July 6, 2006
So they've started [ turning off the fountain][1] at South Park during the Wednesday night band concerts. The city cites safety concerns - including swimming in the top bowl, slick concrete, and untreated water.While I'm sure you are expecting me to start my rampage about how absurd this is, that's not my plan.I will say that my kids were among the crowd that swarmed the fountain during the concerts. They loved it. They never climbed in the top bowl, which is dangerous, but they also never slipped on the wet concrete, which is admitedly hazzardous. I will say that one of my girls suffered from a minor skin affliction this summer for which I held the fountain suspect, but you know, I also stepped on a [ big turd][2] in the public pool, so I've pretty much concluded that public water features, treated or untreated, sanctioned or not, are "use at your own risk" operations.Anyhow, I can honestly see both sides, and figure those insightful, well-informed, and oh-so-reasonable folks on the LJ World reader reaction are all over the debate. No need for me to put a dog in the fight.What I'd like to do with this incident, is use it as an opportunity to suggest that the city consider constructing a water feature that is not "just to look at" but also actually designed to play in. There's obviously an interest, and this is not a foreign concept.Two examples that come to mind that I have visited are the pop-up fountains at the [ Pearl Street Mall][3] in Boulder (you'll have to scroll a bit to get to the water feature), and the [ Uncle Wilbur Fountain][4] in Acacia Park in Colorado Springs. Fun, interactive features at parks = good stuff. It doesn't even have to be in South Park - just a somewhat central location.(....Waits for somebody to say that interactive features at public parks are a waste of taxpayers money and to ask why THEY should pay for something for MY child to play on.) [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/jul/06/south_park_fountain_shut_during_concert/?breaking [2]: http://www.lawrence.com/blogs/gotkids/2006/jun/15/pool/ [3]: http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3227&Itemid=1059 [4]: http://www.unclewilber.com/
Comments
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leslie (Leslie vonHolten) says...
Similar play fountains are all over Chicago. Cheaper than emergency room heat stroke visits!
July 6, 2006 at 4:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
thetomdotdot (anonymous) says...
Spalshing is forbidden in our house. Period. So is Cilmbing. And Palying. I'll have none of it. At least in pubilc.
July 6, 2006 at 9:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
greyhawk (anonymous) says...
This particular water feature was designed to water horses. Watering kids these days is lagniappe!
LJ-W
Friday, June 11, 1999
WALK TO BENEFIT REFURBISHING ROOSEVELT FOUNTAIN
...fountain dedicated in 1910 by President Teddy Roosevelt.
...
The fountain, which has been inoperable for at least 10 years, is located in South Park. But its original use was for watering horses in the intersection of Ninth and New Hampshire streets...
July 6, 2006 at 10:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says...
I'm going to expand on something I wrote yesterday in the ljworld thread- we all know that fancy things aren't for climbing on.
That said- the SP fountain is pretty damned accessible for something that's supposed to be look don't touch. The sidewalks lead directly up to it, there is no lip or wall around it, everything about the design around it screams "INTERACT WITH ME! PLEASE!"
So rather than put the ice cream cone in front of the child and tell the child no, (or- in a more Biblical metaphor- instead of putting the tree there and saying "Don't eat that apple!") how about we rethink the design of the fountain surroundings? If parks and rec don't want people on the fountain, which isn't a bad idea or a good idea mind you, then don't make it so easy.
July 7, 2006 at 7:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Luxor (anonymous) says...
Good lord, people, the whole freaking world is NOT your child's playground!
July 7, 2006 at 7:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
liz (Liz Weslander) says...
One interactive water feature not so far from here that I forgot to mention - the one at Crown Center.
Luxor, you sound like such a lovely person.
July 7, 2006 at 8:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says...
Luxor- I never said it was. My kids don't play in the fountain, they're too busy hassling the jugglers. All I'm saying is that the fountain is fairly tempting.
July 7, 2006 at 8:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Luxor (anonymous) says...
