FAYETTEVILLE -- It will take more than $100,000 to get the peace fountain in front of the Town Center going again, tourism commissioners heard Monday.
The World Peace Prayer Fountain, created by artist Hank Kaminsky, has sat at the center's entrance on the square since Dec. 31, 2001. Time, design, rusted pipes and chlorine in the water have contributed to the fountain's current deteriorated state, said Wade Abernathy, facilities manager for the city.
Next meeting
When: 2 p.m. Dec. 20
Where: Town Center, 15 W. Mountain St.
Visitors to the Town Center can push and spin the 8,000-pound sphere, which has the words "May peace prevail on Earth" inscribed on it in more than 100 languages. The bearings on the ball have worn out, according to Abernathy.
The metal pipes the water travels through have rusted, causing staining, Abernathy said. The water pumps need to be replaced, an ozone water filtration system should be used instead of chlorine and the lights need LEDs, he said.
The pool under the fountain also leaks, dripping down onto the parking area below. Its tiles need to be replastered and waterproofed, Abernathy said.
"If you just did the pool now and decided to do the fountain later, then you're going to tear up what you've done," he said. "The sequence needs to be fountain mechanisms and then pool."
The city replaced the access ramp next to the pool earlier this summer for about $19,000, Abernathy said. The curved steps leading up to the Town Center also have started to deteriorate because of effects from the fountain and pool, he said.
All combined, the physical work, engineering and an additional insurance rider will amount to about $103,000. Abernathy did not include restoring the bronze on the globe, which a specialist will have to look at.
Abernathy said the repairs would likely keep the fountain going for another 20 years before more fixes would be needed. The fountain stayed off for most of the summer. If nothing is done, the fountain would have to stay turned off, Abernathy said.
As part of a plan to spruce up the Town Center plaza, the commission on Monday also agreed to put $50,000 toward new outdoor furniture and planters for outside. Commissioner Matt Behrend said the fountain serves as the plaza's focal point.
"If we look at it as a cost spread out over the 20-year lifespan, $5,000 a year -- it's not a large cost," he said. "It is a big upfront cost. I hope we can make that work."
Executive Director Molly Rawn originally included $70,000 in a preliminary 2018 budget to address the issues but said she would revisit that figure. The commission got a glance of next year's preliminary budget on Monday.
Rawn said the commission should be able to pay for the fountain's rehabilitation through projected revenue without having to dip into reserves. Half of the city's 2 percent hotel, motel and restaurant sales tax goes to tourism, with the other half going to parks.
In a phone interview after the meeting Monday, Kaminsky said he was thrilled to hear about the commission's desire to restore the fountain. He likened the fountain's maintenance to that of an old house.
"If it falls apart, you fix it," Kaminsky said.
The commission will take a deeper look at the proposed 2018 budget during its December meeting. The balanced $4.3 million budget projects 2 percent growth from 2017's $4.2 million budget. Rawn said she purposefully projected the growth conservatively.
Rawn also asked the commission to clearly define a capital improvement plan and reserve policy. The commission does not set a threshold for how much it should have in reserves. Capital projects, such as improvements to the Town Center, come up on an as-needed basis.
Rawn said she would present the commission with recommendations over the next three months.
NW News on 11/28/2017