After months of renovation work, the town’s historic water tower has officially returned to service and now features Bethune’s new town logo, a symbol town leaders say reflects both the community’s heritage and its future.
The rehabilitation project addressed significant rust and maintenance issues on the aging structure. According to the official inspection report completed in early March, the tank renovation was finished in December 2025 and interior blasting and coating work followed in January. Engineers confirmed the work met all specifications, allowing the tower to return to service last week.
For residents and visitors, the most visible change is the new design painted on the tower.
The updated town logo was developed as part of a broader community branding initiative designed to help tell the town’s story more clearly and consistently, town officials said.
“The symbol incorporates several elements meant to represent Bethune’s identity,” Bethune Mayor LaDonna Brown said. “The design includes four leaf-like shapes representing core community values of faith, family, friends and a shared future. The center has four rounded forms that represent our town’s agricultural roots and longtime connection to egg production and the popular Chicken Strut festival.”
The branding effort came directly from conversations with residents about what makes Bethune unique, Brown said.
The water tower itself has long been a defining feature of Bethune’s skyline, visible from miles away across the flat landscape. Brown said adding the new logo to the structure provides an opportunity to showcase Bethune’s identity in a prominent way.
Brown emphasized that the work now coming to fruition builds on efforts started years ago.
“This project didn’t start overnight,” Brown said. “A lot of the groundwork was laid by former Mayor Susan Holly and others in the community who spent years talking about how to move Bethune forward. We’re grateful for the vision and the effort that went into getting us to this point.”
Brown said that the water tower renovation and branding project are examples of long-term planning beginning to show results and stressed that revitalization efforts will continue to rely on community input and collaboration.
“We want to be very clear that this has been a long process and it spans more than one administration,” she said. “Mayor Holly and many others helped begin these conversations and planning efforts, and we appreciate the foundation they built.”
For questions or additional information, residents may contact Bethune Town Clerk Amanda Lucas at bethunetownhall@shtc.net.
