Many
cities have water towers. Many cities have public
works buildings. Not many combine the two into one
structure. In the north Texas town of Watauga, public
works director Johnnie Reagan was looking for a chance
to consolidate operations and reduce waste. Inspiration
struck, and he decided to build his public works department
inside the city's new water tower. Inside the shaft
of the tower are four floors of office space. Each
floor has 1,825 feet of usable space. The first and
third floors are offices. The second floor has a kitchen,
showers, and a training area. The fourth floor is
meeting and more training space. Before the tower
was built, the public works department's 50+ employees
were scattered in other offices all over the city.
Now they are in a centralized location.
Photograph
courtesy City of Watauga Department of Public Works
and Parks