Spring is here!

Rendering courtesy of Town of Oak Ridge

A rendering of an elevated water tank to be located behind Oak Ridge Town Hall on Linville Road shows the logo consisting of an oak leaf, two acorns and the words “Oak Ridge.” “Our goal was to blend in with colors of the historic district and colors of nature,” Mayor Ann Schneider explained. Following a multi-step approval process, construction of the tower could start this summer.

the council approves Wooten’s recommendations and puts the project out for a bid from contractors, construction of the elevated tank could start “as early as this summer, but early fall is probably more likely,” Mayor Ann Schneider said in a text earlier this week.

A rendering of the bulbous tower shows the logo consisting of an oak leaf, two acorns and the words “Oak Ridge.” Describing the tank as “pale kind of golden” in color, Schneider told the council that “our goal was to blend in with colors of the historic district and colors of nature.”

Although she likes the color of the tower and its graphics, council member Martha Pittman said “it’s going to be a big change visually. But like things often happen, once you’ve ridden by it a few hundred times you might not see it anymore.”

“We are all going to be shocked to see it because it is going to be big,” the mayor said of the tower.

But, Schneider added, “it will turn into a landmark for our town. It will be a symbol of progress in Oak Ridge.”

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman said he wants to understand costs for maintaining the tank before the town puts the project out for bid.

In January, the council voted to pay Wooten $899,100 to provide design and engineering services for the elevated