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Council awards design contract for Glover (Lubbers) fountain restoration; staff outlines phased approach
Summary
The Clinton City Council awarded a design-services contract to Claring Associates P.C. for work on the historic Glover/Lubbers fountain, with staff saying the project will evaluate restoration, accessibility and phased improvements to return the WPA-era feature to operation.
The Clinton City Council on Sept. 23 accepted a bid and awarded a contract to Claring Associates P.C. to provide design services for the Glover (also referred to as Lubbers) fountain restoration project. Council discussion emphasized restoration of historic features, updates for accessibility and the possibility of phasing the work.
Councilmember Kearns and city staff described the fountain as a Works Progress Administration-era structure that has suffered deterioration; staff said the interior must be gutted and that some repairs are required to address wiring and siting below the water line. The design scope will include a full evaluation and concept options, including reintroducing lighting and adding controls (staff noted potential for automated adjustments in windy conditions), improving ADA access to the feature and phasing options to allow incremental enhancements in future years.
Why it matters
The fountain is a historic riverfront feature. The design contract is intended to identify practical restoration options, cost estimates and a phased pathway that could bring back historical lighting and water effects while improving access and resilience.
Discussion highlights
Staff noted that the fountain originally had colored lighting and that restoration aims to reproduce historic appearance where feasible while addressing modern safety and mechanical standards. The design firm is expected to provide concepts for an end-to-end restoration and potential phased additions, such as accessible approaches and interactive elements.
Provenance (transcript excerpts)
"I brought up the Lubbers Fountain because I just want to understand. I believe that we are, maybe down the road going and... We are not changing Lubbers fountain at this time. We're trying to get it up and running. We are looking for a bid for somebody to come in and tell us what we can do to maintain the historical part of it, maintain the memorials that go around it, but maybe possibly down the road adding something..." (topicintro)
"...to bring back to you guys, hey, here's some concepts. And it may be a phased approach, like getting the fountain working, but being able to add things in years to come to make it even a greater feature on the riverfront." (topfinish)
