A dancing fountain atop Little Mountain has returned to action.
Located at the highest point of Vancouver, on top of Queen Elizabeth Park near the Bloedel Conservatory, the dancing fountain has been shut down for a few years. Recently, it was restarted by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation after repairs were completed.
"Almost three years ago it was shut down," Amit Gandha, director of the parks board, tells V.I.A. "It was losing a substantial amount of water."
While it's not good when any water feature is losing water, the fountain's location on top of the city's water reservoir made it a bigger concern.
"There's a cost to the water and the waste of water," Gandha explains. "And then concerns about where the water was going."
The original fountain was built in 2007; the repaired version includes updates and additions, like programmable LED lights, more secure lighting (some of the lights had been damaged by vandalism), and a deeper pool (which means it may be able to run throughout the year as it may not freeze over).
To repair the fountain and the underlying systems above the reservoir, it cost the parks board $1.5 million. Gandha is hopeful the revived water feature will actually help bring in revenue, by attracting more bookings to the top of Queen Elizabeth Park.
"It's nice to have it activated and running, and hopefully the locals can enjoy it," Gandha says. "It's a great spot, looking from the top of the mountain."
