Columbia Outdoor Fountain Plans Under Review

There are many moving parts in the process and several years before the project comes to fruition, but the Columbia Association is considering designs for an interactive outdoor fountain that will ultimately be a centerpiece of Symphony Woods Park.

The association has contracted with Wesco Fountains to design the park feature.

Two "very preliminary plans" were presented to the association's board members at a meeting Jan. 26, according to landscape architect Jan Clark, who also serves as the Symphony Woods Park project manager.

"There are a lot of moving parts in this situation," Clark said Friday. "We are a long, long way from building a fountain and we are not obligated to construct anything anytime soon."

Blogger Dennis Lane said on his Tale of Two Cities blog Jan. 25 that some residents may be concerned about this project moving ahead before a collaborative relationship with the Howard Hughes Corp. regarding the park's development is fleshed out.

But, he added, that would be unfair to the current association team.

"This design contract was likely awarded before the new working relationship with HHC got started," he wrote.

In any case, that perception shouldn't be an issue, given the fountain project is at least three or four fiscal years away from completion, Clark said.

Capital funding is in place for Phase I plans of the park, which include an entry plaza, a larger central plaza, walkways, lighting, outdoor furniture and parking, according to the association's website.

"We are just waiting for county approval for Phase I," Clark said. "But it all has to be worked out—there are many, many steps in the approval process."

Board members are excited about the potential of the water fountain, Clark said.

They will consider a plaza, or more open design, versus an architectural or sculptural design.

An interactive fountain invites people into it, and many designs, including the plaza type, shoot water up through holes in the floor of the feature.

Such a fountain would be a nice, family-oriented feature to include in the park that many consider the heart of downtown Columbia, Clark said.