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Almost 40 years after it was installed to honor the United States' 200th birthday, Burnsville's Bicentennial Garden fountain is showing its age. It leaks and has other problems.
The fieldstone fountain has been the site of myriad graduation and wedding photo shoots. It was the first piece of public art in the city, and it's become a landmark well worth preserving, officials decided. The City Council voted unanimously last week to spend $165,000 on the first phase of rehab for the fountain at 130th Street and Nicollet Avenue.
One order of business: Replace the leaky plumbing. Unfortunately, it's inside the fountain, so the entire structure must be taken apart to reach the pipes. The hope is that many of the fieldstone boulders can be reused.
