Township Tries to Find Issue with Memorial Park Drive Fountain

The fountain located at the corner of York and Memorial Park Drive seems to have sprung a leak.

According to Upper Moreland Towsnhip Manager, David Dodies, who was speaking at last night’s Community Development Committee meeting, he became aware of a problem with the fountain when unusually high meter readings occurred earlier in the summer season.

The fountain, which became operational this year, is the centerpiece of Memorial Park Drive.

Dodies said that the township staff has tried to troubleshoot the problem in a systematic way through visual observations. Such observations included checking the flow, meter pits and general fountain operation.

The township also sought help from Aqua to review its drawings of the fountain, and from KC Construction, the Warminster-based company, which built the fountain. 

According to Dodies, KC Construction politely declined to help the township, saying that any issue with service at this point would not be the company’s responsibility.

The fountain currently maintains its operation by mannually supplying a sufficient amount of water to the pump systems.

Through the efforts of the township, Dodies said that the issue may be localized to a 25-foot stretch of piping in the meter pit behind the fountain, close to a landscaped area.

“It appears there’s a leak there somewhere,” Dodies told the committee. “To date, what we’ve done is everything possible without incurring additional costs to ourselves.”

He suggested that the committee now document the township’s efforts and give them to the township engineer for review.

He also suggested that the township solicitor reach out to KC Construction to also ask for help in solving the problem.

In response, township solicitor Kate Harper noted if faulty workmanship was found to be the culprit, then KC Construction would still be held responsible for fixing the problem. She stressed that she is not outright faulting the construction company, as the problem is yet to be determined. However, if the township engineer determines the problem, the results would be helpful in getting KC Construction to come out and fix it.

In the event that certain information about the fountain’s construction is needed, Ward 2 commissioner Kevin Spearing, who sits on the committee, pointed out that each step of construction and materials used are well documented.