The Passage on Chattanooga’s downtown waterfront should retain its interactive water feature, a city panel agreed today.

But, the cost of repairs to fully reopen the popular attraction to the public is estimated at $1.5 million, an architect said.

The Chattanooga Downtown Redevelopment Corp. authorized TWH Architects to come back with a proposal to proceed on fixing the Passage, which was closed earlier this year due to safety concerns.

Bob Roza of TWH said plans call to repair a wall where tiles marking the Cherokee culture had fallen off. In addition, a fix to alleviate concerns about electrical grounding will be made, he said.

Mike McMahan, an attorney for the panel, said there could be legal ramifications related to the problems associated with the Passage.

“I see legal opportunities here,” he said.

Mr. Roza said if city officials sign off on the final plans, work could begin before the winter. Officials want to get the Passage fully operational for next summer.

The cost of doing repairs and not allowing people to get into the water was projected at $900,000.

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