A new grant and the recovery of a missing sculpture keep fountain restoration on track.
Great news for the restoration of Cochran Park’s 100-year old fountain: Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant of $136,137 for the project.
The grant covers restoration of Paul Manship’s bronze sculptures, tiled pool and the iron railing that encircles the fountain. Ramsey Hill Association continues to take the lead raising funds to upgrade the fountain’s plumbing and electrical systems, as well as other park features. Huge kudos to Mason Riddle of the Ramsey Hill Association for the many hours of work and expertise she put into this complex grant application!
This great news was quickly followed by what looked like disaster. Sometime over the weekend of Dec 17-18 one of the bronze geese that spray water into the fountain was discovered missing. The fountain once again owes a debt to Mason Riddle who sounded the alarm after noticing the goose was missing.
Heavy and very difficult to remove, this goose had been in place for nearly a century before this fowl deed. The operations and security teams at Saint Paul Parks and Recreation worked with police to take immediate action. Through the power of social media, the sculpture was recovered on Dec 20 – just 24 hours after it was confirmed missing. The scrap yard that purchased the piece saw a post about the theft and realized what it had. Randy Graff from the Parks and Rec security team had the goose safely in hand not long afterwards.
All four geese have been temporarily removed for assessment and restoration as part of the fountain project.
The artwork and amenities we so enjoy across all our parks are always at risk from the elements and from vandals. Neighbors who keep a sharp eye on their park, volunteers like Mason Riddle, and nonprofit partners like the Ramsey Hill Association are vital to making ours one of the nation’s best urban park systems.
The goose chase may be over, but the campaign to restore the Cochran Park Fountain continues.