City of Fountains indeed!
At the suggestion of a friend who is a Vietnam veteran, I stopped by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial fountain on Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day. Jerry had told me he attended a Memorial Day observance at this Vietnam Wall of Honor, which is flanked by a fountain and reflecting pools near 43rd Street and Broadway.
Jerry said he was ashamed by the condition of the reflecting pools. Originally covered by an off-white paint or other coating, the coating was peeling away, leaving unsightly black and white splotches on the bottoms of the pools.
What a salute to veterans this was! It was as if the men and women who served in that bloody, divisive war were being greeted again with spit in the face.
Adequate maintenance to the reflecting pools would not require spending a lot of money, just city officials who give a damn about their work. Hadn’t the memorial even been inspected before the annual Memorial Day observance?
I was reminded of the time during this year’s budget process when the City Council discussed an idea not to run the city’s fountains this summer to save $125,000. This drastic step even appeared likely for several days, until the City Council finally found funds to keep the fountains running.
It looks like such measures should not even be considered, not while millions of dollars are spent each year on questionable fees for outside consultants. And I can’t think of any cutback that would be more objectionable than skimping on essential maintenance to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
I suspect the reflecting pool problem was allowed to worsen due to a supervisor’s lax oversight. It should now be given urgent attention by Parks and Recreation Department officials.
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