Com-Central.net

The longstanding tank at Clyde Keefer park in St. Anthony is no longer there, at least for now. That's because city officials, along with a few members of the military, drove the tank to the city garage to clean it, sand blast it, and paint it.

"I get notices from the army once a year asking if we're taking good care of our tank," said Mayor Niels Thueson of St. Anthony. "And I write them back and I say, yea we're taking good care of your tank, but it needs a paint job. Well they wrote back and said, well paint it."

So that's what the city is doing. To move the tank, a few people had to first see if the tank would start. Amazingly the steel clad machine started first try after nearly 15 years of sitting idle.

Once officials were ready to move the old war horse, state police closed Bridge street for a few minutes while the tank drove off it's cement pad and onto the road. A few dozen people lined the streets to watch.

City leaders expect the tank to return to its cement pad in the park after just a few days. Saint Anthony will be footing the bill to clean the tank. No military spending money will be used for the project.