March 20 – It looks like the fountain should return to downtown Chambersburg in a few months.
The fountain was damaged during an early-morning drunk driving accident in December 2021 when a Ford Expedition barreled through the square and crashed into the fountain.
Since then, the structure, which has been in Chambersburg since 1878 in one form or another, has been repaired and stored in Lancaster.
The basin where the fountain will sit has seen some work recently.
A meeting tomorrow will discuss how the return of the fountain will be celebrated, but there is no firm date at this point.
Fire Up the Fountain began with NewsTalk 103.7FM.
Pat Ryan of NewsTalk 103.7FM said, “To recognize the start of the fountain every year. She deserves a celebration when you turn it on for the first time and it would be a proclamation delivered by the mayor to the person that has the luck of throwing that switch and getting pumps going again.”
Tonight will be a special session of the Chambersburg Borough Council, but the group will be in executive session.
Allen Coffman, borough council president, explained, “This happens once a year every year, probably for maybe even the last 10 years. We’ll start the meeting as a regular public meeting. We’ll have time for anybody that might be there to make comments to council. After that we will adjourn to executive session and talk about all things that are legal that apply to the borough. The plan is there will be no action taken. We will not come back into public session after it’s over.”
It will be a discussion with council and the solicitor.
The Chambersburg borough will receive $879,865 in grant funding from the state to form a park and amphitheater which will be on the first block of Lincoln Way West, just before the Conococheague Creek.
The money will come through Downtown Chambersburg, Inc.
The next regular borough council meeting will be on March 27.
