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Discussion on drinking fountains in parks: installation, cost, and challenges
0:54:31
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165 sec
Council Member Brewer and Matt Drury discuss the installation of drinking fountains in parks, focusing on their placement, cost, and associated challenges. They explore the potential for increasing fountain availability, especially near park perimeters.
- The average cost of installing a drinking fountain is estimated at $30,000-$40,000
- There are engineering challenges to installing fountains near park perimeters due to fencing, tree roots, and required infrastructure
- The Parks Department typically installs new fountains as part of larger park projects
Gale A. Brewer
0:54:31
Sure.
0:54:31
Alright.
0:54:31
In terms of the, drinking fountains, how many that's good.
0:54:35
I think our bill is a little bit not as clear.
0:54:37
We will be talking on the edge of the parks and in the green spaces.
Christopher Leon Johnson
0:54:41
Mhmm.
Gale A. Brewer
0:54:41
I have to say it's not easy to find a fountain, to have a drink of water.
0:54:46
If you go way into a park, yes, but it's not easy to find a drinking fountain.
0:54:51
So my question is, what's the average cost to build one?
0:54:55
And then are they operating all year long, or are they turned off during the cold weather?
Matt Drury
0:55:01
Okay.
0:55:02
Thanks for the question.
0:55:03
So as I mentioned, generally speaking, we look to install or replace water fountains at every opportunity.
0:55:11
We will note there are some physical and engineering challenges that come with the perimeters of parks and other restrictive areas like that because the installation of this infrastructure requires sort of a footprint, if you will, with an RPZ other both above and below surface.
0:55:32
And then when you have the perimeter of a park, often has fencing or a tree canopy with subsurface root systems, So I think we appreciate it.
0:55:42
And we completely recognize that the bill sort of has a different intent focused on those edges of How
Gale A. Brewer
0:55:46
of there's a hydrant nearby, though?
0:55:47
Wouldn't that be a way of you have to work with DEP
Matt Drury
0:55:51
and Yeah, I'm not a plumber or an engineer.
0:55:52
Yeah, that's interesting notion that there could be and part of the bill that is, I believe, passing tomorrow does will compel DEP to install a smaller number of fountains on non parks property.
0:56:06
So there is definitely progress being made will or will be made in that regard.
0:56:11
And then, sorry, average cost.
0:56:13
It's a little hard to say in a vacuum because, again, these are usually part of a larger and it depends on the subsurface conditions and yada yada yada.
0:56:22
So the cost in and of itself isn't really quite the concern.
0:56:25
But if you had to sort of just pull it out of a larger project, it'd probably $30,000 40 thousand dollars worth of work, give or take.
Gale A. Brewer
0:56:33
Well, Lesko, so in other words, only probably put in new fountains when there is a park project taking place.
0:56:39
Is that the idea?
0:56:40
In other words, it only I
Matt Drury
0:56:41
mean, that's our general approach for sure.
0:56:43
But again, noting that although we appreciate the intent of the park perimeter sort of distinction, And we do, whenever possible, try to place our fountains within sight of the street.
0:56:54
That's just because of entrances to these parks are different.
0:56:57
There's different visual impediments to that sometimes.
0:56:59
That's not always feasible.
0:57:00
But that is something and also, not for nothing, but we have hot, sweaty kids playing at our playgrounds, and we want to also make sure that water fountains are within the parks, right, like next to the amenities and features where they're
Gale A. Brewer
0:57:12
possible.
0:57:13
So I would think we need both.
0:57:14
That would be my hope.
Matt Drury
0:57:15
Sure.