Community effort helps restoration of fountain on Devon’s Diamond
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EAST LIVERPOOL -- With a combined effort of city administrators, employees and community members, the fountain on Devon's Diamond has been put back into service for the first time in many years.
Mayor Ryan Stovall, Service-Safety Director Brian Allen, deputy SSD Perry Rummell, volunteer Terry Rudibaugh and several others stood holding their breaths Friday as the pumps were turned on after the fountain was filled, hoping everyone's hard work had paid off.
They weren't disappointed, as sparkling jets of water shot into the air for the first time since any of them could recall, although they seemed to recollect it last functioned in the mid- to late-1990s.
Street employee Donnie Danver braved the cold water to adjust the nozzles so they sprayed in an attractive triangular pattern which Stovall said also saves water since it doesn't splash out as much as when shooting straight up into the air.
The project was undertaken by Stovall and Allen but, Stovall emphasized, "It really was a community effort," considering how many contributed to the fountain's renovation.
First, the cement had to be repaired, and Dailey's Masonry donated that patching work, followed by pressure washing by resident Bob Hill and painting by Gretchen Dietz, who used paint donated by Bricker's.
Dietz and other University of Mount Union students had undertaken a renovation project on the fountain in 2014 as part of their engineering studies, but it snagged when the cost of electrical repairs became too great for their budget.
Stovall said city workers have now replaced the breaker and wired the pump, and electric service coming into the box was already good.
Local business King Wolf Enterprises designed and donated a filter grate, and Rudibaugh donated the pumps and plumbing for the project.
The city purchased the new nozzles from water department funds, with Stovall saying the water department had always been responsible for the fountain in the past.
A little less than $500 in city funds has been spent on the project, according to Stovall.
Plans for the city's centerpiece aren't stopping at the fountain, however.
Tables and park benches that once were on Devon's Diamond -- named for former city detective and Mayor William Devon -- are going to be returned, having been removed several years ago due to loitering and an unsavory element that tended to gather in the diamond.
Officials are issuing a warning: No abuse of the area will be tolerated, and that includes sitting on the edges of the fountain, getting into the water or -- as has occurred in the past -- pouring soap into it to make bubbles.
"This is supposed to be a place for people to relax. We can't let the bad element win. The police (will enforce) zero tolerance," Stovall said.
He cautioned there is a $100 fine for being found in the fountain on the first offense, and there are specific ordinances in place for sitting on its edge or otherwise vandalizing it.
jgilbert@mojonews.com