Lots of things in life are tempting. That's why parents have the word "no" as an option in their vocabularies.
July 7, 2006 at 9 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says...
And it works so well ALL THE TIME doesn't it?
July 7, 2006 at 9:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
altheasus (Althea Schnacke) says...
Looks like there might be some crossover from the always civil ljworld comments
July 7, 2006 at 9:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alm77 (anonymous) says...
Luxor, the world IS my child's playground and I'll be the one to decide what is safe for them.
Some parents have different rules for their kids than others have for theirs. I never let my kids play in the fountain, but I never judged the parents who did. These parents are being lambasted for making a parental choice that others don't agree with. Having been on the recieving end of unwanted comments in other areas of my parenting choices, I have sympathy with those who are being treated so rudely.
July 7, 2006 at 10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
thetomdotdot (anonymous) says...
How about a water feature at the new library?
July 7, 2006 at 10:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says...
Long ago and far away I lived in a place that had one of those "sidewalk" fountains in front of the movie theatre downtown. It was a big open square where they had rib cookoffs and concerts, with the fountain toward the back where kids could play. Good stuff.
I think an interactive fountain like that would be great in South Park, or by the library- dotdot I think you're on to something.
July 7, 2006 at 10:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Shelby (anonymous) says...
Alm77: when people like you don't have the tendency to bring litigation against municipalities when your collective status as Arbitors of Safety fails to protect your children, then you might have reason to be offended by these rules.
July 7, 2006 at 12:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Shelby (anonymous) says...
Furthermore, the world is not, actually, your child's playground. You don't have the right, for instance, to decide that you want your child playing on the highway.
July 7, 2006 at 12:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cvillehawk (anonymous) says...
Posted by thetomdotdot (anonymous) on July 6, 2006 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Spalshing is forbidden in our house. Period. So is Cilmbing. And Palying. I'll have none of it. At least in pubilc.
You sumbitch. I almost spit Dr. Pepper on the video of Cordero when I read that.
July 7, 2006 at 12:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
thetomdotdot (anonymous) says...
Out of curiosity, I searched a little for instances where the City of Lawrence was sued by the parents of an injured child but didn't find any. Has there been something that I haven't heard about? What with the litigious tendencies described above, the danger of the fountain, the likelihood of a broken child ("...there's water flowing out of it."), and my intermediate searching skills, I should have come up with something. Anything. Maybe one of you pwoks can help me out.
Civil: Spitting Dr. Pepper on Cordero videos is considered spalshing. Be careful out there.
July 7, 2006 at 2:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gaiapapaya (anonymous) says...
In the lot nest ot the Eldridge there used to be this lovely little fountain with an arbor of roses around it. They used to have the brown bag concerts there. We used to splash there on summer evenings. Nowit's just a torn up old lot. I wish more of the art downtown were meant to be touched or played upon. I know that'snot the function of art, but kids sure do enjoy and appreciate it more when that's case.
My kids are fountain splashers and I've had to force my oldest out of the fountain top. That's why parents need to watch their kids, so you can draw the line for them. Kids have no lines of their own.
Was anyone else at art in the park or have been at the concerts when they ask the kids to not climb in the trees? Give me a break! Of course tree climbling is dangerous, but it's great exercise and a lot of fun for kids. Crossing the street is dangerous and eating at a restaurant. Are you sure they washed their hands? Did wet chicken juice drip onto your vegetarian food? If they didn't want kids to splash in a fountain on hot summer nights, they should have left it next to the street where it used to be instead of placing it smack dab in the middle of the park with a huge concrete area around it and all sidewalks leading to it. Usually the KU cops are way strict, but they could care less about fountain play up on the hill. The city should move it if they don't want kids to play in it.
July 8, 2006 at 10:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
smgkag (anonymous) says...
For those who didn't know, Kansas City, KS also has several splash parks located around the city. It's the first thing my boys want to do when they visit grandma.
July 8, 2006 at 11:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )