Olmos Park’s fountain plan crashed by several drivers
The city of Olmos Park used to have a 47,000pound hand-carved travertine fountain in the middle of a roundabout on Mccullough Avenue.
Installed in 2008, the 12foot-high, 19-foot-wide fountain was meant to spruce up the barren roundabout on a major thoroughfare and accentuate the existing Spanishstyle buildings at the intersection of Olmos Drive and El Prado.
It lasted only four years. During that span, more than 20 motorists, almost all suspected of drunken driving, crashed into it.
In 2012, a fed-up Olmos Park City Council voted to remove the oft-damaged fountain and place it into storage. With the exception of some landscaping and additional safety features, the roundabout remains largely as it was before the fountain arrived.
The fountain sat in the city’s public works yard for years before it was moved to Alameda Circle, about a mile from the roundabout in one of the wealthiest enclaves of Olmos Park.
The roundabout traces its origins to the late 1990s, when it was installed at one of the city’s most frustrating intersections as a cheaper, safer alternative to replacing the failing traffic lights.
In the years that followed, however, the city struggled to beautify the space and reduce the threat of vehicles driving through the center of the circle.
An Olmos Park committee then tapped Michael G. Imber’s awardwinning architectural firm to sketch a design for the proposed fountain. Over $100,000 was raised for the project in hopes that it would inspire the improvement of the city’s commercial district.
In October 2008, more than 150 of the Olmos Park families who contributed financially to the fountain had been set to join the mayor, City Council and others in dedicating the fountain.
The police couldn’t even close the intersection for the champagne toast dedication before a distracted motorist plowed into the 47,000-pound structure.
After that incident in 2008, another 23 motorists — 22 suspected of drunken driving — crashed into the travertine fountain.
It’s unclear how many crashes have occurred at the roundabout since the fountain was removed in 2012. Police Chief Rene Valenciano did not return a request for comment.
Olmos Park officials have indicated they don’t believe the actual roundabout is the problem because motorists don’t seem to have issues at a nearby roundabout on Blanco Road and Fulton Avenue.
Only two drivers have ever struck the base of a public art structure installed there, causing some minor cosmetic damage.
The same couldn’t be said of the Olmos Park fountain.
On Valentine’s Day in 2012, a motorist suspected of being intoxicated drove south at about 60 mph and hit a splitter island, going airborne for about 40 feet before crashing into the fountain and a bollard. The car then struck a Shell gas station sign and rolled over, injuring the driver.
The crash was later called the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” by a city official.
Many of the crashes were resolved in settlements, the Express-news reported, and the city has received $48,000 in insurance money. Of that, $32,000 was paid for repairs to the fountain and bollards. The city also spent about $10,300 seeking advice on how to make the intersection safer.
Since the fountain’s removal, the city has deployed various methods and mechanisms to help improve motorist and pedestrian safety around the roundabout. Officials also are looking to enhance the roundabout’s appearance through landscaping and in other ways.
As for the fountain, you can spot it at the Alameda Circle, which sits on a half acre at the Broadmoor Drive and Hermosa Drive intersections. Water no longer flows from its upper surfaces.