Courtesy illusration

Moving ahead with a long-planned beautification project, Olmos Park officials have opted to install a lighted fountain surrounded by landscaping at the McCullough Avenue traffic roundabout – the city’s most recognized, yet neglected, landmark – at an estimated cost of $100,000.

City Council members approved the idea of a fountain at the concrete circle’s center during the Feb. 21 meeting. A planning committee, organized last fall, settled on the aquatic feature over a clock tower or statue, and it was an option Council unanimously endorsed.

“My feeling is the roundabout can be the crown jewel of Olmos Park,” said Councilman Joe Izbrand. “A roundabout is something unique – there aren’t a lot of cities that have them – and part of what makes us such a unique city,” he added, saying the crowning touch of a fountain could be installed as early as this fall.

For commuters traveling through the Olmos Park central business district via McCullough, the landmark roundabout is an unavoidable municipal feature. Smack dab between Hildebrand Avenue and Basse Road, the asphalt sphere compels motorists to decelerate by forcing them to lope around its perimeter to access the opposite side of the street.

But by city leaders’ own admission, the concrete circle isn’t much to look at – nothing more than a circular concrete slab with little aesthetic appeal, its saving grace being a remarkable efficiency in slowing traffic.

Izbrand hopes the circle might blossom into more: “It helps to control traffic, but it can add more to the city than being just a traffic control device.”

Although homely – what with its unkempt, patchy surface and dull exterior finish – the neglected circle has a special place in Izbrand’s heart, serving as a metaphor for municipal enhancement needs from his first run for local office, he said.

“One of the things that inspired me to run for city council in 2005 was driving down McCullough and seeing the roundabout overrun with weeds,” Izbrand said. “I couldn’t understand how we could have something so unique in our city and not have it capture the character of our community. I thought, ‘What can we do to revive that character and make it as special as our community?’”

His vision included an illuminated fountain surrounded with indigenous South Texas plant life – the dual appeal of the flora and fauna’s attractiveness, and its hardiness in surviving the region’s harsh summers.

But the goal is not without expense. “We’ll need about $100,000 to do it right,” Izbrand said. “The next step involves identifying grant sources to cover half the cost, the balance likely coming from city coffers.”

A spruced-up roundabout is but the centerpiece of ongoing revitalization plans for the entire central business district running along McCullough’s length, lined with venerable mom-and-pop establishments, Izbrand noted. The storied Olmos Pharmacy – recently revamped as the Olmos Bharmacy with a cocktail-lounge addition – is a stone’s throw from the roundabout.

The Olmos Park Business Association comprising business owners continue brainstorming on how to promote local commerce by beautifying the retail corridor and making it pedestrian friendly. Toward that end, myriad options – improved sidewalks, façade repair, enhanced street lighting and fixtures among them – are being considered.

In tandem with that effort, the city previously retained the services of consultant Scott Day of San Antonio-based Urban Development Services to identify needed improvements. Day is scheduled to update council today at 6 p.m. on his recommendations at City Hall on 119 W. El Prado Drive.

In light of such an ambitious municipal makeover, the roundabout – that circle of urban life – seems a natural launching pad.

“What’s really important is not to lose the sense of history and heritage we have in Olmos Park but to build on it,” Izbrand said. “This is a long-term project that won’t happen overnight, but it’s important to value what is unique to Olmos Park and doing our share to make it a special destination.

All McCullough needs is to have a little more shine put on it.”