Tank 77 replica approved and in the works

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

At a June 23 meeting of town council, members revisited the plan to construct a Tank 77 replica to honour the town’s history. The administration recommended that council approve a project budget of $90,000 to complete the Tank 77 initiatives as outlined by the arts and heritage committee, with funding to come from capital reserves. After a 15-minute discussion, council agreed to approve it.

 As the the first structure to be built in Taber, town officials view Tank 77 as “an essential element of the history and story of Taber.” Initially, Parallel Church approached council with a concept to redevelop the west end of their property to include a park with a replica of Tank 77.

 Initially, the administration received council approval to purchase the land where the proposed park was located and use its downtown revitalization grant to fund the construction. During work on the park in 2023, the project was reassigned due to grant funding restrictions.

 When the administrative team resumed planning for the replica, it examined alternative site locations, and generated a preliminary budget and schedule for the design, tender, and construction of the ‘new’ Tank 77.

 Upon review in March 2024, council approved a motion to proceed with the project inception and planning work for the replica and approved expenses to be funded from the downtown revitalization grant.

 Taber’s arts and heritage committee responded by forming a working group that met twice in Aug. and Sept. 2024. The two meetings evaluated the project plans to determine its worthiness. The committee reached a consensus after deciding that the Tank 77 initiative would fulfill the  Town’s ‘beautification’ goals.

In Nov. 2024, the committee resolved to adopt beautification as the key parameter when evaluating the Tank 77 initiative. An administrative concept meeting in Dec. 2024 helped define the direction for the project, including a location.

 The committee decided to present its top three concept plans as:

1) a structure of transparent panels with renderings of Tank 77 and related railway photos or artist’s renderings, creating a sightline that would make the Tank appear to be back in its original location. The proposed location was in the park in front of the Aquafun Center, which would allow the perception of the tank in its original location to the east.

2) a Tank 77 structure with a painted or a vinyl wrap mural on the south façade of the Aquafun Center. An artist’s rendering would approximate the shape of the tank.

3) a bronze statue of Tank 77 with a train beside it.

 The committee recommended that council decide upon the first two conceptualizations, or a combination of both. The administration confirmed its opinions of probable cost as $40,000 for option one and $50,000 for option two, with a potential combined cost of $90,000.

 On June 23, council discussed its preferences, logistical concerns, and suggestions about the project. Coun. Remfert moved that council approve a project budget of $90,000 to complete option one and two of the Tank 77 initiatives, with funding to come from capital reserves. It received unanimous approval.