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2022-09-23 20:50:40 By : Mr. SALES DEPARTMENT

After a long wait, the beloved fountain in Gananoque’s Confederation Park has been replaced with a beautiful new unit.

The park and its original fountain were made possible by the Gananoque Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce, with the dedication of the park in 1967 for Canada’s centennial. Even though it was well cared for – maintained, removed, and reinstalled seasonally – after many years of use the original fountain wore out and could no longer be repaired.

“Time passed and another one was bought by the Town and put in,” said Barbara Fish, Rotary Club president. “The second one did not have all the fancy lights, programming, variety of water displays, etc., that the original one had had, but it was a fountain. It didn’t fare terribly well either and, after a number of years, was deemed unusable, so the town didn’t put it in this year.”

The mayor and council wanted to bring the fountain back to help enhance the aesthetics of the park and further beautify the town. As Rotarians Bill Webster and Doug Bickerton had been instrumental in bringing in the first fountain, they were again consulted on the latest one. They were involved in assisting the technical and design experts to find a solution that would work for everyone.

“Confederation Park is one of the largest outdoor contemporary art parks in Ontario,” said Amanda Trafford, Business Development coordinator. “The addition of the fountain complements and enhances the beauty of the park, making it a focal point for tourists and a place of pride for the community.”

Funding for the project was provided by the Rotary Club, Tourism Advisory Panel (TAP), Thousand Islands Accommodation Partners (TIAP), and the Downtown Gananoque Business Improvement Area (BIA) with each group contributing $15,000. “It was a true community effort to fund and complete this project,” said Gananoque Mayor Ted Lojko. “The new fountain shows that we are ready to pull together and collaborate to help showcase Gananoque. The fountain is an investment for the community and our visitors alike.”

“The Rotary Club is thrilled to have a new Rotary Fountain up and running in the Confederation Park,” said Fisk. “We’re pleased to have had the support of the town, TAP, TIAP, and BIA for this venture. We know that the community at large and, our seasonal guests who come from all over the world will be appreciative of this spectacular sight alongside the swans and water of the river.”

The centre of the fountain propels water high into the air and is surrounded by several smaller jets giving it a full and graceful appearance.

From 7 p.m. to midnight each day until November 1 it will be lighted to make it appreciable in the evening as well as during the day. It will be removed for winter storage each year on November 1 and will be reinstalled in the spring to be ready for the Victoria Day weekend celebrations in May.

“The fountain has an impact on many different aspects of the water’s health including improving water quality, reducing the likelihood of pond algae blooms, decreasing mosquito activity and reducing the accumulation of organic sediment,” said Trafford. “Congratulations to the Rotary Club, the Downtown BIA, TIAP and members of TAP for pulling together their resources and buying the fountain for Confederation Park so that the residents of Gananoque as well as visitors could sit and enjoy its beauty,” said Mayor Lojko. “Thank you.”

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