Friendship Fountain

fsujax · May 14, 2012, 09:48:19 AM

Saturday evening I took a friend out to see the fountain and to my dismay it has already fallen victim to maintenance issues. The lights weren't working, it was not going at full stream, no synchronization to music. It was very disappointing and a huge let down. Does anyone know what is going on?

Bativac · May 14, 2012, 09:56:55 AM

Actually this has been standard operating procedure for months now. I've stopped taking out of town visitors over to the fountain because it's never turned on anymore.

Jacksonville: Spending Money On Stuff, Then Letting That Stuff Go

fsujax · May 14, 2012, 10:02:25 AM

This is very shocking. It is the most inherent problem this City has, I believe. Just look at how well the landscape is being maintained on Laura St, weeds 2ft tall now. Frankly, I am sick of it.

fsujax · May 14, 2012, 10:47:57 AM

Here is the latest. It looks like they are working on it. My rant still holds true, though!

http://www.jaxfountain.com/

Debbie Thompson · May 14, 2012, 12:33:22 PM

This doesn't bode well, because if it's "going haywire" already what will happen when the warranty is up? I guess this is endemic to City governments where they take the lowest bidder instead of the best contractor for the job.

duvaldude08 · May 14, 2012, 12:39:08 PM

Atleast its being addressed and is not falling apart without anyone monitoring it.

Bativac · May 14, 2012, 01:08:59 PM

Quote from: duvaldude08 on May 14, 2012, 12:39:08 PM
Atleast its being addressed and is not falling apart without anyone monitoring it.

Yeah - but how long before it becomes "too expensive to maintain?" It seems like in Jacksonville these types of projects always run into problems and run out of money. They did a fantastic job on this park but the concrete is already cracking in places, some of the pavers are much looser than they're supposed to be, and now the fountain mechanics aren't working properly. I seem to recall Kid's Kampus at Metro Park ran into issues relating to improper construction. And the pavers in the new Laura St roundabout that had to be redone. Maybe this stuff happens in other cities and I just don't hear about it.

Speaking of out of towners and the roundabout, I had the pleasure of listen to a couple of them rant about that "crappy roundabout" in front of the Landing. I know it's an improvement and it looks nice. But it ain't winning any fans.

At least we don't have to worry about those pesky food trucks congregating down there, though.

mtraininjax · May 14, 2012, 03:40:42 PM

QuoteJacksonville: Spending Money On Stuff, Then Letting That Stuff Go

I'm with Alvin!

Too bad the fountain works on and off, you might have to fall in on the Southbank Riverwalk to get them to fix the boards that are part of the original installation.

peestandingup · May 14, 2012, 04:19:55 PM

Quote from: peestandingup on February 06, 2012, 03:35:59 PM
Quote from: BridgeTroll on February 05, 2012, 04:57:18 PM
What musical program would you prefer PSU? Sinatra? Hiphop? Classic rock? Perhaps a request line so we could let em know what we are feelin at any given time...

You know, that actually would be pretty neat. A paid jukebox that plays the songs via the fountain.

But hey, I'd just be happy with them not playing the same 10 songs over & over & over again. It starts to wear pretty thin, no matter what genre they are (but the overly patriotic theme makes it more so. no, I'm not an american hating terrorist, but damn). That is if they're even doing music anymore (from Bativac's comments). Maybe it broke & they just didn't fix it?? That wouldn't shock me.

Look, I'm not harping on music as much as I am the "ah, whatever" attitude. And its one I've seen a lot from things like this as a whole in Jacksonville. Its the same attitude that got the fountain in the shape it was before now, as well as the same general attitude that gets houses, buildings & entire neighborhoods eaten by neglect. Yeah, I know its just music. But then the pavers, then cracks in the concrete & weeds, then people stop showing up, etc etc.

I'm just saying. If you're going to do something, do it right & keep up with it. If they're doing music, then great. But don't kill us with the same stuff over & over again. And actually make sure the thing works.

simms3 · May 14, 2012, 07:19:40 PM

Quote from: fsujax on May 14, 2012, 10:02:25 AM
This is very shocking. It is the most inherent problem this City has, I believe. Just look at how well the landscape is being maintained on Laura St, weeds 2ft tall now. Frankly, I am sick of it.

