Just in time for the height of summer, one of Des Moines' highest-profile splash pads will be back in operation.

The zero-depth Lauridsen Fountain on Cowles Commons, which usually begins seasonal operation after Memorial Day, has been shut down for the installation of new LED lighting, said Jonathan Brendemuehl, a spokesman for Des Moines Performing Arts, owner of the downtown plaza. 

From 2021:Back after a long shutdown, Lauridsen Fountain at Cowles Commons draws joyous frolickers

Brendemuehl said it's a project that, like so many others, has encountered delays because of supply-chain issues. But workers have been steadily making the installation over the past week and "we believe the fountain will be operational again by early July," he said.

The new lights will add another hue — white — to the existing green, red and blue array, he said. 

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"In the coming days we will be reanimating the Lauridsen Fountain with all the lights operational and running during ‘normal’ scheduled hours," Brendemuehl said. "The next step (happening yet this summer) will be having Fluidity (the original Lauridsen Fountain design consultants) reprogram the light pattern. The fountain has always had virtually limitless series of display options — with the upgrades we will be adding white lights to the mix."

DMPA is covering the cost from its own funds, he said.

One thing that won't change: the fountain's appeal to the young and young at heart who come to Cowles to revel in its patterned jets of water.