Plans to turn old water tower into art project hits snag in city council chambers

Plans to turn old water tower into art project hits snag in city council chambers

Aldermen want more infor-mation before greenlighting Main Street endeavor

news@theeveningtimes.com

A competitive bid waiver for water tower art added to the City Council agenda was stopped short of approval during March 16.

Main Street West Memphis Director Deborah Abernathy carried the ordinance into a pre-council meeting, a proposal to bedazzle the obsolete landmark water tower at 557 East Broadway. The water tower was given to the city by Awesome. But the proposal stalled on the floor and set back three weeks until it comes up again during the first council meeting of April.

The artistic concept was approved by the main street board and an “art selection committee,” and sent to the city design review commission for approval. Media was not informed of that meeting, the planning and development secretary was out of town. When asked for renderings of the art project Abernathy responded to the Times in an e-mail.

“At this time we want to keep the design of the water tower under wraps until work begins; makes it more intriguing,” wrote Abernathy on March 8.

Councilman Tracy Catt, who did see the plans at the DRC, wondered what the big secret was all about.

“I don’t think that was right at all,” said Catt. “I would have liked to have seen something about that in the paper before it came to council.”

The shroud of secrecy backfired on Abernathy when it got to council.

Some of the city councilors hadn’t even seen the photos of the scale model renderings for the project. Other lacking details of the proposal to waive competitive bidding for Minneapolis, Minnesota artist Randy Walker’s unique design were unclear to at least the two city councilors that stopped consideration. The contract called the city to pay as the project progressed amounting to $241,800.

“I know this is a Main Street project,” said Catt. “I know the money doesn’t comes out of the general fund, but they need a vote on this. So, I just kindly ask they provide all the information, because somebody is going to ask me.”

Catt began listing concerns with the project.

“A problem I had with it is the contract says the maintenance cost is not specified,” said. “We haven’t’ seen what the artist says those costs would be.”

Catt’s concerns also encompassed a fair chance for local artists to participate.

Waiving the bid means no other considerations for cost and design would be considered.

“How many other local artists, if any, even had the opportunity to present something?” asked Catt.

“To my knowledge, nobody did. I don’t quite understand that.”

The move does allow for a chance for everything to be settled during the next meeting. By then Councilman Tracy Catt and Wayne Croom hope to have more pertinent details.

Catt saw a couple of problems with the contract.

First, the final design isn’t due until the end of June.

Catt was surprised at the motion to ram the project through from introduction to approval in one meeting.

“Since we won’t get the renderings in until June 30, I didn’t quite understand the need to have it read out today,” said Catt. “There was no discussion in the pre-council session to do it.”

The in session surprise aside, Catt said he hasn’t decided to vote for or against the project but underlined the need for more information to evaluate before casting his vote next time on the quarter of a million dollar project.

“To me it is an awful lot of money to make it look pretty,” said Catt. “Rust is part of the concept.”

Councilman Wayne Croom told Abernathy he didn’t think a two week delay was a big deal for a project start date of July 31. “But it is,” said Abernathy. “I have an artist being offered other things and I want to get him started. It’s going to take until December. There was no reason not to push it through.”

“I want to know what goes on,” said Croom. “I found out about it this morning and I said I need to know more about it.”

Croom read Abernathy the Main Street District description from that 1984 tax that funded it as a special development district and challenged the director.

“The Main Street district is supposed to include Missouri Street,” said Croom.

“Why has nothing ever been done there? I think the residents of this city need to know what they’ll get for the $250,000.”

By John Rech