New landscaping is in the foreground and the interactive fountain is in the background at Jackson Square as construction continued on the $1 million parking lot renovation on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot continued Thursday, with the goal of finishing the project in time for Taste of Anderson County on Saturday.
Construction started in January on what has turned into one of the most closely watched projects in Oak Ridge. Work is funded with help from a $741,609 Tennessee Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant that was awarded to the city in June 2012. The TDOT grant covers 80 percent of the work, and it requires a 20 percent city match.
The work is reported to be the first major renovation at Jackson Square in 70 years. It includes a landscaped pedestrian plaza with parking, an interactive fountain, stone pavers, curbing, asphalt paving, utilities, benches, sidewalks, and upgrades under the American with Disabilities Act.
The project was announced in a press conference featuring Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Event photos recreated, to some extent, the famous “War Ends!” photo taken in Jackson Square at the end of World War II.
The work has taken longer than expected, which has led to some frustration. But there has been significant work since the fountain arrived in mid-August.
Here are photos from the work on Thursday.
Construction work continued on the interactive fountain that is part of the $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
A brick walkway leading to the interactive fountain area at the center of Jackson Square, part of a $1 million parking lot renovation, is pictured above on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Construction work continued on the interactive fountain that is part of the $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Construction work continued on the interactive fountain that is part of the $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Construction work continued on the interactive fountain that is part of the $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Crews work on landscaping as part of the $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Crews work on the new lights that are part of the $1 million renovation of the Jackson Square parking lot on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
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