South Bend-After months of removing hard water minerals, these minerals have blocked the historic Studebaker electric fountain in Lipper Park. South Bend and a fundraising committee have reached an agreement to pay for the repair. 

In the spring, the city’s venues, parks, and art departments plan to install water softening systems. John Martinez, director of facilities and venues, said that bids will be sought in the next week or so.

He said that throughout the winter, the staff planned to completely remove the rust and green minerals that plagued the fountain’s metal sculptures and water lines.  

When the "Tribune" reported on the fountain problem on July 5th, seven of the eight carved turtles were unable to shoot water, and each of the four boys riding dolphins had clogged taps. 

More: Hard water forms gums and stains on the Studebaker Fountain in South Bend. Can the water softener cure diseases?

Last Monday, the Parks Department’s Board of Directors approved an agreement in which the city pledged US$50,000 for the water supply system and US$60,000 for the committee to raise funds for fountain restoration in 2019. 

"I am very excited about the final result," said Vicki McIntire, chairman of the Friends of the Stubeck Fountain Committee. 

The committee raised more than $648,900 from many donors, large and small, and hired restoration experts to save the fountain and its parts that had fallen into disrepair for decades.

The fountain was first erected in Howard Park in 1906 as a gift from John M. Studebaker, co-founder of Studebaker. By 1941, it collapsed because the city lacked funds to restore its crumbling artwork. Before these fragments were discovered in recent years, it seemed to have disappeared forever. Ownership is now back in the hands of the city. 

A worker who maintains the city fountain and splash pad spends 10 to 12 hours a week with the help of other workers to clean the Studebaker fountain.  

The water softening system will be installed in a small brick structure in Lippe Park, Martinez said, the park department has not used it in his 25 years. He said this will help save some costs, thereby reducing the estimate of approximately $170,000 earlier this summer. This has shortened the demand for pipelines.  

He said the city also chose not to include bromine injection, which would automatically keep the fountain pool free of algae. On the contrary, he said, this task will be completed by the staff who regularly perform strong cleaning and cleaning. This saves approximately $50,000. 

According to McIntyre’s suggestion, the city is also considering using river water instead of softeners as a possibly simpler alternative. But Martinez said that this proved to be too costly because it had to extend the pipeline to the bottom of the river to get water, and it also needed a system to filter sediment and treat river organisms. 

As the Tribune reported in July, the city initially recommended the use of a water softener because it is suitable for the fountain in front of the Morris Performing Arts Center. However, the repair contractor did not consider it necessary.  

McIntire said the city kept pace with her as she explored options with the help of local engineering company Jones Petrie Rafinski Corp. and the city’s public works staff.  

"No matter what the city wants to do to repair it, I don't think it is a problem," McIntyre said. "Just fix it." 

She said the cost-sharing agreement approved last Monday was actually negotiated from the city’s original proposal, which requires the committee to commit to support future repairs. Now it just states that the committee can "at its own discretion" consider contributing to future improvements or other expenses. 

"We are just a small tax-exempt organization," McIntire explained. "We have no source of income... If we can, we will always be there to help." 

In the end, she called the agreement a "perfect compromise." 

She pointed out that of the $60,000 promised by the organization, $25,000 was the amount it had previously promised to use for regular maintenance but the city had not yet used it. 

Martinez said that the $50,000 promised by the city will come from the park budget and will not have an impact on other park projects. 

He said the fountain will stop operating in mid-November as usual, so staff can blow off the pipes to avoid freezing. But it will also begin the winter process, deep cleaning the lines of the fountain and boys, dolphins, turtles and other artworks. However, the night light will still be staged. 

Contact reporter Joseph Dits at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.