Continuous cracking and water leakage called for Western Washington University to address the deferred maintenance of Fisher Fountain. Students have yet to see the fountain turned on this year with less than half of the quarter remaining.
It’s set to be running by Memorial Day weekend, according to John Thompson, the assistant director for university communications.
Maintenance is common for fountains, but Fisher Fountain presents a unique case. One corner of the structure sits on a limestone shelf, and the rest over a peat bog, a softer wet soil with decayed plant matter. This uneven ground causes the fountain to settle, leading to frequent damage, Thompson said.
The settling of the fountain causes frequent cracking to occur. They’re repaired periodically but so abundant that water is always leaking out, Thompson said. The pump system, which is responsible for the water being shot out, is also badly eroded.
Richard Griffin, the City of Bellingham parks facilities manager, is responsible for most fountains in the city. Almost all fountains, including Fisher Fountain, have to get winterized, meaning turned off in the winter, Griffin said. This prevents pipes from freezing or water getting splashed on the ground and turning into ice, causing a safety hazard.
Fisher Fountain gets winterized every October and turned on in the spring depending on weather. This year, the annual turning on of the fountain was delayed because of deferred maintenance.
“Funding was available, so [Western] decided to fix it properly for safety and resilience,” Thompson said.
According to Thompson, completing this work will greatly reduce future maintenance and ensure it remains safe.
The fountain is a common spot for Anna Helsel, a second-year student at Western, and their friends to meet up for lunch. The fountain turning on is a right of passage for students during spring, Helsel said.
“It gives me something to look forward to every single day I've been walking on campus,” Helsel said.
The repairs of the fountain during spring quarter include: grinding out the cracks, removing old silicone and replacing all of the eroded piping, Thompson said. It was also a top priority to get all of the electrical work up to code.
“They're committed to having the work done by Memorial Day weekend and may well have it finished sooner if weather allows," Thompson said. “They know it's important to have up and running for commencement photo ops.”
The next phases of repairs are weather dependent — there needs to be no rain and reasonably warm temperatures, according to Thompson. New paint has since been put on and in the next weather window, the epoxy, a layer of adhesive to seal the fountain, will be applied.
“I was so excited for spring quarter because the fountain is going to be up and running,” Helsel said. “It hasn’t been and there is only over a month of the quarter left.”
Mars Wetzbarger (they/them) is a campus life reporter for The Front. They are in their third year at Western, majoring in Environmental Journalism. In their free time you can find them climbing rocks and playing with their cat. You can contact them at mars.thefront@gmail.com.
