As Oxford Township’s new 1 million gallon water tower nears completion, the high school student council would like to add a splash of community spirit to it.
Student Council President Kaity Fischer and Vice president Janelle Grai approached the township board last week with a proposal to have the words ‘Oxford Wildcats? painted on the $1.8 million structure being built on Oxford Rd. right across from the high school.
‘When it says ‘Oxford Wildcats,? it means something more than just a water tower up on the hill,? Fischer told officials.
‘It would be a way to tie the community together,? Grai told this reporter. She noted that Wildcats doesn’t just represent the high school, it stands for the middle school and all five elementary schools as well.
The OHS seniors proposed having the tower painted a dark blue with the words in yellow lettering, the idea being to match Oxford’s school colors.
Fischer and Grai told officials the student council is willing to do a fund-raiser to pay for the necessary paint and stencils.
‘Every year the student council tries to give something back to the community,? Fischer said.
‘I want to thank you girls,? said Clerk Clara Sanderson. ‘I think your spirit is very moving and I’m really glad to see you here thinking about the community.?
As of now, plans are to paint the whole tower this week one solid color called ‘delft blue,? the same as the water tower in the Red Barn subdivision.
‘It’s just a real light blue. It looks almost like a sky blue,? explained Shannon (Parry) Filarecki, of Rowe, Inc., the township’s outgoing engineering firm. ‘The thought is that it will blend into the skyline like (the one in) Red Barn seems to do.?
Painting the tower delft blue as planned will cost the township approximately $145,000. The tower is scheduled to be complete by the end of November, weather permitting, Filarecki said.
At the meeting, Filarecki estimated the cost of stenciling the lettering could be in the $50,000 to $70,000 range.
However, in the days following the meeting, Filarecki revised that estimate to $8,000 to stencil and paint the lettering and an additional $4,000 to paint the entire tower a darker blue. ‘The darker paint is more expensive,? she explained.
Filarecki suggested it would be easier and less expensive to keep the tower delft blue and stencil on an Oxford Wildcats logo that has the words appearing inside a dark blue circle. ‘With this one you could leave the tank the color it is, do the stencil over it and it only costs $8,000,? she said.
Even though the cost estimate decreased dramatically, Grai and Fischer said they originally thought the price would be about $2,000, maybe ?$5,000 at the most.?
But the spirited duo remains optimistic. ‘I think we might be able to do $8,000,? Grai said.
‘Eight thousand dollars would be more realistic (compared to the previous estimate),? Fischer said. ‘It would take a lot of fund-raising, but I think we could do it.?
The pair plans to attend the Sept. 27 township meeting to discuss the issue further with officials. It will also be discussed at the next student council meeting Oct. 5.