Forest Park’s village administrator felt the decision on what kind of village logo should be painted on the north water tower tank, 7435 Franklin St., was so important that he brought it to the full village council on Oct. 11.
But the decision was ultimately a no-brainer for the village council. When asked to choose whether the village name and logo should be arranged horizontally, the way it is on the south water tower, or vertically, the commissioners unanimously chose the former. They said that they wanted the design to be consistent between the two water towers, with some also adding that they thought the horizontal design looked better.
The village uses the two water towers to maintain water pressure in case of emergency. Forest Park also has two water tanks – one under the Mohr Community Center playground and one under the Hannah Avenue pump station.
In 2021, the village contracted Tecorp, Inc. to rehab the south water tower at a cost of $674,200. As part of that, the contractor repainted the tower, which, aside from the aesthetics, will protect it from corrosion for an estimated 15-25 years.
With the new coat of paint, the tower needed a new logo – and the village council chose the horizontal logo identical to the one used on the Forest Park website and official village documents. The only difference is that the logo used slightly different shades of blue and yellow to account for the realities of painting a metal structure outdoors.
This year, the village approved a similar rehab of the north water tower. Before the new coat of paint, it had “Forest Park” written on it in simple green letters. The water tank is taller and more cylindrical in shape than the south tower’s more round water tank.
Moses Amidei, village administrator, told the council that the water tank’s dimensions would allow them to put on a vertical version of the village logo, with the “Forest” on top, the village streetscape in the middle and “Park” below it. The village administrator said he had no preference, but he wanted to run it by the commissioners.
“Because it’s the decision we’d have to live with for the next 20 years, I don’t want to make the choice, or for [Director of Public Works] Sal [Stella] to make the choice,” Amidei said.
Commissioner Ryan Nero set the tone for the ensuing discussion, saying that he favored the horizontal logo because it would make the design consistent between the two water towers.
“I would be in favor of the consistent logo representing the Village of Forest Park on the north and south sides,” he said.
Commissioner Jessica Voogd said she not only appreciated the consistency but thought the horizonal logo was more “aesthetically pleasing.” Commissioner Maria Maxham said that, while it was “a tough choice,” she ultimately agreed with Nero, while Commissioner Joe Byrnes simply said he agreed with his colleagues.
“Moses – you have a direction,” said Mayor Rory Hoskins.
