Mon River Fountain is Broken
Must replace anchoring system
Morgantown Dominion Post
27 June 2009
By Alex Lang
One of the summertime fixtures on the Monongahela River has been absent
so far this year.
The water fountain in the river has yet to be used because of a problem
with its anchoring system, BOPARC Director Mark Wise said.
Debris and rushing water damaged the floating fountain.
BOPARC was forced to remove the fountain and create a new anchoring
system so the fountain wouldn't float away.
The fountain was anchored in the river near Hazel Ruby McQuain Park.
On Thursday, Wise said they received a letter from the engineers
detailing the new anchoring system.
Though BOPARC has new plans for anchoring the fountain, Wise said he
has no timetable for when it will be back in the water.
"As soon as we get it ordered and installed, it will go out," he said.
The new anchoring system consists of Seaflex cables attached to large
blocks on the river bed and banks, Wise said.
The old anchoring system was build for calmer waters than those on the
Monongahela River, Wise said.
The fountain suffered a couple thousand dollars worth of damage, he
said.
Wise said they initially hoped to have the fountain operating by now,
but the first anchoring plan they developed left some involved in the
project unsatisfied.
Rumy Hilloowala came up with the initial idea for the fountain and was
a major fundraiser for the fountain's creation. He said the first
proposed anchoring system was big and bulky and would have detracted
from the idea of a floating fountain. The first proposal including
anchoring the fountain the same way a dock is anchored, Hilloowala
said. Engineers then came up with the new way to secure the fountain
and Hilloowala said he was happier with the plan.
"Ideally, I would have liked to see it floating like it was the past
two years," Hilloowala said.
But Hilloowala said he under-stands why the new anchoring system is
needed to help protect the fountain from further damage. He said the
new anchoring system is a much better choice than the first proposed
anchor.