Ortonville-The days of the village fountain may be dried up.
A plan to remove the fountain in the village square and replace the decade-old downtown landmark with a gazebo is currently under consideration by the Downtown Development Authority.
The DDA had recently eyed a plan to install an underground water supply to the existing fountain from the nearby Brandon Substation, add lights and replace the pump to the structure. Bids for the project were received by the DDA, however some group members suggested a different look to the area.
‘The bids were costly,? said Robert Renchik, chariman of the Ortonville DDA. ‘It’s not the direction I wish they would be heading and the fountain repair was tabled. They want to disscuss a gazebo.?
Brenda Heffernan, owner of Mabelena’s Quilt Store, 470 Mill St., member of the DownTown Merchants? Association and DDA business owner supports the idea of a gazebo.
The fountain has been in disrepair and functioned sporadically since it was installed in the mid-1990s on the site of the old Yalande Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in the early 1970s. The current village square was a DDA project started in the early 1990s. The area, which includes a fountain, flagpole, benches and VFW memorial, was conveyed to the DDA from the township in a1993 agreement.
Earlier this summer the village DPW mowed the lawn and spruced up the town square surrounding the area, which had been overgrown by foliage.