The Times Union mentions the testing of the pumps at Friendship Fountain and carries a link to one of the Panoramic Images we have here at JaxFountain.com
Thanks TU 🙂
-Bob
I received a call from Larry this morning that they were about to send water under pressure to the Fountain and I grabbed my camera and was on my way.
I was able to get a couple of quick pictures posted to Twitter from my cell phone, “The Beast”, just to get the first images on the web 🙂
They are being very careful at this point and only placed full pressure on the center ring for a few minutes but it sure looked great.
Over the next few days they will be working on regulating the flow as well as getting the engineers to program the light and flow patterns for the planned water sequences…
There are just a few more sections of guardrail to be put into place and I understand some preliminary landscaping may start this weekend.
More pictures from my quick trip today are here:
http://jaxfountain.com/Gallery/May112011
I also got to meet Danny Strickland again as he was present to see the Fountain pump test and of course Larry Summerville, who I have mistakenly referred to as project manager when his actual title is Superintendent, was there and again I must thank Danny, Larry and everyone at AC General for their allowing my full access to the project and site.
Till next time,
Bob
I got the opportunity to get down to Friendship Fountain on Friday afternoon as usual but also took an extra trip down Saturday Morning…
New Panoramic image here:
http://www.jaxfountain.com/Photaf/Pano07-05-11-3/index.html
It was busy on Friday, there had to be at least 20 workers on site, Pipe fitters installing the nozzles, Electricians working on lighting, AC General guys installing the guardrails and workers laying Turf Block.
Turf Block was being laid behind the Pumphouse. Turf Block is Designed to allow for a more natural look for an area that will experience vehicle traffic.
I wasn’t able to get on the roof of the Pumphouse on Friday but was able to on Saturday morning to get some new overview pictures.
On Saturday I was also able to get down into the Fountain Pool once again and took some close-ups of the different ring sections as well as the got a close look at the work the electricians were doing.
See a 360 degree video taken from the exact center of the Fountain Pool.
http://www.youtube.com/JaxFountain#p/a/u/1/VjngcBOzdeY
There are 72 electrical connection boxes, each of which must be filled with a special insulating and sealing compound to completely waterproof the wiring.
As I mentioned the AC General guys were hard at work installing the new stainless steel guardrails which look really good.
The nozzles have all been placed back into place, they have all been reconditioned by AC General and look like they are ready for another 20 year stint…
The pipes have all had water pushed through them prior to the nozzles being replaced to clean out any loose material and sometime in the next week I expect to receive a call from Larry, the Project Manager, indicating they are ready to test the Fountain’s full water features…
Until then…
-Bob
With setting a Grand reopening date of Jun 18, 2011 I felt like it would be nice to change to weekly updates to try and keep up as work would start moving at a feverish pace and today was the first of what I hope will be bi-weekly Thursday updates 🙂
My timing could not have been better as not only was work going on all over the Park but Ginny Walthour from the City of Jacksonville’s Public Information Office along with a group of planners stopped by to visualize aspects of the Grand re-opening and it was a pleasure to meet her…
She was also kind enough to provide me a copy of the Artist’s Rendering of the finished Park project as seen below. (with some modifications of my own)
As you can see in some of the pictures workers were all over the park including Larry, the site project manager, who was working with a pressure washer, though I suspect it was timed for myself, an Engineer and the City Planning Group who all arrived around the same time… No seriously, if you met Larry you would have no doubt he knows how to work and is willing to jump in when needed 😉
Got a chance to get down into the Fountain to get some pictures of the new LED lights and took the opportunity to get a panoramic view from the center of the Fountain (couldn’t get a 360 degree pano due to technical difficulties)..
As I said lots going on and we will be trying to keep up with the various aspects as it “All comes together” counting down to Jun 18, 2011.
Until next time,
Bob
The renovations at #FriendshipFountain continue to move right along and as announced a week ago the City is planning the Grand reopening for June 18, 2011, stay tuned for more news in that area…
First I must confess that I finally broke down and replaced the Olympus C730 that has been the mainstay camera for my pictures for a number of years (too many it would seem). It was a 3.2 MP with 10x Optical Zoom that has done a pretty good job for my purposes however, 3.2 MP? come on Bob get with the times…
So starting today the pictures are being taken with a FugiFilm Finepix S2950, 14 MP with 18x Optical Zoom. Now I still need to work on some color balance but overall the pictures are amazingly better and the Panoramic option really takes some fun pictures and if nothing else check those out…
The big additions to the Fountain this week are the lights which have all been put into place and wired into their controllers but are being covered with boxes to protect them until covered with water…
The other is the new Inlaid Plaque which was created as a duplicate of the original…
More concrete has been poured, more pavers are being laid, more benches are showing up and it is starting to take shape. One area that will be popular, I am sure, is the new picnic area in the southwest corner near the entrance of the Park as the shade is just beautiful…
As well as a second shaded picnic area closer to the river…
Lots going on folks and if nothing else make sure you have cleared Saturday June 18, 2011 on your calendar and make plans to attend the Grand Reopening of Friendship Fountain and Park…
Until next time,
Bob
I just was contacted by Ginny Walthour from the City of Jacksonville’s Public Information Office and she let me know they are beginning to plan the Grand reopening of Friendship Fountain and Park, scheduled for June 18, 2011, time to be announced.
