August 5, 2017 | Fountain at The Circle: A Few Updates

Friends and neighbors:

In an effort to discourage the kind of vandalism that has left the Fountain at The Circle awash in soap suds and other substances about a half-dozen times in the past eight months, we are trying a new strategy: shutting the fountain off completely during the early hours of the morning.

We will be testing this out over the next week or so, so if you go by the fountain anytime between midnight and 6 a.m. or so, you may notice it is dark and not running. Besides saving on wear and tear, we think this will make the fountain a less inviting target during those hours, when most of the acts of vandalism take place. At all other hours of the day, the fountain will operate as it always has.

On another note: Sometime in the next few weeks, city crews will be out on the island in The Circle to switch the drainage system for the fountain from city storm drains to the sanitary sewer. This is required by a state law that says all treated water has to drain into the sewer, not into the storm drains that carry rain and runoff into the bay. It’s not clear just how long this project will take, but it may mean the fountain is shut off for some period of time while the work is carried out. We will update its progress here.

And in September, if all goes according to plan, the city will be carrying out some re-landscaping of the grassy areas in and around The Circle. The primary objective is to install new sod or ground cover to replace the weedy and barren sod there now. Again, we’ll list any updates on that project here.

Friends of the Fountain and Walk appreciates the continuing support of our neighborhood and the Berkeley community at large for our efforts to preserve and maintain these beloved local landmarks. You can find out more about us and how to get involved here or support us financially here.