Dearborn Considers Removing Library Fountain
The fountain at the Henry Ford Centennial Library needs about $750,000 in repairs, city officials say.
We had heard the rumors and now The Detroit News reports that the water fountain which sits in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library could be demolished and replaced with a smaller one because Dearborn lacks the needed money to repair the marble structure.
The fountain was a gift from the Ford Motor Company, an elegant water display to greet visitors to the city’s main library, which opened in 1969.
A new proposal could see the marble structure that once featured jets of water dancing upward amid colorful lights in a “water symphony” demolished in favor of a smaller version or even leveled for a garden.
According to The News, the venerable landmark to the drive down Michigan Avenue has fallen into disrepair, even after a $250,000 donation by a local benefactor more than a decade ago and repairs that were intended to “ensure the long-term future of the fountain,” according to the former public works director in 2006.
Jim Murray, director of the city’s Public Works Department, tells The News that annual maintenance and operation costs near $75,000. He says full restoration could cost as much as $750,000, a bit strain on the city’s budget. Officials are exploring options, including paving over the iconic structure.
All of this raises the simple question: How did we get here?
May 17th, 2012 at 8:23 am
I like the idea of a fountain, but I always thought this thing was ugly.
May 17th, 2012 at 9:46 am
“A bit of a strain on the budget”?? Get serious. If they can find the money to do this, and I’m sure they will, forget the fountain and transfer this money to Rec. Dept to be used for the small pools. Kids would rather spend a summer of enjoying the city pools then sit in front of a dumb old fountain!!!!
May 17th, 2012 at 11:54 am
Speak for yourself. You are like a lot of the other old codgers in this town, just because it doesn’t interest you, do away with it. What a nice attitude to have — we don’t need short-sighted residents like you. A lot of people in this town look at the fountain, as some sort of Dearborn landmark. We have no recreation services in our City that the kids or their parents don’t have to pay (not like when Mike Adray was here) for. I thought we voted to keep some of our heritage with last years ballot request, however, that must have been to have Big Bad Jack simply pull another of his tricks on the residents in Dearborn.
May 17th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
at least this article isnt about senoir citizens boycotting wher they buy hot dogs (yet another example of the aging freaks having way too much time on their hands)
May 17th, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Sounds like overly inflated numbers just like they use for the pools and other things they just plain don’t want. We need to keep the fountain, libraries and pools and stop building all this new stuff that we don’t need and repairing things that are not broken. Then maybe we could preserve some of our heritage.
May 17th, 2012 at 10:33 pm
WHEN ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO STOP LISTENING TO THESE SO CALLED DIRECTORS…JIM MURRAY DOES NOT EVEN LIVE IN THIS CITY,HE HAS NO VESTED INTEREST, HE DON’T CARE IF THE FOUNTAIN WAS A GIFT FROM THE FORD MOTOR CO. ( FORD WORLD HEADQUARTERS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET…” HOME TOWN OF HENRY FORD ” …CITY LOGO…SEWER COVERS …FORD PERFORMING ARTS CENTER…FORD TRUCK MANUFACTURING PLANT… WHAT THE HELL TEAR IT DOWN AND PAVE OVER IT).AT LEAST THE FORMER DPW DIRECTOR LIVED IN DEARBORN, MAYBE MURRAY AND THE OTHER officials JUST WANT TO SAVE THAT $75,000 TO ADD TO THE 12-18 % PAY INCREASE THEY ALL RECEIVED ? UNLIKE THE THE GENERAL CITY EMPLOYEES.THE NON RESIDENT LIST GOES ON & ON…THE ASSISTANT DPW DIRECTOR DOES NOT LIVE IN DEARBORN NOR DOES THE HUMAN RESOURCES LEADER, LABOR LEGAL COUNCIL , SUPERINTEND OF SANITATION… THE BRAIN CHILD OF YOUR MULTI MILLION DOLLAR TRASH CANS! BEST OF ALL WHO DO YOU THINK HAS THE FINIAL DECISION OF APPOINTING THESE LITTLE HAND PUPPETS ? YOU GUESS IT THE SAME PERSON WHO WANTS A NEW CITY HALL ,A 4 MILLION DOLLAR WATER PARK AND A JACK O RIELY CONVENTION CENTER !
May 18th, 2012 at 6:01 am
I am speaking for myself Lorenzo and I thought that was what Deep Said What was all about. When you have been in this city as long as myself and other ‘old codgers’ maybe you will understand we feel the way we do. I still don’t understand why people voted the way they did on the ‘last ballot request’ – course maybe you younger people are easily dupped .
