"A fountain fallen from grace; 141-year-old fixture to undergo repairs - with a hefty price tag" by David Abel, Globe Staff | June 12, 2009
.... The work comes at a steep cost for a city in financial straits. The budget for the project now stands at more than $630,000, which could rise depending on what contractors find when they examine the fountain more closely. About half of that money will come from city coffers, the rest from the federal government and private donors....
And here the city and state are ponying up a MILLION DOLLARS for sailing ships, and $6 MILLION for a war vessel?!!!
Btw, need money for a fountain?
I know just where to look:
Governor Guts State ServicesPigs at the State Trough
A Slow Saturday Special: Statehouse Slush Fund
Hollywood S***s on Massachusetts
Biotech Giveaway Was Borrowed Money
How many times I gotta put 'em up?
The first effort to repair the 22-foot-tall fountain began nearly a decade ago, when workers discovered extensive damage to the pipes and determined that the project would require much more money than anticipated. The fountain burbled until 2003, when its pump died.
It takes you guys forever to fix things, doesn't it?
I'm glad I'm country folk. I'm starting to wonder where YOUR TAXES are going, Bostonian!
Since then, private donors have raised money, and officials have sought matching grants from the federal government, but the city has treated the fountain like a sculpture and sought to spruce it up with plants, flowers, and other ornaments.
The City Council appropriated the money several years ago, city officials said, but it had to come up with tens of thousands of additional dollars this year, because the cost has increased. Despite the expense, the project is backed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, as well as the City Council.
Bay Stater's butts are so sore from the screwings!
"It's the right thing to do," Menino said in an interview this week. "The fountains beautify our city. It makes our city alive. It's amazing how many people ask about fountains."
Councilor Michael P. Ross, who represents the Back Bay, said the project is part of a larger effort to improve the section of the Common along Tremont Street, an increasingly dingy area of the park that on many days looks like a homeless encampment....
Another AmeriKan scandal of shame!
They never caught the killer from what I've seen -- if they even cared!
The city maintains 21 fountains, park officials said, and the Brewer is one of four not working. The other fountains are in Coppens Square in Dorchester, in Statler Office Park near The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, and the White Memorial fountain in the Public Garden.
The city has recently cordoned off the fountain....Not even a gurgle.
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