Tattnall Square Park fountain installed, awaiting ribbon cutting
Cranes lifted 1,200-pound pieces of iron, laying them one on top of the other in the center of Tattnall Square Park on Thursday, 100 years after the park’s first fountain was installed.
“The fountain was completed in terms of it’s out there, it’s put together, it’s very pretty and everybody’s real excited about it,” said Andrew Silver, chairman of Friends of Tattnall Square Park. “We need to complete that landscape. ... We’re hoping to get as close as we can to completing (the landscaping) by late October.”
After the epoxy dries, the new fountain will be tested, Silver said. However, water won’t be turned on until after a ribbon-cutting.
Though the fountain is currently fenced-in and surrounded by dirt, Silver said it is expected to be completed by Mercer’s homecoming in late October.
“Before, we had out there maybe three very sad-looking bushes and a leaning flagpole with no flag on it. That was our center of the park for I think the last 20 years,” Silver said. “Now, we’ve got a center that really fits the character of the city itself.”
The fountain will be surrounded by customized bricks purchased by supporters of the park during a fundraiser, Silver said. Radial granite around the fountain will bear 16 names and quotes from Maconites who have worked for peace, equality and justice such as Henry McNeil Turner, Middle Georgia’s first black state legislator.
“Sometimes, we don’t know about the treasures that we have right here in Macon,” Silver said. “There are people who have worked very hard to make this a more equitable and just place and a more nurturing and loving place. ... We wanted (the design) to be something to acknowledge that.”
Silver said he hopes the fountain becomes a place for thought, reflection, conversation “and, hopefully, a place for some healing.”
The fountain cost about $375,000 and was paid for with contributions from Mercer University, Sierra Development Corp. and the Piedmont Construction Group. Silver said residents who live near the park who have fallen in love with it have raised about $20,000 collectively.
“It’s such a pleasure to see the place go from one that was kind of ignored ... to a place that’s gotten such a warm embrace from the community,” Silver said. “People are just genuinely excited about what’s going on, not just with the fountain, but with everything.”
DAISY PARK
Tattnall Square Park isn’t the only park in town getting some attention.
An interactive water feature is expected to open in Daisy Park later this week.
Ten jet-powered streams will be incorporated into a 20-foot-square patio in the triangular park at Forsyth Street near Jay’s Hope Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House.
“It’s going to have a foot-activated pedal. So when it’s not spraying, it looks like a patio, but when it’s spraying, it’s going to be an interactive opportunity,” said Wimberly Treadwell, a local architect tasked with creating a master plan for the park. “(The water feature) really didn’t get big enough to qualify as a splash pad, (but) it’s still going to be a fabulous asset to the InTown neighborhood.”
The water feature was paid for with a $40,000 grant from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded to Jay’s Hope Foundation. However, it’s just one of several improvements to the park.
Last August, a big “M” sculpture, inspired by the “I Love Macon” campaign, was installed on a corner. The old basketball court at the park, which was actually an old and worn tennis court, was recently replaced using $8,000 in grant money from the Knight Foundation that was awarded to the Ronald McDonald House.
“The basketball court is in and open and being used regularly,” Treadwell said. “We are almost at the end. We’ve got a little more concrete to pour (this) week. ... We put in a bench seat and put in all the trees we possibly could. It’s quite lovely out there.”
To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 or follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.
This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Tattnall Square Park fountain installed, awaiting ribbon cutting ."