YOU ASKED: The fountain at St. Andrews on the Square is cracked and unsightly. Also, the water is stagnant. A lot of people like to go out there and eat their lunch. When will the City fix it?
— Betty Holly
OUR ANSWER: We asked Shawn Cook about that. He's the City's parks supervisor and his department is responsible for maintaining the square.
He says the fountain is checked regularly as part of the department's "water parks" route.
"We stay on top of the maintenance of that fountain," said Cook.
During the winter, the fountain is off but crews clean it of fallen leaves or debris. They typically get the fountain flowing again on the Victoria Day weekend.
It's running now and Cook says City crews are maintaining it as they do all water parks in the city, which means regular checks not just for cleanliness but for structural integrity.
"There's some hairline cracks around the fountain and it's very minor," he said.
"We're always inspecting our brick pavers and our concrete and so right now it's structurally fine. We're constantly monitoring it and when it needs to be fixed we'll schedule it. But, if we had to fix every hairline crack, I mean it's huge dollars and it's not necessary to do at this time."
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UPDATE ON ROCHE LAKE PLAQUE — A few weeks ago, Kathleen Bogas asked about a plaque she noticed from a distance while kayaking on the south end of Roche Lake.
We were told it was simply a sign for boaters regarding motorized vessel regulations.
Well, it turns out that wasn't the plaque in question. The one Bogas saw — but couldn't get close enough to read — is a true plaque, not just a sign.
Dave Adams, whose parents owned Roche Lake Resort for many years, says it's a memorial tribute to Don Stanchfield, who owned the resort before Dave's parents bought it.
