Fountain's pump system fails, repairs are expected
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on August 25, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
The 12-and-a-half-foot high, granite fountain in the center of downtown Goldsboro experienced a pump system failure two weeks ago, but repairs are expected to be completed in the coming weeks to get the fountain running again.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
The city's 12-and-a-half-foot high granite fountain in the center of downtown Goldsboro is dried up -- for now.
The $385,000 fountain, installed as part of the city Streetscape project, stopped working about two weeks ago after rainwater settled in an underground vault and short circuited electrical wiring that powered the fountain pumps, said Randy Guthrie, assistant city manager.
"We believe water got inside one of the electrical conduits and it shorted out some electric components," Guthrie said. "Water got into a sensitive area."
The 44-piece stone fountain, in the middle of Walnut and Center streets, is currently covered under a one-year warranty. The repair work, expected this week or next, will not cost the city, Guthrie said.
"This is pure warranty work," he said.
BrightView Landscapes, a Georgia-based subcontractor for T.A. Loving Construction Co., declined to provide the city with an estimated damage cost, since replacement parts and repairs are included in the warranty, Guthrie said. The fountain's one-year warranty expires at the end of October. Some of the internal parts inside the fountain may have longer warranties, Guthrie said.
As city officials wait on new parts to be shipped, some improvements have been made, including the installation of a French drain. The drain will prevent water from entering areas near the electrical wiring and pumps.
"It helps the water disperse away from that area," he said.
Crews will also make sure the underground power supplies are waterproofed, and the fountain will continue to be monitored, Guthrie said.
The fountain has had "very few issues" since its installation last year, but there have been occasions when circuit breakers tripped and lighting stopped working, Guthrie said. He said he does not believe the fountain is faulty, due to its design or construction.
"I'm not expecting this to be a long-term problem," Guthrie said.
The fountain was designed by Allison Platt, of Allison Platt and Associates, and created to resemble a city skyline. The city paid Platt $12,000 for the job.
Construction of the fountain cost slightly more than $385,000 and was primarily paid for with federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants and $96,250 in city dollars.