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<p>The River Common fountain along the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre wasn&#8217;t turned on this summer because it sprouted leaks that will cost about $200,000 to repair.</p><p>Luzerne County Operational Services Division Head Tanis Manseau divulged the problem during Tuesday&#8217;s county Recreational Facilities Advisory Board meeting after the board questioned why the fountain has been out of commission.</p><p>The board had successfully pushed for weekend activation of the fountain in the summer of 2014. County officials agreed after lawyers determined the fountain doesn&#8217;t fall under the same category as public swimming pools, which require water testing twice a day when they are operational.</p><p>Located at the Wyoming Valley levee portal opening between the county courthouse and Market Street Bridge, the fountain had been rarely used since it was added to the revamped riverfront recreational area unveiled in June 2009, largely because county officials said they couldn&#8217;t afford the water testing.</p><p>Manseau said he suspected a serious leak because the county&#8217;s water usage increased when the fountain was turned on in 2014. This wasn&#8217;t supposed to happen because the fountain was designed to capture and recirculate water.</p><p>Cameras sent through the pipes verified cracks in several spots, he said.</p><p>Manseau said he did not receive a report on the leaks before the June 1 deadline to submit the 2016 county capital plan to county council.</p><p>The county&#8217;s law office is reviewing the matter to determine if the county has a claim to recoup funding for repairs, he said, noting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversaw work along the levee.</p><p>If not, the administration may ask county council to consider amending the capital plan to fund $100,000 in past-borrowed funds toward the repairs. It&#8217;s unclear if fountain repairs would make the cut because a council majority recently removed numerous proposed projects from the 2016 capital plan to keep the county&#8217;s remaining $3.4 million bond funds in reserve.</p><p>The remaining $100,000 could come from the county&#8217;s annual natural-gas drilling recreation allocation, Manseau said. The county received $307,000 this year for 2014.</p><p>The advisory board endorsed the $100,000 natural gas allocation toward the fountain, though board member John DeRocco expressed concerns about the price.</p><p>Board member Michele Schasberger said the fountain should be operational because it enhances the River Common and was intended to provide children with recreational access to water.</p><p>The $100,000 expenditure would leave $65,000 in natural-gas funding available to provide grants to outside recreation organizations for trails and other projects, Manseau said.</p><p>The rest of the natural-gas funding must be spent on maintenance of the recreational portion of the River Common, black fly spraying along the Susquehanna that costs about $85,000 and previously approved earmarks to outside organizations, he said.</p><p>Council granted three allocations from natural-gas funding this year to date: $37,500 toward a Delaware &amp; Lehigh National Heritage Corridor trail expansion in Mountain Top, $7,500 for the Keystone Active Zone Passport program and $10,000 to the Riverfront Parks Committee for its free, family-friendly programs at the River Common and Nesbitt and Kirby parks.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Children enjoyed the fountain at the River Common along the Susquehanna River in 2010, but the attraction has been out of commission this summer because it needs $200,000 in repairs, a Luzerne County official says. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_fountain1.jpeg</photo0><caption0>Children enjoyed the fountain at the River Common along the Susquehanna River in 2010, but the attraction has been out of commission this summer because it needs $200,000 in repairs, a Luzerne County official says. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Rarely used River Common fountain needs $200,000 in repairs