Design released for new Staunton water tower
'There is something rising up on the horizon on the east side of town, in case you hadn't noticed,' City Engineer Lyle Hartt told Staunton City Council. 'That is the elevated water storage tank. Actually, what you see is the concrete pedestal for that.'
More: Staunton Crossing water infrastructure gets $9 million investment from state
The composite style tank is divided into two parts; the concrete pedestal and the steel storage tank. The tower returned to Staunton City Council on June 26 because the Staunton Economic Development Authority approved a design to be painted on the steel water tank.
'The steel panels will be constructed on the ground, kind of around the base, then it will be hoisted up into the air,' Hartt said. 'From the base to the top is roughly 240 feet. It's a very tall tank. In addition to that, it's on a hill, so it's going to be very visible.'
The diameter of the upper tank is 70 feet, giving ample canvas space for a design.
More: A large structure is being built near I-81 in Staunton. What exactly is it?
'Since this is obviously such a great opportunity for us to display growth and the city's heritage, we thought 'What can we do to enhance that visibility?'' Hartt said. 'We've been working with a local graphic designer, Queen City Creative.'
The design shows the city's downtown skyline with Blue Ridge Mountains visible in the background. It says 'STAUNTON' across the top. The design would then repeat three times going around the circumference of the water tower, making it visible from multiple sides.
Councilmember Park asked if there were plans to get more community feedback on the design before moving forward, saying it would be 'a great opportunity to bring people into the fold.' Councilmember Adam Campbell agreed, with both saying that they liked the design but thought there would be more community feedback before moving forward. Complications with the state needing to sign off on the design and the speed of the project meant the design was fast tracked. The Staunton Economic Development Authority approved the design earlier on June 26.
'Thank you all for your work on this. It's going to be exciting to finally see it up in the air,' Mayor Michele Edwards told Hartt and the rest of the staff.
The water tower will hold a million gallons of water and is expected to be complete by summer 2026.
The project was primarily funded through a $9 million Virginia Business Ready Sites Program grant from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. The program included the tower, 2,400 linear feet of tank access roads and water supply lines and 6,100 linear feet of water lines throughout Staunton Crossing. The tower, located in Staunton Crossing, will be there to provide water to the businesses expected to move into the area.
'While integrated into Staunton's overall water infrastructure, the tank is primarily to support future business development in Staunton Crossing as well as provide additional water storage in the eastern portion of the city for improved fire flow and resiliency,' reads the agenda packet.
More: Staunton City Council approves over 100 new home lots in two developments
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Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It's welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Design released for new Staunton water tower
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