Community members hope to bring artful water bottle refill stations to downtown Huntsville

Single-use plastics are a problem in many parts of the world and perhaps the most insidious offender is single-use plastic water bottles. Easy to find and inexpensive to purchase, they solve short-term thirst while on the go but create a much longer-term environmental issue.

Some communities have banned single-use water bottles. While Huntsville Council has not yet taken that step, some members of the community are working on a solution that will encourage people to carry their own water bottles.

Graham Thompson manager of The HUB, a co-working space in Huntsville’s west end, and Morgan Richter, manager of the Downtown Huntsville BIA, presented their idea to council at the virtual General Committee meeting held on September 29.

Thompson said that The HUB had recently looked at its facility and how to make it more environmentally friendly. In the course of that work they came across The O Initiative, based in The Netherlands.

“One of the main ideas of The O Initiative is that it is water wrapped in art not plastic,” said Thompson. It’s a simple concept: touchless water bottle refill stations of an attractive, modern design—akin to concrete public drinking fountains but nicer and more sanitary—are decorated by local artists and installed in convenient, high-traffic areas.

The HUB and the Downtown Huntsville BIA want to place two of the water stations downtown, with perhaps more to follow in the future. If approved, the locations are still to be determined through community consultation but Richter suggested Civic Square and Kent Park as possibilities. They could also be installed indoors.

The cost of each unit is $6,000, which would be borne by the BIA or business sponsors, noted Richter. They would also hire local artists to transform the stations into works of art. The cost of shipping of the units to Huntsville would come from local partners like The HUB. Installation of the water stations, including connecting the stations to the District water system, the cost of the water, and maintenance which requires replacement of each unit’s chlorine filter annually at a cost of about $140 and replacement of the drain base every three years at a cost of about $225, would fall to the Town, said Thompson. The installation, connection, and ongoing water costs are not yet known.

If installed outside, the stations may need to be removed for the winter months, said Thompson, but they are investigating the durability of the units.

“This initiative is a lot different than just generic water fountains,” said Richter, noting that the BIA board supports the project. “So really the BIA feels like it’s ownership and pride of something downtown Huntsville, very similar to the [Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery] murals we’ve put up.”

Thompson and Richter asked that the fountains be added to the 2021 Streetscape plan for Main Street.

“It meets a number of the Town’s strategic objectives,” noted Deputy Mayor Nancy Alcock, “one being we’re looking to ban single-use plastics… We’ve all attended events in Huntsville where we see a lot of single-use water bottles everywhere, and I’ve had lots of people talk to me and say, ‘what’s the Town doing about that?’ To me this is a really nice incremental step and it would show that we are committed to this.”

Councillor Bob Stone expressed concern about the modern look of the units as well as any potential funds spent by the BIA “knowing that a lot of money is going to be needed to be spent for promotion downtown next year for Streetscape.”

Richter said that the BIA would be looking for business sponsorships and that they could “get creative with how the community can also help with funding these.”

Councillor Jonathan Wiebe suggested that the Town should at the very least “rough in and be prepared for those stations whether or not the BIA comes up with a suitable sponsor…at least we would have the water roughed in for fountains of some description.”

Both Councillor Tim Withey and Stone said they’d like to see the full cost of installing the units before agreeing to proceed. Mayor Karin Terziano concurred.

Councillor Brian Thompson added that he wasn’t overly concerned about any hidden costs being unmanageable, and that he thought “it’s a great idea and I think we should just plow forward with it. It is good, it’s environmentally responsible, and it just shows Huntsville once again being the leadership in this particular area, and so therefore I’m all for it.”

Committee passed a resolution directing staff to work with the BIA and The HUB to investigate locations for installation of the units, and that the installation, operation and maintenance costs be determined and considered for the municipality’s 2021 budget. The resolution would need to be ratified by council at its next meeting, and the costs to the Town would need to pass 2021 budget deliberations before the initiative could proceed.

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