With summer fast approaching, many residents have several improvement projects going on around their houses. The city of Ironton is no different.

Mayor Bob Cleary and City Engineer Philip Biggs updated City Council Thursday on three major projects the city has in the works - the water tank replacement, the floodgate improvements and renovations to the former railroad depot.

Plans to replace the water tank are moving ahead as scheduled. Located on Nixon Hill, east of State Route 93 and north of U.S. Route 52, the site has been cleared of brush and trees, Biggs said.

Some asbestos has been found in the roof of the old water plant that will be demolished. The city will advertise to have the asbestos removed next week before advertising for separate bids for the demolition and leveling of the ground, he said.

Biggs said the city may install two steel one-million gallon tanks instead of one concrete two-million gallon tank as was originally planned.

Partly because of the geological structure of the surrounding rock formations, Biggs said installing two steel tanks would be more structurally sound, significantly cheaper, provide two sources instead of one and require less maintenance.

Purchasing two steel tanks may be 20 percent cheaper and they can last more than 100 years if maintained properly, he said.

The changes will not delay the project, Biggs said. "Our intention is to have the tanks in place by the end of summer."

Standing about 36 feet above ground, the new tanks will be tied into the Indian Hills subdivision and will eliminate a pump station, Biggs said.

Also, renovations to the floodgate and entrance at the Center Street Landing are on schedule to begin in July. The city received the geo-technical designs by MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. of Lexington, Ky., for a temporary retaining wall to reinforce the railroad tracks during construction.

Biggs said they will make minor amendments before submitting the designs to Norfolk Southern Railroad for review and putting the project up for bid.

"The design is simpler than what we had anticipated," he said. "We are still shooting for that gate to be open by the end of October."

The single-lane entrance will be reconfigured to accommodate two-lanes of traffic, will allow more visibility when crossing the railroad tracks and remove the sharp turn. Part of the floodwall will be removed and the gate structure will be replaced with aluminum. Signs, lights and curbs will be added around the entrance.

With a total projected cost of $360,000, the project has been in the planning stages for nearly three years.

The Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone has allocated $182,000, ODNR's Waterway Safety Fund has appropriated $168,000 and the city will spend about $10,000 from the engineering department's budget, Biggs said.

Plans to renovate the former railroad depot also continue to progress.

The city is still working on designs for the roof replacement, which is projected to cost between $40,000 and $60,000. The roof and replacement of some exterior trim will be bid soon, Biggs said.

Last week, an inspection found a small amount of asbestos in the roof patchwork that must be removed. Inspectors will perform a lead analysis next week, Mayor Cleary said.

More than $200,000 in Empowerment Zone funds was allocated for the project more than two years ago and the city included an additional $30,000 in the 2003 budget.