Fountain Park repairs delayed as Rock Hill leaders wait for new design

City officials are awaiting a new design plan that they believe will help finalize the re-opening of Fountain Park's 50,000-gallon fountain by August or September.

Deputy city manager Jimmy Bagley and city project manager Rob Green said Wednesday that they're expecting Lexington, S.C.-based subcontractor W.P. Law to send them a full design plan this week on what steps need to be taken to rebuild the downtown fountain, which has been out of commission for the past three months.

The design plan would likely include details on whether workers should install concrete blocking to support the fountain's jets, how best to install a drainage system that lets water evacuate beneath the fountain's bowl, a hydrostatic release valve and an evaluation on whether workers should use thicker piping.

Click below to read through a timeline of The Herald’s Fountain Park coverage since Nov. 2015:

Once officials receive the design plan, Bagley said it will likely take about a week for officials to review and sign off on the measures, which he said will be evaluated by outside consultants. After an additional week of prepping the area, Bagley estimated that it would take about six weeks to finish construction.

"We're really stretching the schedule with the delay of the design,”said Bagley, “but we're hoping to have it approved any day now."

The fountain has been drained since April in order for crews to inspect the bowl and identify any foundational problems. Workers have been addressing clogging issues in the piping that first cropped up last November.

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 Fountain Park has been open to the public, the fountain itself is taped off.

W.P. Law handles all repair work on the fountain, according to Green. 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.

"I could get an email any day now," said Green. "The next step after that is that the city reviews those plans and the contractors will come back in and start the rebuild."

Workers discovered in December that clogging was to blame for broken pipes and a cracked bowl. The water flow was reduced to a single jet and the fountain was temporarily refilled for the holiday period.

Bagley said the new possible measures would help restore the fountain to its original appeal. Green said it's possible that crews would install slightly thicker piping in some places in order to deal with the capacity. Bagley said the hydrostatic release valve would allow a release for water that builds up under the concrete bowl to go up into the bowl instead of building pressure.

Green said rain may be the chief cause of any delays moving forward into August.

The fountain's repair hasn't deterred the public from attending the city's downtown events at Fountain Park, according to city spokesperson Katie Quinn. Green said he's heard positive reviews from the weekly Farmer's Market, which runs each Thursday in the area.

"The sentiment is more that they're excited to see it get back up and running," said Quinn. "They miss it and with the fountain being down, it doesn't seem like it's affected attendance."

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Fountain Park repairs delayed as Rock Hill leaders wait for new design."