May 18th, 2012 at 8:08 am
“Its not the original cost, its the upkeep.”
My dad was right when he cautioned against purchasing or accepting a gift of that unnecessary boat, car, cabin . . . and a fountain for that matter.
But if you like paying for the upkeep of a neglected, dilapidated fountain, you’re going to love our new intermodal transportation center!
Let me know when the Administration has that cost structure properly funded.
May 18th, 2012 at 8:21 am
You forgot to mention our police chief doesn’t even live in Dearborn.
May 18th, 2012 at 10:37 am
75K a year to maintain?? How long has this been going on? McCheese must be crazy?? 750K to fix this thing?? Who’s in charge of the books?? The City of Dearborn needs to get a handle on this and keep it SIMPLE!! Keep City Hall where it is, forget the new projects (Splash Park, new City Hall, Convention Center,etc.), take five-percent pay cuts, keep the Small Pool’s and Library’s – – enforce a “Live w/in the City for all Dept. Heads & Chiefs, etc. and get somebody in charge that has some common sense!!
May 18th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Maybe you have lived here too long — think about moving out, if you don’t feel we need some landmarks in our City. After all thats one of the things that distinguishes Dearborn from other communities. I’M A SENIOR CITIZEN, and believe you are in the minority with your ancient way of thinking. If you don’t like it, then simply leave.
May 18th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Haddad was provided with a dearborn address, Habbard Manor East on Calhoun, My guess is he still sleeps on the east side of Detroit.
May 19th, 2012 at 11:08 am
I am saying give up the fountain and put that money into the pools for the kids in Dearborn. Which would you rather have – pools or a fountain? I doubt very much that I am in a minority when it comes to which the people would rather have.
Maybe it would help for you to start a SOF group.
May 19th, 2012 at 11:41 am
Let’s say they don’t fix the fountain and do away with it or whatever?
If that $750k price tag is correct (which I doubt it is), how long would that money keep those pools open? A couple years?
I used to use the local pool when I was little. Not on a daily basis but at least a couple times a week.
There was a huge outcry to keep them open but every time I pass by the local pool, there is definitely not the amount of families there compared to a decade and a half ago. And I have heard the same from others.
May 19th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
how is this city has money for some dumb ass cabins to be built ot at camp milford. the problem isn’t the money as much as it it’s the morons who decide how to use it. mayor mccheese knows nothing, his education ? is supposedly law and he wouldn’t be a good pimple on an accomplished attorney, obviously his moron finance director doesen’t know squat either, but keep him around and give em a raise. we make not need a fountain but just a big toilet to flush these turds from our government.
May 20th, 2012 at 10:41 am
While I think the fountain is beautiful and unique and makes the library look classy on Michigan Avenue, the cost to repair it seems excessive during such troubled economic times. Since it’s dedicated to Henry Ford and Ford Motor is making billions again, perhaps Ford can pay for it.
May 20th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Couldn’t agree with you more. Out with all the misfits at City Hall. Maybe what they should do is put them beneath the fountain itself, as long as they do put cement over the top of the misfits.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:23 am
if the pools had an adult lap swim, I’d support it but they don’t so why, as an adult who can’t use them, support it?
May 21st, 2012 at 5:20 pm
right ask FoMoCo for more money, then have the morons at the police station go out and buy Chrysler products for the men in uniform to drive. Great support from mayor mccheese and his hand puppet appointed heads of state.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:50 pm
This man is out of control ! He is using his title as mayor to mislead this once great city to the point of extinction . As a city and community is it vital that money and resources are reinvested to the infrastructure, this is basic 101 city maintenance planning.I would agree with Tafelski… this is not the time or place for this type of project.This mayor just asked the residents to pass two millage proposals to help fund operational cost, but now he takes our tax dollars to spend on pie in the sky personal dreams… maybe a recall notice would bring back to O REALITY
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:04 pm
you are exactly right joe, mccheese duped the people for the tax raise not for just cause, he and his incompetent financial puppet can’t govern the people’s money properly so take the easy way out by getting the millage raised and still pay the bills. we really pay later for their inept governing of our city.mccheese should go to allen park he’d be a star there.
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Stop Stop this is crazy what is happening here?
