By Tony Cantú
Contributing Writer

The Olmos Park City Council made recent gains towards installing a landscaped and lighted water fountain on the McCullough Avenue traffic roundabout – the city’s most visible landmark – by appointing a design firm to consult on the matter.

During their April 17 regular meeting, council members approved securing the services of landscape architectural firm Rialto Studio Inc., at 2425 Broadway, to consult on an as-needed basis. The appointment brings the decorative fountain installation project – spearheaded by Councilman Sean McNelis – one step closer to reality.

Chairing the effort, McNelis assembled three different committees on potential roundabout improvements last summer. Each committee was charged with exploring the cost and logistics associated with three viable options: a fountain, a clock tower or a piece of public art.

In the end, a Spanish-style, lighted fountain – in keeping with architectural styles prevalent in Olmos Park – won out as the best option to enhance the barren concrete circle.

“Each committee had its own subcommittees with 45 examples of clock towers, 100 examples of fountains and 40 of public art,” McNelis said in describing the breadth of the exploratory project.

“We did a polling of Olmos Park residents at one of our public events and the clock tower found little support,” McNelis said.

“Aesthetically, it didn’t match the community and with its tall blank sides would have provided access to graffiti.”

Given its dimensions, a clock tower also would have obstructed sight lines as motorists drive around the circumference of the traffic-calming circle, McNelis added.

As for a work of public sculpture, the subjective nature of art doomed that option, McNelis suggested: “It became an issue of ‘I’ll support it if it’s the type of public art I like. Will it be a Henry Moore sculpture or a general on a horse or some avant-garde piece made of colored Plexiglas?’ Depending on the type of art it was, you got either support or objection. It was not a unifying, but a divisive factor.”

With the Rialto Studio consultants in place, the next step is to raise the money for the effort – estimated at about $100,000, McNelis said. He said the project could go as high as $140,000 if residents prefer a more expensive hand-carved version – his personal preference – rather than a cast-in-place one made of stone and resin.

A hand-carved fountain could be achieved at the $100,000 level, but only if the element of protective iron bollards around the base – devices that would prevent cars from mowing through the structure – were eliminated, McNelis said.

Either way, McNelis vowed that the city would not have to spend more than $50,000 to match private contributions he feels optimistic about raising from members of the community.

McNelis even plans to personally donate the first $5,000 toward the effort.

“I just want to get the ball rolling,” said McNelis, an attorney by trade at McNelis + Associates at 1100 NE Loop 410. “I’m thrilled council has unanimously supported the committee’s recommendation, and we’re looking forward to working with the architects to finalize the design so we can commence construction in the next couple of months.”