Dedication ceremony for new Dublin Park fountain planned for April 20

MADISON – Dublin Park will soon have a fountain once again at the entrance of the park. The Friends of Dublin Park will host a small ceremony at noon on Saturday, April 20, to unveil the new addition.

Since the Madison Parks and Recreation Department deemed the old fountain “unfixable” last year, Margi Daly and the Friends of Dublin Park have been hard at work raising funds to replace it. The department estimated the new fountain would cost about $12,000, which Parks and Recreation Director Kory Alfred said was not in the budget. With FOD spearheading the effort, however, the new fountain cost only $6,000 since the group would not have to go through a bidding process.

“Many young people learned to fish there and many children utilize the pond for the enjoyable sport of fishing,” Daly said. “An aerator fountain is essential for the fish, ducks and geese to strive in the pond.”

Daly said the fountain will add to the beauty of the park. “It’s aesthetically pleasing just to pull up to Dublin and see the fountain there. It’s right in front.”

Daly said the new stainless steel fountain has lights that alternate between four different colors at night. It has a self-filtering system and was made in the USA. It also has a warranty of five years.

Several people and groups helped raise the funds needed for the project.

The Friends of Dublin Park reached out to people for donations. They also hosted a craft fair at Dublin last fall and sold t-shirts to help reach their goal.

“We were able to meet it with many thanks to Senator Tom Butler and Representative Mike Ball,” Daly said. “Both searched and found grants to help pay for the fountain.”

Daly added that many volunteers donated time and money to help with the project, including the Girl Scouts and Madison Baseball league. Redstone Credit Union helped with a donation only account.

Kory Alfred, Kelly Johnson and Gayle Milam of the Parks and Recreation Department have also been a big help.

“Dublin Park was donated to the city 21 years ago,” Daly said. “We felt the spirit of gifting the land for the park should be continued with volunteerism and appreciation. This is our way of showing gratitude from our community. Every person that donated will know they helped put it there when they pass or enter Dublin Park.”

The dedication ceremony for the fountain will be held in conjunction with the Madison City-wide Easter Egg Hunts and Kite Festival at Dublin Park on Saturday.

To keep up with FOD and their efforts, join their public group on Facebook, “Friends of Dublin Events Madison Al.” To become a member of FOD, request to join their private Facebook group, “Friends of Dublin Park (FOD).”

This is the type of fountain being installed in the fishing pond at Dublin Park. CONTRIBUTED