September 4, 2014 - The Krutch Park waterfall is bubbling. More than 100 planter boxes are bursting with color. And the Henley Bridge decorative lights are burning brightly, with about 70 new colors available.

In short: City of Knoxville crews and contractors have downtown Knoxville looking good and ready for fall.

The Krutch Park water feature has undergone some much-needed maintenance this summer by a crew from Merit Construction, under the project management services of the Public Building Authority and design firm Benefield Richters.

Debris has been cleaned from the stream and pond; the failing waterfall and the damaged landscape stone have been replaced; and new landscaping has been added. 

"The renovation work has made Krutch Park look really great," said David Brace, Public Service Director for the City of Knoxville. "The park is a wonderful and heavily used green space in the center of downtown, and the water feature hadn't been touched in nearly a decade. This maintenance project has ensured that the park will remain in good condition for years to come." 

To bring festive color to Market Square, the City's Office of Special Events will be adding fall decorations and seasonal hanging baskets. 

"There's growing demand by downtowners to savor the amenities of Krutch Park and Market Square, and we want this area to be our primo public show place," Brace said.

But fall color isn't just to be found on Market Square. It's spread throughout downtown and that's by design, with multiple entities pooling their resources to beautify the center city.

The City's Public Service and Special Events departments have partnered with the Central Business Improvement District, the Public Building Authority and Dewhirst Properties to fill more than 60 large planters with colorful plants, and the planters will get a seasonal makeover in October. (There are another four dozen smaller planters along Gay Street and elsewhere.)

The pretty planters are the handiwork of Greg Blankenship of Gregory's Greenhouse Productions, located in Inskip.

Meanwhile, a new decorative lighting system on the Henley Bridge got its debut over Labor Day weekend, when the University of Tennessee Volunteers opened the 2014 football season and the lights alternated orange and white colors.

The computerized system allows the City to choose from roughly 70 colors.

It's a technological upgrade, because for years, City workers had to manually change out the lens covers on each individual light to change the bridge's illumination. Now, it's almost as simple as a push of a button. So anticipate specialty color schemes for holidays and special events. 

"The orange-and-white lighting was a lot of fun for UT's home opener," said Christi Branscom, Deputy to the Mayor and Chief Operating Officer. "But it's really part of an ongoing bigger effort to enhance the uniqueness of downtown." 

"We want living, shopping and playing downtown to be a great experience for Knoxville families and for visitors. Check out the new Krutch Park waterfall, or the plantings and decorations coming this fall. Downtown really looks great right now - just in time for football and having fun."