Ashland, Ore. — Downtown Ashland will look a little different soon as the city plans to remove a fountain that’s been in front of the Black Swan Theater for 25 years.
Ashland Public Works said the fountain has been broken since 1992. Multiple repairs that haven’t held up have left the marble dry since 2008. City Councilman Rich Rosenthal said this time it could cost $90,000 to fix and even after the repair the fountain could break again.
“It didn’t make a lot of sense to invest taxpayer resources in something that might not pan out in the long run,” Rosenthal said.
Tuesday night Ashland City Council members voted to put the fountain on a surplus list. That gives the public a chance to bid on the fountain that’s sat on the corner of N. Pioneer and E. Main Street since 1990.
Media and Relations Manager for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Amy Richard, said OSF wants the fountain removed because it doesn’t work and they’re hoping to make the square a more welcoming space.
But City Councilwoman Carol Voisin said not enough research was done before the vote to remove the piece of city property was made.
“No plumber looked at it to see what was happening. We do know that the pump works, some of the electrical equipment works, so it’s probably workable,” Voisin said.
She was the only city councilor to vote against putting the fountain on the surplus list and said the fountain means too much to too many people.
“It’s the only fountain we have in the downtown area and it’s really beautiful when it’s running,” said Voisin.
Ashland Public Works said if no one bids on the fountain then the city will have it removed by mid-February. It would cost less than $1,000. If you want to make a bid on the fountain they’ll be posting advertisements on the city’s website.
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