Want to own a concrete whale? The City of Union has two of them for sale.

The whales have been a part of Foster Park for the last 17 years, their built-in sprinklers spraying children with water during the summer. A combination of electrical, plumbing and other problems — many of them related to the age of the whales — forced the city to remove them earlier this month.

“The electrical wiring in the ground had deteriorated, causing problems with some of the relay switches,” Public Services Director Perry Harmon said. “There were plumbing problems and the nozzle was messed up. The whales were worn out, their surface had gotten jagged and the bottom of one of them had gotten chipped. The rubber mat tiles around them needed replacing.”

Harmon said that given their condition and age the whales were beyond repair. They were removed and replaced by picnic tables and two grills.

Though the whales were popular for many years, Harmon said he heard from some parents and others who welcomed their removal. He said the parents had become concerned about children’s safety because of the deteriorating condition of the whales.

The whales are being stored at the City Shop and will be sold on govdeals.com, a website used by local governments to auction old automobiles and other equipment. He said he has already had an e-mail inquiry from a man interested in acquiring one of the whales.

For more information call Harmon at 429-1704 or the mayor’s office at 429-1700.