Replacement fountain arrives in City Park
A City of Parkersburg crew and employees of Alan Stone Co. and Robinson Iron unload the components of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain in City Park Monday afternoon. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Greg Harper, center, with contractor Alan Stone Co., works with City of Parkersburg employees to unload pieces of the new Jackson Memorial Fountain from a trailer Monday afternoon at City Park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Employees of the City of Parkersburg and contractor Alan Stone Co. guide a 6,600-pound bowl as it is lowered to the ground in City Park Monday afternoon. The bowl is part of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain delivered to the park Monday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
From left, Alan Stone Co. employees Gary Dye and Greg Harper chat with Parkersburg resident Doug Rowley and longtime city resident Joe Alt, visiting from North Carolina, prior to the pieces of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain being unloaded from a trailer in City Park Monday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A City of Parkersburg crew and employees of Alan Stone Co. and Robinson Iron unload the components of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain in City Park Monday afternoon. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Employees of the City of Parkersburg and contractor Alan Stone Co. guide a piece of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain as it is unloaded from a trailer Monday afternoon at City Park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Greg Harper, with contractor Alan Stone Co., tightens a bolt on the base of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain Monday in Parkersburg City Park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Details are shown on the edge of a bowl of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A City of Parkersburg crew and employees of Alan Stone Co. and Robinson Iron unload the components of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain in City Park Monday afternoon. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Greg Harper, center, with contractor Alan Stone Co., works with City of Parkersburg employees to unload pieces of the new Jackson Memorial Fountain from a trailer Monday afternoon at City Park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Employees of the City of Parkersburg and contractor Alan Stone Co. guide a 6,600-pound bowl as it is lowered to the ground in City Park Monday afternoon. The bowl is part of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain delivered to the park Monday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
From left, Alan Stone Co. employees Gary Dye and Greg Harper chat with Parkersburg resident Doug Rowley and longtime city resident Joe Alt, visiting from North Carolina, prior to the pieces of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain being unloaded from a trailer in City Park Monday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A City of Parkersburg crew and employees of Alan Stone Co. and Robinson Iron unload the components of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain in City Park Monday afternoon. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Employees of the City of Parkersburg and contractor Alan Stone Co. guide a piece of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain as it is unloaded from a trailer Monday afternoon at City Park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Greg Harper, with contractor Alan Stone Co., tightens a bolt on the base of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain Monday in Parkersburg City Park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Details are shown on the edge of a bowl of the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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PARKERSBURG -- The Jackson Memorial Fountain is back in City Park.
City Engineer Adam Stout estimated it will take about three weeks to have the new fountain installed after it was delivered -- in pieces -- Monday afternoon. Approximately 15,000 pounds of cast iron and accompanying pipes and hardware were unloaded by a City of Parkersburg crew and employees of project contractor Alan Stone Co. after being delivered from Robinson Iron in Alexander City, Ala.
Fabricated to be as close to the original fountain as possible, the replacement structure will weigh close to 30,000 pounds with water flowing through it, Stout said.
"That's why the concrete (at the base) is so thick, and it has double mats of rebar in it," he said.
The original fountain was built in 1905 and portions of it were replaced with fiberglass after it was damaged by a lightning strike in the early 1990s.
Heavy winds caused the fountain to topple in October 2018, and the city elected to use money from a charitable trust established for repair and maintenance of the fountain, an insurance reimbursement and the general fund to build and install the new fountain, for a total cost of approximately $508,100.
On his daily walk at the park Monday, Parkersburg resident Doug Rowley said he was glad to see the replacement fountain arrive.
"I'll be tickled to see it get back up there," he said. "It's just a part of Parkersburg. When you think of the park, you think of that fountain."
Mayor Tom Joyce was among the city officials on hand to watch as the fountain components were unloaded from a trailer.
"Adam and (Public Works Director) Everett (Shears) and (Surveyor) Randy (Sheppard) have been involved every step of the way to make sure everything comes off proper," he said.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.