How will the funds be spent?

Learn more details about the breakdown of costs to restore the fountain and site.

Among the things that influenced the decision to restore the Butler-Perozzi Fountain was public interest in restoration. In an online city survey over 500 people registered their opinions. Nearly 70% of the respondents supported restoration of the fountain.

Another factor was the guidance available in the report by ARG, Architectural Resources Group, which assessed the fountain condition and each of its components. It is from this analysis that the restoration plan and budget were developed. The total budget for the project is $800,000.

The restoration of the Italian marble fountain which amounts to a quarter of the proposed budget, is but one part of the restoration budget. The original fountain (our fountain is a copy) occupies an interior courtyard in Florence, Italy. The Fiori di Peschi marble of the fountain is still quarried today in the Frilli Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. The Butler-Perozzi fountain is subjected to more extreme weather conditions than its Italian cousin, and even the parts replaced in 1987 are in need of care to ensure preservation into the future. The concrete pool of the fountain is also in poor condition.

The ARG report notes that “Repair of the marble elements of the fountain are currently priced at $78,894.50 (July 2022) in the cost estimate. Replacement of these pieces in granite and the cost to carve them to match the historic configuration could cost the same, if not more, and it would be very difficult to match the exact historic configuration.”

The electrical and water systems of the fountain are also in need of replacement. Parts of both systems within the fountain have been altered to address repair and replacement needs over the course of the history of the fountain. One example is that the water flowing through the original fountain was simply drained away while the fountain we enjoy today, like most other fountains, is recirculating. This is just one of many similar repairs and upgrades over time, resulting in a creative but inefficient and outdated “Rube Goldberg” array of equipment. This portion of the budget is $100,000, or one-eighth of the total cost.

The third and most significant part of the budget is the long-needed repair to the site of the fountain including the terrace and the stairs. At $275,000, about 35% of the total budget, this part of the project will ensure the setting of the fountain will provide a suitable home and last along with the fountain. The cracked, spalling and deteriorated concrete will be removed and repaired and all of the light posts returned to service. The spalls and cracks in the stairs and stair walls will be repaired as well.

Another quarter of the restoration budget, $200,000, is devoted to maintenance of the fountain into the future. The maintenance of the Butler- Perozzi fountain has been challenging for Ashland Parks and Recreation Staff due to the level of expertise required to conduct proper maintenance and repairs. While lovingly tended by staff over time, the fountain often required more expertise than park irrigation specialists and facilities maintenance employees had on board. In the future this part of the funding will be available for required annual and other special maintenance, ensuring the survival of this important Lithia Park feature.

There is $25,000 in the budget for operating the campaign to raise the funds for these improvements. This money is coming from funds donated to the Ashland Parks Foundation for the purpose of fountain restoration. In addition, the Foundation has provided $200,000 accumulated from gifts to the Foundation for fountain restoration, to the fundraising campaign to get things started toward reaching the $800,000 goal.