What’s up with that new cell tower in Derby? Here are the details

If you’ve driven by the Derby water tower on Buckner lately, you’ve probably noticed a new cell tower that wasn’t there before.

So, what’s up with that?

The city is repainting the water tower, and in order to ensure all areas receive the correct amount of paint, all antennas and cables for cell service must be removed, according to Dillan Curtis, Derby’s utilities director.

So, as the city prepares to repaint the water tower, it has installed a temporary cell tower to ensure residents in that area do not lose cell service during the repainting that is expected to last two to three months. The cell tower was completed on July 3.

All water towers in Derby are repainted every 15 to 20 years, Curtis said. It’s been 21 years since the Buckner water tower was repainted.

The water tower is at 1701 N. Buckner St. in Derby. The painting is expected to begin the last week of July or the first week of August.

Lindsay Smith

The Wichita Eagle

Lindsay Smith is a suburban news reporter for the Wichita Eagle, covering the communities of Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Haysville and Kechi. She has been on The Eagle staff since 2022 and was the service journalism reporter for three years. She has a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Wichita State, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. You can reach her via email at lsmith@wichitaeagle.com.