The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

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September 4, 2010

Letter: Fixing fountain not worth it

Dalton Daily Citizen

DALTON — I have learned that the city plans to repair and restart the fountain on Thornton Avenue. The choice of that fountain design was a poor one. The ground level entry of the fountain invites the citizens of Dalton to get in the fountain. As many of the citizens who do get into the fountain are children, it should have been expected that those same children might occasionally use the bathroom in the fountain while they play.

Having invited its citizens into the fountain by selecting that fountain design, the city is responsible for the liability of any harm that comes to its citizens from harmful bacteria in the water of the fountain. Thus the city must continuously monitor the water of the fountain for harmful bacteria and add chemicals as necessary. This continual maintenance of monitoring and adding of chemicals to the fountain’s water probably did not figure into the costs of the fountain when it was originally selected. They are, however, now well known by the city.

The design of the fountain also creates another liability issue for the city by inviting citizens to play in the water and creating wet pavement for those same citizens to slip on and fall. The city is then arguably responsible for the injuries sustained while people play in the fountain or walk on the nearby wet pavement.

We are in the midst of a recession and metro Dalton has the highest unemployment rate — 11.7 percent — in the state of Georgia among metro areas. The Dalton school board has said it is necessary to raise taxes to support the city schools. The expenditure of tax dollars by the city of Dalton to repair and maintain the fountain on Thornton Avenue is outrageous and ill-advised.

Sara Ellen Minor

Dalton

Editor’s note: This letter was the catalyst for our story  today about the fountain.

 

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