This is what I repeatedly harp on when I say Jacksonville does not "appear" like a nice city. Just this weekend a college buddy of mine from Boston joked about "the rednecks in Jacksonville", and when I joked that that was only halfway true (hey I turned out alright...hehehe) he commented that the city looks like a large dump/ghetto when driving through on 95.

Riverside-Avondale - cool, nice areas...poorly maintained. Downtown...the signature fountain; the one scene consistently shown on ESPN and news backgrounds and postcards and it's not maintained or turned on?!?!?!?!

Shame on the city. It's these little things that ensure a very negative image to visitors, to CEOs, to locals who are either looking for an excuse to hate downtown or looking for a reason to love it, etc etc.

We should all be writing city leaders about this. There's simply no excuse. There is NO NO NO other city in the country that would let something this obvious go, even for 30 minutes.

tufsu1 · May 14, 2012, 10:38:42 PM

Quote from: simms3 on May 14, 2012, 07:19:40 PM
Riverside-Avondale - cool, nice areas...poorly maintained. Downtown...the signature fountain; the one scene consistently shown on ESPN and news backgrounds and postcards and it's not maintained or turned on?!?!?!?!

that's not what the jaxfountain link says

Bill Hoff · May 14, 2012, 10:39:04 PM

Quote from: simms3 on May 14, 2012, 07:19:40 PM
Quote from: fsujax on May 14, 2012, 10:02:25 AM
This is very shocking. It is the most inherent problem this City has, I believe. Just look at how well the landscape is being maintained on Laura St, weeds 2ft tall now. Frankly, I am sick of it.

This is what I repeatedly harp on when I say Jacksonville does not "appear" like a nice city. Just this weekend a college buddy of mine from Boston joked about "the rednecks in Jacksonville", and when I joked that that was only halfway true (hey I turned out alright...hehehe) he commented that the city looks like a large dump/ghetto when driving through on 95.

Riverside-Avondale - cool, nice areas...poorly maintained. Downtown...the signature fountain; the one scene consistently shown on ESPN and news backgrounds and postcards and it's not maintained or turned on?!?!?!?!

Shame on the city. It's these little things that ensure a very negative image to visitors, to CEOs, to locals who are either looking for an excuse to hate downtown or looking for a reason to love it, etc etc.

We should all be writing city leaders about this. There's simply no excuse. There is NO NO NO other city in the country that would let something this obvious go, even for 30 minutes.

I agree with your point, but there's no need to exagerrate. In virtually every major American city some well-known attraction/feature is out-of-order for some reason or another.

I do think that Duval County will have to raise it's (low) taxes if it wants to compete. City maintenance and amenities matter.

WmNussbaum · May 15, 2012, 08:05:03 AM

Boston has the Curse of the Bambino - trading Ruth to the Yankees. Maybe Jacksonville has the curse of Dallas Thomas, the incumbent City Councilman after whom the fountain was originally named. The name changed when Thomas and some of his henchpeople on the Council were indicted and convicted of an assortment of crimes, mostly taking illegal perks from the City coffers.

I wish it weren't so, but the foregoing reports of how the fountain is not being maintained and operated is just all too typical of the city. I don't care how you look at it, we are a poor city by most standards. Either that or [And?] the folks in charge have no clue as to how to spend money. Yeah, it should be "and." I'll bet the money urinated away on the cobblestones along Laura would keep the fountain going properly for a good while.

Piping in music is a great idea - the poor man's Boston Pops. And the areas around the fountain would easily accommodate food trucks.

Does anyone know if the Mayor or Council Members read this stuff? They damn well should!!

fsujax · May 15, 2012, 08:09:41 AM

Well, the only saving grace here is that the City is aware of the problem and are attempting to address it. I can't help but to think about the lights that were on the Main St Bridge during Super Bowl, there was a time when the City said they were working on getting them fixed. Still nothing today! I just think this whole issue of maintenance is something the City can't seem to grasp.

KenFSU · May 15, 2012, 09:53:38 AM

Quote from: fsujax on May 15, 2012, 08:09:41 AM
Well, the only saving grace here is that the City is aware of the problem and are attempting to address it. I can't help but to think about the lights that were on the Main St Bridge during Super Bowl, there was a time when the City said they were working on getting them fixed. Still nothing today! I just think this whole issue of maintenance is something the City can't seem to grasp.

That's exactly what I thought of when I read the quote about the electronics "going haywire."