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:26 pm
So, if this is how they are spending money do you really think the millage would be spent on the pools if it passes? We passed a library millage and Snow still closed and they still supposedly don’t have enough money for the libraries. They are probably laughing at us all for even suggesting a recreation millage. Now they go out and blow millions on a new city hall? Why do we need to fund our own pools and libraries when they are blowing money like it’s going out of style? I also see a lot of construction barrels all over the side streets and new water lines and cement. Where is the money coming from for that? I don’t understand if they are crying poor why they keep spending money.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:07 pm
hey ConcernedCitizen…it is the police and fire that is at the root of the money problem,the public safety budget is over 70% of the total city budget … poor police & fire with their 12% pay increase…the general city employees have been paying for these two groups for the last 9 years ! look at the new budget the mayor just published , near pg 20 it shows this exact information w/ their own figures… and yet all our services that this city was once known for has gone to to low bid outside contracts… the current city leaders are the people that are creating a new DETROIT! I will say it again why are the appointed leaders of my city allowed to make million dollar decisions that affect me but not them ??? BECAUSE THEY ARE NON RESIDENTS, THEY DONT PAY TAXES ,THEY DONT LIVE HERE & THEY HAVE NO VESTED INTEREST HERE!! PS,, DID THE POLICE CHIEF EVER MOVE INTO DEARBORN ?
May 25th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Everyone who is employed by the city should be a resident. Any firm offering consultation should be in the city and its owners reside in the city. All the people working on the roads should be city employees, thus residents, all persons doing “home rehabilitation” should be required to be residents,in fact anyone hired to work by the city should be residents, right down to the tree trimmers. That might fix things up quick if people had a vested interest in the changes they are considering (and making)
May 25th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Thanks bunches for pissing off FoMoCo.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Oh my God! When did the cops and firemen get twelve percent raises?!?!?! Why wasn’t this published?!?!
May 29th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Dear Wovenwoman, Sloppyjo95 and Unacceptable Indeed:
PUBLIC SAFETY IS THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM? Your information is incorrect about police pay raises, and needs to be corrected. Dearborn PD rank and file received a 10% pay raise over 6 years, which ends in June 2012. It was negotiated before the downturn in the economy. The “raises” were: 07-01-2006 2%, 07-01-2007 2%, 07-01-2008 zero increase, 07-01-2009 2%, 07-01-2010 1%, and 07-01-2011 3 %. This brings the top pay for a police officer to $67,030 per year after July 2011. Current negotiations show that they will be giving back some monies from previous raises and are expected to pay 20% of their healthcare, along with potentially other givebacks. And yes, police/fire make up a significant amount of the budget, and both police and fire have minimum staffing levels granted under City Charter. Police should be staffed (per charter) at 2.1 officers per 100,000 population, and should be currently staffed at 205 officers. They have not been anywhere near staffed at that amount for at least 8-10 years, they currently are just over 180 officers. they will have even less officers with retirements and the City slow to hire due to the economy, even though the Charter mandates the staffing. The fire department is mandated at 121 firefighters, which they always seem to nearly maintain.
Police and fire should always be maintained at high levels above all other City employees, look at what is happening to other communities like Pontiac, Detroit, Allen Park, Troy, etc. Inkster and Taylor Police Departments are severely depleated as are many others. Do you really want to lay off officers here when they are already under-staffed? We are surrounded on two sides by Detroit, and much of our crime is committed by those outside the City. DEARBORN RESIDENTS ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE AS MANY OFFICERS AS THEY CURRENTLY HAVE, LET ALONE QUALITY OFFICERS.
As far as having City police/fire and employees living in the City; it has been over twenty years since the courts ruled this as unconstitutional, employees can live outside the cities they work for as long as they can respond when called, and that is left up to contract language in agreements with the City. I live in the City and am a retired officer. I believe that officers should be encouraged to live within the City, but it is no longer practical to do so for a myriad of reasons. I understand why many officers don’t live in the City where they work. It is not just Dearborn, it is everywhere in the country. The job is hard enough let alone having to also live next door to all of the whining, sniveling malcontents that won’t bat an eye when spitting in your face. Is it fair to ask a Ford employee at World Headquarters to live in Dearborn and not elsewhere? Where do you work, do you have to live in the City where you work?
PS: The Police Chief currently lives in Dearborn, although it took awhile for him to do so.
June 1st, 2012 at 10:34 am
Typical Liberal answer….let the “rich guy” pay for it…When will people realize that personal accountibility starts with themselves. Why make someone who has already given so much to this city be burdened further. The costs all get spread around and in the end it affects the price of a vehicle you and I may buy in the future. Ford Motor Company is not some philothropic billionaire, it is a business and evidently your Liberal mind cannot comprehend that business is good, not bad.