• It is a debate that has been raging for weeks. The Pullman City Council voted last night on a motion to approve a controversial sale and improvement project. The vote, which was 4-3, was a close one. The meeting drew a large crowd of supporters and opponents to the proposal. The city owns an old metal water tank. The tank can hold 200,000 gallons of water. The city no longer uses the water tank because it is obsolete. It has sat empty for the past seven years. The city stopped using the tank because of state government regulations regarding open sources of water and possible contamination. The city now uses completely enclosed water storage facilities. The tank is 50 feet tall and 25 feet in diameter. More than 100 residents attended the meeting, which was held at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall. A local businessman who owns a paint manufacturing plant near the site offered to buy the water tower. He wants to clean up the tower, which is scarred by corrosion and peeling paint. He wants to repaint it so it resembles a giant can of paint and put his company logo on it. Residents in the area want the city to tear the water tower down because they claim it is an eyesore. They also claim that the tank poses an environmental hazard because lead in the peeling paint is leaching into the ground around the tank. It would cost the city 483 thousand dollars to demolish the water tank and haul it away. The paint company has offered $50,000 to buy the tank from the city.

One side: William Krueger, 284 Erie Ave., is the president of Alladin Paints. Kruegar said at the meeting: "This is in the best interest of the town and will be a novel way to promote my business. The city would have to spend nearly half a million dollars to tear that tank down and I'm offering to provide the city with some extra revenue instead. The promotional value of that tank painted up as a giant paint can is invaluable to my company. It also will promote the city as a business-friendly city because news organizations from all over the country will want to do stories on it. The American Paint Manufacturers Association is ready to help pay some of the cost to clean up the tank and paint it. I think it is a win-win situation for the city." Barton Masters, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, attended the meeting in support of the proposal. "This is a unique way to deal with that water tank, which has been an eyesore for years. It shows that business and government can work cooperatively to solve problems in a community. When it is renovated and painted, I'll bet money that residents in the area will be surprised at how attractive it looks."

The other side: Amanda Blake, 3314 Santana Blvd., lives near the water tank. She can see the top of it from the back porch of her house. "If Mr. Masters thinks that can will look so attractive, why doesn't he put one in his backyard. Santana Boulevard residents have had to put up with a lot of neglect by city officials over the years. We have requested, begged and threatened to sue to have that tank removed. It is an eyesore and a potential environmental hazard. Tests have shown that the original paint on that tank contains lead and that lead is leaching into the ground. Kids play near that area. What is going to happen to them? Do city officials think that a new coat of paint is going to solve that problem? It may sound like a bargain to sell the problem to someone else, but selling the tank is not going to solve the real problem — how to enhance life for the residents of Santana Boulevard. The city should tear the tank down and clean up the site." Roger Ellam, 2481 Santana Blvd., opposes the idea: "Four years ago the city promised us that it would tear the tank down. And four years later it is still sitting there. I drive by that thing every day on my way to work. You don't have to drive by it because you don't live near it. The residents of Santana Boulevard deserve better from their elected officials. You're trying to save money at our expense." City council member Alice Cycler voted against the proposal: "I can't support this proposal because we promised residents that we could clean up that section of Santana Boulevard and provide funds for residential revitalization. I don't think a giant paint can will provide a symbol of neighborhood revitalization.

• Write print (no page limit) and broadcast (10 lines/30 seconds) stories based on the information below.
• The lead should summarize what action was taken. Then present the background, and then go into the back and forth between the sides.
• For print, include and name everyone; for broadcast, name the paint company and its president.
• For the residents, you don't need their specific addresses; just tie them to the issue somehow — "who lives near the tower" or "who lives on Santana Boulevard."
• The name of the paint company can be looked up in the City Directory when you look up the businessman's name.
• Barton Masters is not in the City Directory. Use his name and organization as it is presented in the exercise.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Print Story Lead The Pullman City Council narrowly approves a controversial sale and improvement project for an old water tank with a vote of 43 Backg... View the full answer