There is a new look to the seating at the Riverton Aquatic Center. The RAC was constructed in 1987 and the wear and tear of almost four decades of use had water dripping into the storage areas beneath the seating area.
“This was the original paint from 1987 and we couldn’t keep it clean,” RAC Director Kristi Spriggs said. “Pressure washing was the only way to get stains out with the gritty surface and the water made its way through the cracks.”
The moisture seeped through the cracks that formed where the original sections of the concrete grandstands were poured.
Fremont County School District 25 contracted with Samuelson Painting of Riverton to clean, prep, seal, and paint the seats.
In the process the leaks were eliminated and a bright new look greats patrons at the RAC.
“I picked a little lighter color to brighten up the stands,” Spriggs said.
The project took 10 days to complete. It began with pressure washing, and then scrubbing the existing paint.
Samuelson Painting then filled all the cracks both horizontal and vertical with epoxy. Once the epoxy hardened they buffed the sections again and painted the entire grandstand by hand with a brush and roller.
“The original coating was sound, it was just damaged by use,” Garland Samuelson said.
Using a roller for the long flat sections and cutting in the yellow highlights with a brush the finished product creates a “like new” look for the aquatic center.
The project had a generational feel for Garland Samuelson, owner of Samuelson Painting. He painted the original project with his late father Dee in 1987 and this time with his son Brady, a Riverton Middle School teacher and head Wolverine boys’ soccer coach. Brady took a couple of personal days to work on the final step in painting the grandstands.