Riverlife is helping raise the funds for Point State Park fountain renovations, and you can help Riverlife raise those funds.
To encourage fundraising efforts, the Colcom Foundation has pledged to match up to $1 million raised by the "Friends of the Fountain" campaign before Nov. 24. This funding will serve as the final piece of funding needed to complete the historic renovation of the iconic landmark.
The "Friends of the Fountain" campaign began as a partnership between Riverlife, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), PNC Financial Services, the R.K. Mellon Foundation, the Heinz Endowments and the Pittsburgh Foundation. To date, the Pittsburgh businesses and corporations have contributed more than $475,000 to renovate the fountain. Now is the time for Pittsburghers to step in and show pride in their city by donating whatever they can to take the project to the finish life, says Stephan Bontrager with Riverlife.
"The phenomenal thing about this campaign is that people a have recognized that when the fountain it off, it really does feel like the city is naked and that the Point is bare," says Bontrager.
The fountain received a temporary fix, thanks to Alcoa, for fall events such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the G-20 and the NFL Home Opener. Permanent repairs are necessary, though, to update the antiquated electrical systems and damaged pumps. Additionally, the restoration will include the creation of a seating area, the installation of new lighting and more. The design team includes landscape architects Marion Pressley Associates in Boston, Cranberry-based HRG and Johnstown-based H.F. Lenz, and DCNR.
The fountain, which is expected to be complete by 2011, is the last piece of the $42 million Point State Park master plan.
Riverlife is also involved in creating a riverfront park by the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. That $7.6 million project, designed by LaQuatra Bonci Associates, is being overseen by the Sports & Exhibition Authority, and should be getting underway any day now, says Bontrager.
Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Stephan Bontrager, Riverlife
Image courtesy of Riverlife