About six months ago, the recipe for the future Hamburg water tower was chosen.
What many people call the big blue eye-sore might still look the same, but the head chef behind the grand transformation is ready to get cooking.
- Hamburger Water Tower Project waiting on approval to be non-profit
- By June, fundraising for $1 million project should begin
- Water tower could start being painted next spring for summer
"We have had a little bit of a lull," said Chris Luly, board chair of the Hamburger Water Tower Project. "We decided to not go with a fiscal sponsor and instead have been working on getting our 501(c)3."
Luly has been working for two years to obtain all the right ingredients to flip the blue water tower into a massive hamburger.
"It's a great idea," Luly said. "It's not mine, it's an idea that could be around for decades now. But, I am happy to be leading the charge."
The hope is to get the nonprofit designation by next month, after which fundraising efforts will begin to collect the $1 million needed to transform the tower. The change won’t be funded with taxpayer dollars.
"It would be a wonderful thing if we could shave off some of those dollars from in-kind donations," Luly said.
Either way, Luly said the hamburger will one day tower over Hamburg. Other ingredients are being acquired, one by one: Hamburg's town engineer, a representative from the Erie County Water Authority and a representative from Sherwin Williams have visually examined the structure, and so far, so good.
That’s great news considering Luly has plans to get the burger really cooking.
"Tomorrow would be so nice, but I think we are going to take a little longer than that," Luly laughed. “Next summer, next spring or summer I think it would be great if we could start painting."
Once it's done, Luly said the visitors will follow.
"I think it's going to get a lot of attention," Luly said. "That attention will bring I think economic development not only to Hamburg but Western New York."