Will Rock Hill’s Fountain Park attraction be open by Christmas? Maybe

City officials said they were “hopeful” that Rock Hill’s main attraction in downtown’s Fountain Park would be up and running by the return of ChristmasVille.

Lexington-based subcontractor W.P. Law is expected this week to continue its renovation work to fix clogging issues in the 50,000-gallon fountain, according to deputy city manager Jimmy Bagley.

Crews are working to get the fountain back up and running since it was drained in April to inspect the bowl and identify foundational problems. The clogging issue first cropped up last November.

If all goes to plan and weather permitting, Bagley said he feels optimistic that the fountain would be ready around the first week of December. The annual ChristmasVille parade is scheduled for Dec. 2.

Workers first need to install a pipe outside of the fountain that would drain water from underneath the bowl. Project manager Rob Green said that would help prevent clogging.

“It’s more of a safety measure, in case anything happens again,” said Green. “It will be a place for the water to more easily go, so it doesn’t cause a huge problem.”

Once that’s finished, workers will begin replacing the piping inside the exposed area. Then, they’ll pour over the concrete and let it set.

The “curing” period for concrete is about a month, Green said.

After the concrete is cured, workers will lay down a waterproof membrane on top of the concrete. Crews also will be installing the lights and piping inside the bowl to test the system.

“I’m hopeful,” said Bagley. “But I’m not really confident. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, it’ll back us up even further. It’s a tight timeline.”

The $6 million Fountain Park opened in 2014, featuring a fountain with powerful jets and pumps that blasted water more than 120 feet in the air. The park has since hosted popular outdoor events such as the city’s “Food Truck Friday“ and various ChristmasVille activities.

While the downtown park has been open to the public, the fountain itself is taped off.

W.P. Law handles all repair work on the fountain. The city keeps maintenance of the fountain under a three-year warranty to Leitner Construction of Rock Hill, and their fluid handling subcontractor, W.P. Law.

This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Will Rock Hill’s Fountain Park attraction be open by Christmas? Maybe."