# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Midwest City/Del City >  What's going on behind Kohls?

## Watson410

I was at Kohls today and noticed them building some sort of structure behind Kohls.. Anyone have any idea what it is? Could it maybe be the new water tower?

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## gmwise

Kohls has several locations.
Can you be specific?
Thanks

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## usmbubba

Since one of my routes has changed to Town Center, I've wondered that myself.

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## Lauri101

> Kohls has several locations.
> Can you be specific?
> Thanks


Midwest City, on 29th is the Kohls he's referring to - I noticed the work, but no signage to indicate what's happening.

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## Thunder

> Kohls has several locations.
> Can you be specific?
> Thanks


lol  Notice the Midwest City/Del City section title?   :LolLolLolLol:

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## woodyrr

If you're referring to this:

Foundation for New MWC Water Tower on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Until proven incorrect, I am betting that it is the foundation for the new Midwest City water tower. 

Thanks for reminding me. Once I shake the flu, I need to drive over there and see if there has been any progress.

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## usmbubba

Sounds like that is it, and there has been much progress since you took that photo

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## gmwise

> lol  Notice the Midwest City/Del City section title?


ok ok  i deserved the "goober" label for this one..lol

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## bombermwc

I'm betting it's the water tower too.

Remember that once that's moved, everything in the old Mid-America circle where the current tower is, will be torn down. A hotel is going in in that circle. That's one reason why the city has let the road around the circle get so bad...it's all coming out.

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## kay

It is the new water tower. Designs have sure changed from what they were.  The big obtrusive base blocks the view of the park.

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## woodyrr

My curiosity got the better of me and I went and looked. Has anybody seen a rendering or plans?

It looks like it's going to be one of those golf ball on a tee designs. I was expecting something more along the lines of the tank at SE 29th and Post.

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## Thunder

A hotel?  Is there even any room for that?  Unless MWC is on the trip again to bulldoze more houses.  Seriously, a hotel?  Behind the stores?

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## bombermwc

There's way more room than needed in the circle area without tearing out any more houses. It would face right up the middle of the Towne Center part of the whole development...right on Mid-America. Instead of an off-centered water tower, now there would be a centered hotel as seen here....



It's not uncommon for the larger retail developments to do this. We've even seen it elsewhere in the metro with Bell Isle and University Park. The idea is that the folks that come into town from out in the stick have a place to stay right in the middle of it all. 

The Hospitality Corridor in MWC has a large number of the size of hotel that would go in here. The only question that remains is which chain is going in. But check out this google map view and you can see how much room there is...it just doesnt feel like it.


Man google maps makes it waaaaay easier than having to drive around to take the pictures myself. Even if the maps and sattelite images are about 6 years out of date down there.

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## Thunder

Okay, so MWC want a hotel in there.  Any words on how they are planning this?  What hotel brand name do they want in there?  Who would be most likely interested in building there?  

What about the parkings?

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## Lauri101

Thought I read way back that it was to be 4-5 story hotel, probably mid-branding/size rather than a fancy 5 star.  Maybe we'll get a Hilton-brand - I'd love to see a Hilton Garden Inn there.

Not thrilled about traffic patterns, though - I hope they'll do a bit of re-design on streets so everything doesn't flow down West Rickenbacker.  The street is already used as a bypass of Air Depot as well as the Jarman Middle School exit and is way too narrow to handle extra traffic.

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## woodyrr

> Not thrilled about traffic patterns, though - I hope they'll do a bit of re-design on streets so everything doesn't flow down West Rickenbacker.  The street is already used as a bypass of Air Depot as well as the Jarman Middle School exit and is way too narrow to handle extra traffic.


Ahem: Don't give them any ideas. The next thing we know, they will have decided to bulldoze your house and turn W. Rickenbacker into a boulevard all the way to McDonalds. After all, a five star hotel deserves a five star restaurant.

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## Lauri101

> Ahem: Don't give them any ideas. The next thing we know, they will have decided to bulldoze your house and turn W. Rickenbacker into a boulevard all the way to McDonalds. After all, a five star hotel deserves a five star restaurant.


Buy me out for $120K and we'll have a deal!

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## bombermwc

And yet again I'll say it, there isn't a problem with space. Everything in the Circle area south of the water tower is going. They've all been vacated by their main tenenats and the city has been using most of the structures. Places like the old Fire Station #2 and the old senior citizens center are empty and not really being used.

The hotel would take all of that space and a hotel and parking lot would easily fit in there. From what I understand, the design was to be on the curved side....but I don't think that's what's going to happen.

Here's what I see happening....Mid-America gets torn out between the Rickenbacker sides and either becomes part of the parking lot or is re-routed. Why do I think that? Because with all the money that was poured into repaving the streets in that neighborhood over the last 5 years...they ignored that small portion which is one of, if not the, worst in the area. That gives the place even more room.

But a cookie cutter hotel like all the other's in MWC would fit in there. But I would bet the developer would offer to buy out a few more homes just to have the rest of the area.

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## Lauri101

You're exactly right - there really isn't a lack of room - and I do think Mid-America is destined for deletion.  I just hope someone looks at traffic patterns so we don't get a lot of extra traffic through the residential area.

