From fountain hopping to bubbling, Star Fountain has been the focus of many lasting memories for Butler students.
Today, it stands out as a black eye on campus.
While undergoing maintenance over the summer, a construction worker accidentally backed his pickup truck into the fountain, knocking several pieces of limestone loose.
Junior Rachel Head, a Butler student ambassador, said she is frustrated by the fountain’s current state.
“I love to talk about (the fountain) on tours,” Head said, “but it really frustrates me that it looks so messy. It seems like it’s been falling apart for the whole year now.”
Gerald Carlson manages the maintenance services team executing the work on Star Fountain. Carlson already possesses the limestone needed to fix the fountain, but he will be unable to begin working until the weather warms.
He said he hopes to complete construction over Spring Break in order to minimize distractions for students.
Once the limestone is replaced, Star Fountain will receive maintenance again over the summer.
Charlie Truax, structures supervisor, is looking for funding to replace the plumbing in Star Fountain.
“The fountain works fine just the way it is,” Truax said.
“It’s just old and needs to be re-done.”
Originally, the class of 2013 was expected to fund the project. However, the plans fell through, and Butler has been forced to look elsewhere for funding. The university will most likely pay for the project.
The fountain is one of many maintenance projects currently on Truax’s schedule.
Now that construction is completed on Jordan Hall’s north entrance, he hopes to finish with construction on the south entrance within the next two weeks. Once completed, maintenance will begin on two more entrances. Preparations will begin over Spring Break in order to minimize interruption of classes. However, the Jordan Hall loop will remain blocked off in order to store materials for construction.
Also on Butler’s construction schedule is a new roof over Clowes Memorial Hall and renovations in the B-Wing of ResCo, the B-Wing of Hinkle Fieldhouse and of Persephone Fountain.
