The fountain at the roundabout at Goldstream Avenue and Bryn Maur Road in Langford sprang to life last week after being out of commission for about six months.
At the end of November, a semi-truck driver rolled her rig over the fountain after getting lost and finding herself unable to complete a full cycle of the roundabout, according to the RCMP statement at the time. She was issued a ticket for driving without consideration, but also left a heck of a mess in her wake.
“I think it’s become one of the iconic features of the Langford community, and we’re super excited to have it back up and running,” said Coun. Denise Blackwell. “My husband and I drive by it sometimes and see people just sitting in the parking lot of the mall there watching it. It’s really a brilliant feature of the community; people ask us about it all the time at City Hall and we’re just thrilled to have it back.”
Langford’s director of engineering, Michelle Mahovlich, said the cost of replacing the fountain was covered through an ICBC claim filed the morning after the accident.
“Once we get everything all completed,” she said, referring to the landscaping and flowers that will eventually surround the fountain. “We’ll send the bill to ICBC in one claim. It won’t be costing the taxpayer anything.”
In March the city estimates the total cost of replacing the fountain would be in the range of $75,000 to $100,000. The work was completed ahead of schedule because of nice weather in the region throughout February.
“There was a bit of a holdup of some of the parts in customs at the border,” Mahovlich said, “but it came together in just a couple of days once all the parts got here.”
Watch for the gardeners to be going into the area soon to complete the beautification process.
mdavies@goldstreamgazette.com