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## kevinpate

whatever goes in, I sure hope they only send out 1% of the marketing slop that Kohl's sends out.  Are those folks ever NOT having a sale?

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## bombermwc

It's just like Penny's. If you pay full price, you're stupid because in a week it will be on sale.  :Smile:

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## bombermwc

I should have snapped a picture, but the main trunk is topped out now. It's really freaky looking right now with this big stick shooting out of the ground with a crane attached at the top.

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## woodyrr

I went by this morning and had a look. It is coming along:

Midwest City, OK - a set on Flickr

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## Lauri101

Thanks for posting Woodyrr - it just doesn't have the character of original water tower!

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## bombermwc

It sure doesn't! It looks a lot smaller too....

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## woodyrr

> It sure doesn't! It looks a lot smaller too....


"dinky" is the word that I was going to use, but thought better of it.

When the city started talking about building a new water tower, I really thought that it would be one of those big ones like the "Carl Albert" tower at SE 29th and Post Rd. I hope that those us on the southwest part of town don't run short of water. 

I never could have imagined that an aspiring "big league" city would consider installing today's equivalent of a "small town" water tower.

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## bombermwc

Well I don't remember there being one besides the old one until they built the CA tower. Maybe they built that one to make a more central location...so it's the bigger one. Now the water requirements may be different and perhaps we just don't as big of one at that location anymore.

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## bombermwc

I was checking out the new tower yesterday and thinking....really it doesnt look like it's going to hold much less than the old one...it's just shaped differently. And I'm betting the support holds water, where it did'nt in the old one. 

I still don't like the golf ball towers, but what are you gonna do?

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## woodyrr

They made quite a bit of progress while I was out of town. Today was a lousy day for photos, but I took some "in progress" photos anyway.

Not much can be done now regarding the type of tower or how much water it will hold, I guess. I can't really judge the relative capacities. 

All I know is that I don't want to hear any whining from the Public Works Department, the City Manager, the Mayor, or the Council about water shortages. I am not going back to the "good old days" when people only took a bath on Saturday night, just because the City didn't plan ahead and build a big tower! :053:

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## bombermwc

Is that what that smell was??? HAHAHA

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## woodyrr

I was out today and noticed that a panel is missing from the west side of the new water tower. Since the sun was to the west, I took a picture of the west side of the tower as well as a telephoto shot up through the missing panel. You really can't tell much except that the crane appears to be attached around the central standpipe. It is currently sticking almost straight up through the top.

Midwest City, OK - a set on Flickr

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## woodyrr

The final color of the new water tower appears to be white. In these photos, the painters are consulting the lettering plan and spraying guide marks for the lettering.

Flickr: woodyrr's Photostream

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## Thunder

It is sad when they decide on the overall color to be....white.

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## Lauri101

Let's just hope the lettering will include B-O-M-B-E-R-S - in that order!

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## bombermwc

I'll be kinda pissed if they don't do something better.

Now maybe they're holding off on the "good" paint until after they demo the old tower...so there aren't two MCHS towers and only 1 CAHS in town?

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## woodyrr

Driving home from work, I saw a curious smudge on the north side of the new Midwest City water tower. I took this "grab" shot with my iPhone.

I wonder what it's eventually going to say?

Flickr: woodyrr's Photostream

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## mugofbeer

I don't know.  I think "bombers" is a symbol of the inherant nature of men to violence and is encouraging our children to hatred.  I would prefer they change the name to something more peaceful such as the Butterflys.

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## Thunder

> I don't know.  I think "bombers" is a symbol of the inherant nature of men to violence and is encouraging our children to hatred.  I would prefer they change the name to something more peaceful such as the Butterfl*ies*.


Correction. :-)

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## bombermwc

So obviously it's the newere school logo. I'm impressed they included the plan this time though.

Here's the file of what it would look like if that's what they really are doing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43309757@N05/4665700225/

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## woodyrr

Considering where things started with the top half of the "golf ball" and part of the "tee" painted off white and the remainder of the tower painted bright white, I'm pleased with the final result (provided that they paint the south side the same way).

The North Side of the New Midwest City "Bomber" Water Tower on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

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## bombermwc

When they repainted the 29th street one, didn't they change it to show CA's logo as well? It's not quite as spiffy, but at least then they can't piss and moan about it.

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## mmonroe

Don't hate on the CA...

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## usmbubba

Well it looks finished now,  both sides are finished, the ropes are gone

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## woodyrr

The mystery of "What's going on behind Kohls" has been solved.

Here is what it looks like:


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/...6cb73479_b.jpg

Considering what could have happened, I am very pleased with the artwork design. All that is left is to put in a sidewalk and fence it off then rinse it out and fill it with water.

The rumor that I have heard is that the original tower is going to be dismantled and a small California town is going to use it.

I do repeat that it is only a rumor.

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## bombermwc

Pretty spiffy job if you ask me. I'm glad to see they went with a more complex design than the previous ones. It will be sad to see the old gal go, but she's had a good tenure and if the rumor is true, then she'll have a good long life ahead of her still....and probably advertise for MWC for at least until a new paint job gets going at it's new home.

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