Ventnor Fountain Friends President Dawn Burke Sena and Mayor Lance Landgraf sign a memorandum of agreement to restore the Water Works fountain.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
Ventnor Fountain Friends this week signed a memorandum of agreement with the city in support of its plan to reconstruct a deteriorating 100-year-old concrete fountain located in front of the Ventnor Public Works building at Cornwall and Winchester avenues.
The agreement outlines the roles and financial responsibilities of each party in the public/private partnership.
"Ventnor recognizes that the protection, enhancement and perpetuation of areas, improvements and landscaping features having historic character or special historical or aesthetic interest or valus is a public necessity," the agreement states.
The fountain was built in 1923 as part of the city's water infrastructure. The organization was hoping to complete the renovation of the fountain in time for its 100th anniversary.
Fountain Friends will be responsible for reconstruction of the fountain, while the city will complete demolition, provide landscaping and complete sidewalk construction. The city will assist with the organization's fundraising efforts by posting activities on the city's website, newsletter and provide assistance as needed, the agreement states.
According to Founder and President Dawn Burke Sena, combination of private donors and institutional and public grantmaking organizations, the fountain infrastructure, including the pump, water and electrical supply lines will be upgraded and a new Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant ramp, benches, lighting and signage will be added. She said the city plans to apply for grant funding to finance the project.
Fountain Friends has been quietly working with the administration for more than two years, seeking guidance in determining the viability of the project.
Sena said securing the city's endorsement with a formal agreement of support is a critical step in this project.
We are so grateful to the city, and humbled by the trust and confidence implicit in this document, which the city has placed in Ventnor Fountain Friends. It lends a tremendous amount of credibility to our organization in the eyes of foundations and prospective donors, she said.
Fountain Friends first went public with its plans last January with a resolution issued at a Board of Commissioners meeting. Since then, it has been garnering public enthusiasm for the project, beginning last April at the Ventnor City Block Party, and with frequent appearances at the weekly Ventnor City Farmer's Market and Summer Concert Series.
Everyone we've met this past summer at these various events has been so excited by the prospect of bringing this gem of a fountain back to life, Sena said. That reaction has kept us energized and invested in our goal, which is to create a multigenerational greenspace for residents and visitors to Ventnor to enjoy for generations to come.
For more information, see www.ventnorfountainfriends.org.
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