Waupaca to upgrade the fountain

By Angie Landsverk

This centerpiece in the fountain has already been removed in anticipation of the renovation project.

The irrigation system and fountain in South Park’s circle are both being upgraded this summer.

The Waupaca Common Council approved contracts for the two projects during its July 21 meeting.

Shulfer’s Sprinklers and Landscaping, of Plover, is doing the irrigation work at a cost of $11,900.

It was one of three companies which submitted a proposal for the project. The other bids were $13,600 and $17,200.

Shulfer’s Sprinklers and Landscaping also did all the irrigation at Swan Park, as well as the irrigation on the hillside overlooking Shadow Lake, in South Park.

Great Escapes Landscaping, of Appleton, is doing the fountain renovation at a cost of $7,195.

The other two bids submitted by area companies were for $7,200 and $8,000.

This area of the park, referred to as South Park’s circle, is located north of the recently renovated parking lot.

The irrigation and fountain projects are becoming part of Phase 2 of an overall four-phase improvement project for Waupaca’s oldest park.

The two projects are the result of a $56,734 in savings the city saw in the decorative lighting, parking lot and shoreline restoration budgets, Park and Recreation Director Aaron Jenson said.

Those three projects were part of the Phase 2 improvements.

All those expenses were covered through a combination of grant dollars, private donor dollars and the $21,229.01 set aside from savings in Phase 1 to be used specifically for Phase 2 projects.

The parking lot project was budgeted at $74,445. It cost $48,525.

The budget for decorative lighting was $63,000, and it cost $32,691.

The shoreline restoration project was budgeted at $10,500. Its cost was $9,995.

Jenson said the current irrigation system in this area of the park was intalled in 1975.

Parts have become obsolete, making repairs difficult and sometimes impossible.

The system has to be operated manually, which means city crew members have to screw in and remove each sprinkler head and manually turn on the pump when watering is desired.

Jenson said the new system will be an automated one and will also fill the fountain automatically, removing the labor and time currently spent doing that.

He told the council the fountain upgrade was eligible for grant dollars, because the renovation will result in a natural landscape.

The fountain was installed in the park before the current irrigation system was.

Last year, parks crew staff spent a total of 80 hours during the summer months on general fountain maintenance, he said.

Jenson sees the upgrade as cutting down on maintenance, while also improving aesthetics.

That is because the fountain will be tied into the new irrigation system.

City staff will no longer have to fill the basin with a hose and spend hours removing the leaves, insects and debris which collect inside of it.

The current centerpiece inside it will be removed, and the basin will remain.

The bowl will be painted a natural rock color and then filled with new decorative rock.

Plans call for the fountain project to be completed before Aug. 11, while the irrigation project will be done after the triathlon, which this year is on Saturday, Aug. 15.