Michael Bushnell
Publisher

Since the completion of a design overhaul at the Concourse Fountain at St. John and Benton in 2002, the interactive fountain has been a respite, for young and old alike, seeking relief from the brutal summer heat. On any given summer day, the zero-depth fountain is crowded with people, mostly kids, running through the cool jets of water, squealing with delight.

But last week, new signage was put up by the Kansas City Park and Recreation Department on two sides of the fountain ordering people to stay out of the fountain, as it is not a spray park. 

Indian Mound resident and area small business owner Rebecca Koop sat on the committee that oversaw the design and completion of the new, interactive fountain design. She questions the Parks Department’s logic on the new closure.

“It’s an interactive fountain so you can walk or run through it,” Koop said. “It doesn’t make any sense to me, it’s not the intent, it’s not what Ruthanne Harper and our committee had in mind when we worked so hard to get this design approved and completed.”

Koop worked in concert with Parks advocate and Scarritt Renaissance resident Ruthanne Harper to launch a committee to develop an interactive fountain, much like the one at Crown Center. The new design would incorporate 15 water jets beneath a metal grating where people could walk and play during the summer months, given the closest pools were over a mile away,  in Budd Park at St. John and Hardesty and at Parade Park at Truman Road and Benton.

The original fountain design, a rectangular basin that held roughly two to three feet of water, was built in 1939. The original intent was as a casting pool, and it was often used for model sailboat races. As the neighborhood demographic changed over the years, however, the fountain pool became a health hazard, often being used as a bathtub for people and animals alike. It was not uncommon to find trash and human waste floating in the brown, unfiltered water at the fountain’s edge. Ultimately, in 1996, seen as a public health and safety hazard, the fountain was drained until a new design could be agreed upon by neighbors and the Parks Department.

In September of 2000, after almost four years of collaboration, the Parks Board announced that two design concepts had been settled on. Both designs, advanced by the neighborhood committee and Larkin Aquatics, abandoned the pool concept in favor of two design options that offered little or no standing water in the fountain’s 20 by 40-yard basin.

On the morning of July 26, 2002, Mayor Kay Barnes was joined by Parks Commissioner Bob Lewellen, First District Councilwoman Teresa Loar and a crowd of roughly 50 spectators, half of whom were children, to cut the ribbon on the new fountain.

When asked about the new signage that went up last week, given the fountain’s interactive design, the Parks Department’s response was, “New signage prohibiting people from entering the Concourse Fountain was recently placed as a precaution. Although it has been an interactive fountain for years, the fountain needs upgrades to comply with health and safety concerns. The Parks Department is working on updating the design of the fountain. Until then, we encourage residents to refrain from entering and enjoy it as a scenic fountain at this time.”

There were no specifics shared on the safety and health concerns the department had, or the design updates they’re planning to abate the alleged hazards.

“I don’t have specifics at this time,” a department spokesperson told The Northeast News via email. “But the fountain is decades old and needs updates, specifically, those that will handle the increase of people. New designs will be announced once approved by the Parks Board.”