Friendship Fountain Drained!

Tweet from @JaxParks this afternoon...

Friendship Fountain water drained to allow for light repairs - hope to have operating again soon.

Will update when I get additional information.

-Bob

#FriendshipFountain Updates

I have been remiss in posting updates, my apologies.  Obviously I am not a writer in another life ;)

I have been getting inquiries as to the status of the "Blue Box".

The replacement "Blue Box" was put into service in June 2012 and while I heard there were some issues, that appeared to be operator related initially, the Fountain has basically been back in operation since.

The Week of July 4, 2012 the Fountain was operating with the patriotic Light and Sound program every evening and based on pictures I saw was operating 100% during the Jacksonville Downtown Fireworks extravaganza.

Also reports are that the patriotic music program had been updated and of course the Pergola is now in place.


More images here: http://JaxFountain.com/Gallery/pergola/

However all is not rosy as there have been recent reports of the Fountain not operating at times during the day, thanks @newzgrrl

Rick Sawyer, City of Jax, replied to my inquiry regarding these reports and let me know there are some lights not operating properly and an Electrical Contractor is working to try and determine what the problem may be, which requires that the Fountain be shut down at times.  However it should be operating with Water Features and Lights every evening.

Again my apologies for not posting sooner and thanks to those of you that have written directly, tweeted or left comments here for your interest in Friendship Fountain and your prodding to get updated information posted.

Til next time,
Bob

More #FriendshipFountain Construction

If you are planning on taking a trip to Friendship Fountain in the near future don't be surprised when you see new Construction Fencing on the East side of the Fountain...

As reported by Beth Slater (@newzgrrl on Twitter) fencing is in place and Rick Sawyer from the City of Jacksonville has confirmed this is the beginning of the Pergola addition to the east side of Friendship Fountain.

Estimated completion is not known at this time but we are certainly excited to see the City following through with this :)

Now we just need that pesky "Blue Box" replacment to arrive to get the lights and sounds of Friendship Fountain back to normal...

Mothers Day is this Sunday and there is a  Mother’s Day Boat Cruise to benefit the St. Johns Riverkeeper, 10 a.m.-Noon from #FriendshipFountain Reservations needed: Contact 904-256-7613 or shannon@stjohnsriverkeeper.org.
St. Johns RiverKeeper

Until next time,
Bob

#FriendshipFountain Update

Rick Sawyer, from the City of Jacksonville, sent us an email this morning and it appears that the "blue box", basically the electronic heart of the Fountain's Music and Light systems, has gone haywire and a replacement is on it's way.

Until it has been replaced the sounds and lights of Friendship Fountain will not be operating, however the water jets are unaffected.

We will post more information as it becomes available.

Until next time,
Bob

#FriendshipFountain Lights Issue

According to an update I received this Morning from Rick Sawyer, Park Maintenance Superintendent, an Issue cropped up Friday or Saturday night with the Fountain's Lighting which the Contractor is looking into.

So if you visit Friendship Fountain in the next few days the lights may not be working properly...

Will keep everyone posted as I get any information from the City.

-Bob

Green #FriendshipFountain? St. Patrick's Day

For St. Patrick's Day the City of Jacksonville is planning on turning Friendship Fountain GREEN :)

According to an update I received yesterday from Rick Sawyer, Park Maintenance Superintendent, City of Jacksonville, Friendship Fountain will be Green from March 12, to March 19, 2012 for St. Patrick's day...

Should make for some nice pictures not to mention just getting into the spirit of things.

The Fountain turned PINK for the Weekend of Feb 11 - 12, 2012 in Honor of the National Marathon To Finish Breast Cancer or better known as the 26.2 with Donna...

Certainly like to see the Fountain helping to promote Holidays and Events around town :)

Till next time,
Bob

#FriendshipFountain Schedule Update

I received an email from Rick Sawyer, Park Maintenance Superintendent, City of Jacksonville, this morning with just an update on the scheduling for the Fountain, which remains basically the same for the foreseeable future.

The basic Friendship Fountain hours of operation are scheduled as follows:

Fountain Water Feature: 9:00 AM ET to Midnight Daily 7 days a week.

Ambient Light Program starts: 4:15 PM ET to Midnight daily.

At the present time the Fountain is basically set on Low (as far as height of the Water streams) due to changing wind and potential freezing conditions.

Again Rick would appreciate any information from the public if you should note any irregularity in the Fountain Operations so they can continue to identify any issues.

Just drop a line here and I will pass them on...

Also I had the opportunity to get down to Friendship Fountain On Feb 4 and I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the overall condition of the Park.

It appeared to be well maintained and the grass doing very well on the South, North and East sides of the Fountain and the West side, which takes the brunt of traffic and water overspray appeared to be recovering compared to a visit a month earlier...

I was there during the Free River tours given by The Jacksonville Water Taxi and there were about a 100 or more folks lined up for the rides while I was there, was very nice seeing the number of folks. Also watching the kids running and playing on the grass surfaces of Friendship Fountain Park just makes me realize what an improvement the Renovations last year made...

I want to pass on my Thanks to Rick for keeping us updated, what a welcome change ;)

Till next time, Bob