Vogt fountain repair celebrated

For a time, the new fountain languished in storage, until community members presented the city council with a petition demanding the fountain be immediately installed.

It was, on June 17, 1913. 

The fountain remained in place until 1929, when it was taken apart and moved into storage with the intention of its being relocated to Sorosis Park.

The installation took even longer, the fountain being placed in Sorosis in 1955.

Age and vandalism left the fountain non-functional for many years.

The effort to repair the fountain, including replacement of the brass lion-head fountains, water pump and water lines and lighting, as well as replacement of gravel paths surrounding the fountain, began in 2019.

The completion of the bulk of that work was celebrated with a ribbon cutting July 9, 2020.

Some fencing, pavers and stone work remains to be put in place, and fundraising continues for a security system to ward off vandalism.

Jim Wilcox of the The Dalles Lions Club said the partnership between the Lions Club and the Beautification Committee was important because the city committee was unable to raise funds for the project, something the Lions Club was set up to do.

The project fit nicely with Club goals as well. In 1962, The Dalles Lions Club Auxiliary was formed, and with the Lions club built the picnic shelter at Sorosis. Later, the club repaired the restrooms at the park, which had become nonfunctional.

The community was generous, Wilcox said, with local citizens donating over $5,000 to the project. The Lions Club Foundation donated money as well, and Home Depot provided the paving stones at cost. A major donor was  the Union Pacific Railroad Foundation, which provided a $15,000 community grant.

The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays said, "There is a lot of cooperation going into this project, which is very indicative of The Dalles."

He also praised the Beautification Committee, which was the most active committee he had ever worked with, he said. 

Committee members are Tiffany Prince, Max Butensky, Bill Lennox, Brenda Coats, Connie Krummrich, John Nelson, and Judy Merrill.