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New fountain coming to Jefferson Park
05/13/2013 5:16 PM by John M
Word on the street is that the new fountain for Jefferson Park should be installed sometime by the end of this month or early June.
The company making the fountain, Robinson Iron, has been in business since the 1950s, and restored the Monroe Park fountain using a 100-year-old molding from the original.
I have a 40 year old + memory of some guy climbing the Monroe Park fountain ( looks exactly like this one) at a free Dead concert …..he was having a great time until he either fell off or the fountain went over from his weight……I remember it killed him. Anyone else remember that? As in most things in the 60’s the actual event is subject to fuzzy recollection…….
From The Shockoe Examiner:
I’ve seen a photo of him up on the fountain, but can’t find it this morning.
what’s wrong the fountain that’s all ready there? It looks the same and I did not realize that it needed replacing. Is it broken?
Tiny, there’s no fountain in Jefferson Park right now. You might be thinking about the one in Libby Hill Park.
Tiny–you might be thinking of the big decorative fountain in Libby Hill Park–yeah, it looks and works great. Currently, there is only a drinking water fountain in Jefferson Park (west side of park house near swings/jungle gyms). Up till about 1986 (or so) there used to be a non-functioning decorative fountain in the traffic circle on the north/east side of Jefferson Park. That got removed around ’89/’90.
How about instead of a decorative fountain, the city take the money and use it to trim the weeds at some of the derelict homes in the area…or pave some potholes…or deal with some of the other basic infrastructure issues that are painfully evident? I just cannot believe that paying an Alabama company to make a fountain is the highest and best use of money right now.
@BAF–I recall hearing in a meeting a while back that the funds for the fountain came from J Fulmer Bright Foundation which, thru private financial support, has beautified and improved many of the public parks in Richmond–including those in the East End. The foundation’s mission is directed specifically toward capital improvements in the city parks.
Too bad this couldn’t be produced locally. Robinson Foundry is located in Alabama and is no longer a working foundry (it used to be back in the day). They don’t cast anything anymore, they farm out the work, although they control the patterns.
On the other hand, OK Foundry, located here in Richmond, is still an active foundry that produces historical and reproduction castings for jobs all over the country.
If it is foundation money then I am OK with it and think it is great it is happening. Just don’t want City money going to it with so many other overwhelmingly urgent needs.
So, ah, what ever happened to this?
John,
From what I understand, there is no money left in the J. Fulmer Bright Foundation coffers. Beth Acuff, who died recently, was the head of it and the main proponent for these projects. I doubt if it’s seeing the light of day in the City budget.