Government Center fountain shut down and all dried up

With the heat of summer approaching, there is some good news and bad news when it comes to local pools and fountains in Columbus.

The good news is all four city pools opened last week but there wasn’t a minute to spare. Bad news has fallen on one of the city’s bigger fountains after the Government Center site was shut down during the spring, according to Pat Biegler, director of Public Works.

Columbus is known as the Fountain City but efforts are underway to find out what’s causing water to disappear in the fountain on the 10th Street side of the Government Center.

“We’ve been looking at what the problem is and what solutions might exist,” she said. “We don’t really have a good projected day right now, because we are still evaluating it.”

The city shuts off fountains during the winter. Crews learned about the problem when they started making rounds to get the water flowing again in the spring.

“When we turned it on, we discovered we had some leaks, some problems, and we turned it off until we could get back to it,” Biegler said. “It definitely needs some work. The question is whether there is a spot that’s leaking or whether we’re going to have to reseal the whole thing. What kind of money are we talking?”

The fountain work had to take a back seat to the pools, because some of the same plumbers at the pools would have been working on the failed fountain. Now that the pools are open, Biegler said the city crews can get back to the fountain.

The dollar signs are already starting to pile up at the Government Center. On Tuesday, Columbus Council will consider a plan to spend $350,000 to repair hot water piping in the building constructed in 1971. Corrosion was found on a second-floor pipe in February, and crews feared other units were in similar condition.

If there are some bad pipes in the fountain, they may not be cheap to correct as building officials have talked about replacing or renovating at a cost of $68 million to $100 million.

“If you fill it up, it’s supposed to recycle, and the water level keeps getting lower and lower,” Biegler said. “I wasn’t there when it happened, but either that or it started running out in places you don’t want water running out of. You still have to figure out where it’s coming back out.”

Officials also didn’t want to create a safety hazard for the public since there is a walkway in front and along both sides of the fountain. It’s also a popular place for picture-taking after folks get hitched at the Government Center.

When asked if there is a chance to revive the fountain before summer’s end, Biegler said, “We are hopeful, yes.”

If you’ve seen something that needs attention, give me a call at 706-571-8576.

This story was originally published June 4, 2017 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Government Center fountain shut down and all dried up."