Make sure to mark your calendars for this date and plan on being in Attendance as Ginny has indicated the plans are for a Family Affair lasting a few hours and everyone is invited.
If you have any suggestions for the event please feel free to contact Ginny at:
walthour@coj.net
She is especially interested in hearing from anyone that has old photographs of the Fountain from the past, such as family gatherings, weddings and similar events and anyone with experiences from the early days of Friendship Fountain.
I of course will post additional information as it becomes available and look forward to seeing as many folks as possible on what I expect to be a very Memorable Event!
Until next time,
Bob
When I arrived at Friendship Park on Friday most of the crew had already left for the day and I wasn’t able to get up on the top of the Pump House to continue the panoramic shots, probably just as well since the panoramic shots I took from ground level seemed to miss the mark as well…
The new Pumps have had the plumbing connected and wiring has started…
Two sections of the new hand/guard rail are in place, looks like a much more robust rail system to me…
More concrete has been poured and workers are still working on laying the highlight pavers in the poured sections of the walkways…
I spoke with Larry, the site Project Manager, by phone and he indicated that starting this week work would commence on placing the new lights in the Fountain pool (all of those round concrete forms are for lighting mounting)…
Oh and the Former Modis building is now nameless…
That is about it for this report, however I am considering trying to slip some additional updates in place possibly as early as this Friday…
Until next time,
Bob
Friday was just another beautiful day once the smoke started clearing and on the River I just doesn’t get much better then this… That was the backdrop for this weeks trip to the Fountain which brought some real excitement in terms of progress with the renovations.
Immediately upon entering the Park area you can see the new Park benches wrapping the palm trees as well as the picnic tables dotting the west side of the Park. But what really grabs your attention is the Fountain Pool itself which was just freshly painted a beautiful blue (paint fumes still in the air)…
As I walked into the park excitedly mentioning the Fountain pool Larry, the Site Project Manager, saw me and asked if I had been in the pump house yet this trip, with a wide grin on his face… I hadn’t so he said you have to see this…
The new Custom made pumps for the Fountain Water features are in place and ready for the final connections. I also got the opportunity to go down into the Sump room and saw the brand new water pickups and water return from the Fountain pool, a sight that is only available when the pool is completely empty…
Also the new Park benches and picnic tables are in place…
As I said in the outset lots of exciting steps having taken place since my last visit and I honestly believe the Men working on the project are getting a bit excited about the project as well, as everytime I speak with one of them they are sure to point out “have you seen this yet, or that”…
Gonna be wonderful to see the Fountain back in operation surrounded with a new beautiful and more visitor friendly park…
One last parting mention, I have started a new Image Folder with “Comparison” shots, some from before and now and some with intermediate steps picured, I hope that some of you find this of interest…
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Oh and hey folks don’t be shy, feel free to post your thoughts or comments regarding the renovations 🙂
Until next time,
Bob
I did get to visit the Friendship Fountain site this past Friday, sorry for the delay in updating this post…
More progress was evident with additional concrete in place extending from the new main palm tree walkway and forms for additional concrete in place, Larry the on site Project manager told me he is pushing to get all the remaining concrete pours done so they can concentrate on the remainder of the work.
Paver laying continues on the sections of poured concrete and you can see that the plates that allow access to the piping of the Fountain itself have been replaced from my last visit.
The water main feeding the Fountain has been repaired and the concrete cylinders for mounting the in Fountain lighting have been placed in their approximate final locations in the base of the Fountain.
The new railing for the section of the Southbank Riverwalk adjacent to the Fountain has been put into place, and the Riverwalk is open to traffic again.
Oh did I mention the “odis” building…
Also got some nice shots of the piping in the pumphouse, the lighting was much better then previous shots and another panoramic however the sun glare was so bad that I had to guess on the images and it ended up being ghosted…
Progress continues and by all accounts on schedule for a May/Jun completion, Larry says May however I don’t want to paint a picture that is too optimistic however I have already had visions of visiting the completed Friendship Fountain park and seeing families and couples strolling along the new walkways, under the palms while others are having picnics at the new picnic areas…
Not to mention the view of Friendship Fountain with all water features fully operational again 🙂
Till next time,
Bob
The view from Friendship Fountain across the river to the Northbank will be changing…
“Modis Building’s Name Coming Down”
http://www.news4jax.com/news/27068751/detail.html
The Modis company is leaving the building and their name is being removed from what was originally the Independent Life Building.
The fans of the Fountain have long looked at the name across the river and now we will have to see what comes next…
Till next time,
Bob