City Park fountain project running again
Employees of Alan Stone Co. on Tuesday began pumping water out of the basin where the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain will be installed in City Park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A crew from Evans Asphalt Maintenance repaves a basketball court at Southwood Park Tuesday. (Photo Provided)
Employees of Alan Stone Co. on Tuesday began pumping water out of the basin where the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain will be installed in City Park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A crew from Evans Asphalt Maintenance repaves a basketball court at Southwood Park Tuesday. (Photo Provided)
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PARKERSBURG -- If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be just about time to turn on the water at the replacement Jackson Memorial Fountain in City Park.
Instead, a crew from Alan Stone Co. in Williamstown on Tuesday started pumping muddy water out of the space where the previous fountain stood and the new one will be erected in a couple of months.
Powerful winds toppled the fountain in October 2018, shattering the upper bowl, its distinctive "Lady of the Lake statue" and other pieces.
Unable to repair the structure, which was built in 1905, city officials opted to have a new fountain built, as close to the original as possible.
The fountain - with bowls of cast iron rather than the fiberglass used to replace them after a lightning strike in the early '90s - was fabricated by Robinson Iron in Alabama. That cost $264,000, and the site work and installation is contracted for $237,000.
The project is being funded by a combination of money from a charitable trust established for repair and maintenance of the fountain ($149,270), an insurance reimbursement ($58,830) and $300,000 from the general fund, Finance Director Eric Jiles said. Council approved the administration's request to double the general fund allocation from $150,000 earlier this year after the site work came in over budget.
The site work and installation received a notice to proceed on March 30 with an expected completion date of May 29, City Engineer Adam Stout said.
But with so much day-to-day activity limited or halted by efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, work just got started Tuesday.
"If COVID hadn't happened, we would be about finished by now," City Engineer Adam Stout said.
While the city recently approved a number of budget cuts and revisions aimed at adapting to an expected loss of revenue as a result of the pandemic, construction of the fountain itself was well under way last year.
"This project was bid and awarded and budgeted for pre-COVID," Mayor Tom Joyce said. The fountain "is an iconic feature to the City of Parkersburg. … I'm excited to get it done."
Stout said the collection of water at the site was anticipated and removing it and strengthening the ground was included in the bid for the work.
Paving projects also are under way or wrapping up at City Park and Southwood Park.
That led to a mix-up on Monday, when the contractor closed all entrances to City Park after sealing recently paved surfaces there. Stout said that was an oversight as some entrances were authorized to be closed but not all of them. City officials said they did not receive complaints as people could still access the park on foot.