockton Lightning stopped playing in town; followed by the city's arena soccer team, the California Cougars, which dissolved in 2011.
The Stockton Asparagus Festival eventually became the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival, and the Stockton Thunder hockey team tuned into the Stockton Heat, which announced their relocation away from Stockton in May.
All four murals are still painted on the city's welcome water tank, along with the Stockton Ports' logo, the University of the Pacific's Logo and a seal from the city's 1999 and 2004 "All American City" wins.
"Welcome to Stockton" water tank
In the time since the logos went up, the city won three more "All American City" awards, the Stockton Kings began playing downtown, and the Stockton Cargo FC was announced with an anticipated inaugural season coming in the spring.
City officials say more than a decade ago, the logos painted on the tank were paid for by their respective organizations, but plans for maintenance or updates were never drawn up.
"The existing logos were painted years ago," Cochran said. "If anything were to be painted or added to the tanks in the future, it would be a much more formal process with consideration for maintaining the integrity of the tank and coating and the actual cost of placing and removing, so that we don’t end up in a situation like we have today where the display is obsolete."
Whether by living in the Spanos neighborhood, shopping in Trinity Parkway or simply entering the city from the north, hundreds of thousands of people are familiar with the tanks, including council member Sol Jobrack. He represents the area where the tanks are located.
"I would totally want to figure out how the city could have all the logos of the teams in our city, I’m a big fan of art and see it as such," Jobrack said. "I know there are costs associated with it and we would need to talk with staff to see the feasibility of how to make that all happen."
For now, Stockton residents and visitors alike can still see the unofficial landmark by passing it on I-5 just south of 8-Mile Road.
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