Tentative deal in the works for Cambridge fountains
When it comes to getting the old fountains in front of the Home Depot in Cambridge back up and running, Coun. Frank Monteiro is like a dog with a bone.
For months, Monteiro had been getting the cold shoulder from the big box chain after approaching the company to strike a deal to get the three fountains running again. That was until Monteiro told the Cambridge Times he could get no one from the company’s U.S. head office to talk to him.
“Within a day-and-a-half I had a call and an email from the communications manager of Home Depot Canada and then things got rolling,” Monteiro said.
Since last May, talks between city staff and Home Depot have taken place and now a tentative agreement is coming together.
“They will give us the land for $2, but they want to keep their sign,” Monteiro said. “I can understand that. It’s a very dominant corner and has a lot of exposure.”
That poses a number of challenges for the city, as corporate signage is not normally allowed on city property. The city also needs to come up with a landscaping plan incorporating the Home Depot sign that is agreeable to the company.
“There is going to have to be some compromises here. We have to find that place in the middle of the road that we can both agree upon and I’m confident we can do that,” Monteiro said.
The three-fountain structure was built in the mid-1980s for the former Knob Hill Farms superstore as a gateway feature to the city. It operated seasonally until 2000, when Knob Hill Farms ceased operations. It sat dormant for a number of years, but was revived briefly by Home Depot. It shut down again following a change in management at the store and hasn’t operated since.
“It’s a major gateway to the city. We need to fix it up and get it running again,” Monteiro maintains.
But getting the fountain running again isn’t the only option should repairs to its mechanical system prove too costly.
“We could also look at doing what we did with the old Galt post office and work with Christie Digital on some kind of light show that makes it look like there is running water,” Monteiro said.
Before the project goes anywhere, he will need to gain the support of the new council following the October municipal election. He expects a staff report on the project will come to council for consideration late in the year.