City expects 2013 completion for Point State Park fountain

It will be another spring before the fountain at Point State Park bubbles up again.

That was the message Thursday about progress on the $9.6 million fountain renovation, which began in late 2011, part of a $35 million makeover of the entire park.

If the weather stays mild, flooding remains minimal and the construction work proceeds smoothly, park manager Matt Greene said he is "cautiously optimistic" that water will return to the fountain in spring 2013. The fountain was shut off in April 2009.

"So far, so good," Mr. Greene said as he surveyed the tip of the Point.

Mr. Greene, along with Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and representatives from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the nonprofit Riverlife, joined together in the park to announce that the fountain project remains on track and even a little ahead of schedule, thanks to a mild winter.

Mr. Ravenstahl said he is regularly asked when the fountain and the entire park -- which he described as "one of Pittsburgh's gems" -- will be opened again.

"Once the fountain is completed, it will be a true gem once again," Mr. Ravenstahl said.

Point State Park -- the green space Downtown where the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio rivers meet -- has long been a fixture in Pittsburgh's history. It was a strategic location during the French and Indian War, then a busy industrial spot and then a deteriorating eyesore. A 36-acre state park was completed at the spot in the 1970s.

The passing of time -- and damage caused by flooding -- deteriorated the fountain and other parts of the park. A combination of state and private donations is supporting the fountain renovation efforts.

On Thursday, sunbathers lounged on the grass at Point State Park as construction crews worked. The demolition process is completed, Mr. Greene said, and now workers are "putting all the pieces back together."

A website, www.PointStatePark.com, will launch in the next few days to provide updates and photographs of the renovation. A special ceremony will be held next year to mark the return of water to the fountain, Mr. Greene said.

And there will be reason to celebrate its rebirth, said Lisa Schroeder, president and CEO of Riverlife, which helped raise $5 million for the fountain renovation.

"I think it's the plume in Pittsburgh's cap, and that view of the fountain, where the three rivers come together, is our signature," she said.

First published on May 21, 2012 at 12:00 am