At a council meeting this week Shreveport councilman Grayson Boucher expressed his disappointment with the appearance of the recently repainted Shreveport water tower on I-49 south of Bert Kouns. Interim DOWUS director Brandon Sneed's answers to Boucher's questions were not very definitive.
Yesterday I traveled north and south on I-49 to view the water tower. I also drove on an auxiliary road and Flournoy Lucas to observe the painted tower. My visual inspections from these locations were disappointing.
Initially the design is not appropriate for a water tower located adjacent to an interstate. The majority of motorists who can observe the tower are driving at 60 mph or faster. Thus the colors and the lettering on the tank should be in bright bold colors of a large size. This is not the case with this tower.
Here are my visual observations of the tower:
1. what appears to be metal perpendicular seams in the tank are clearly visible through the white paint on the main tank area;
2. the initials SHV are painted in black and several areas of each letter are faded, i.e. the black color on each letter is not consistent;
3. the lettering "City on the Red" is painted in a color and size not easily readable at a distance.
Evidently the judges of the water tower design contest did not consider how the designs would appear from a distance. It's the classic case of an artist's renditions that ignore practical reality.
At the council meeting Sneed did not know the money spent by the City on the tower painting. He was vague in other answers, promising to send information to Boucher. If this council appearance was an audition to be named the permanent DOWUS director in the next mayoral administration, Sneed stubbed his toe.
Hopefully Boucher will continue to push for more information on the water tower painting and release it to the public. This writer has made a public records request for more information on this topic, starting with costs.