SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Capitol fountain, which has been a mainstay in Sacramento for almost a century, has been shut off for years because of the drought that hit the state. If the State of California's Department of General Services' proposal passes, it will stop flowing water for good.
The Department of General Services proposed a renovation of the Jesse M. Unruh building, which is next to the Capitol Mall. In its environmental impact report draft, the department does not provide a reason why the fountain is linked to the building's reconstruction.
The Department of General Services made these proposals:
- Leave the Unruh building and the fountain alone
- Restore both of them
However, the fountain has been deemed to be unrepairable, according to Monica Hassan, the deputy director for the department. Hassan said multiple vendors worked to find a solution, but all thought the same thing.
As the fountain is beyond repair, Hassan said the likely solution is to rebuild it.
READ ALSO:
Preservation Sacramento President Bill Burg said removing the fountain is an odd solution if the reason is to save money — because removal would also cost money.
"It is up to the public to let the state know that this is not DGS property," Burg said. "This is the property of the people of California and the people of California have a say about the stewardship with the way the state of California treats its historic properties."
Burg said the fountain should have been left out of the environmental impact report and should have been the focus of a separate renovation project.
"There is no urgency to demolish it now," Burg said. "Wo why do it at all if it's going to cause an unavoidable impact?"