The City of Langford has an engineering headache on its hands, after the driver of a semi-truck saw her trailer roll directly through the middle of the Goldstream Avenue fountain late Sunday night.
The 50-plus-foot semi-trailer ran aground on the fountain at 11:41 p.m. Sunday, after the driver miscalculated her ability to do a complete cycle of the roundabout.
“The driver was not from the area and got lost essentially,” said West Shore RCMP Const. Olen Bernardo.
The driver, who was not injured, was issued a ticket for driving without consideration. Witnesses indicated the vehicle had been heading west on Goldstream and was attempting to circumnavigate the roundabout.
Langford director of engineering Michelle Mahovlich said Monday the fountain’s mechanical operation appeared to be badly damaged. “We’re going to salvage as much as we can … but a lot of the equipment was special order,” she said.
City staff began dismantling the fountain this week. Mahovlich said the replacement cost will be “thousands of dollars” and will be paid for through an insurance claim with ICBC.
“It’s very disappointing, very devastating, especially knowing how much it took to build it in the first place.”
She doubted the fountain, a colourful centrepiece in Goldstream Village during the holiday season, would be repaired by Christmas. The backup plan is to place a large Christmas tree in the centre of the roundabout, Mahovlich said.
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