Downtown Macon fountains begin flowing again as Spring nears

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The sights and sounds of free-flowing fountains are in the air again for downtown Macon.

After a winter hiatus, the downtown fountains that had been previously shut off were turned back on late Thursday morning.

The fountains were turned off in October in order to winterize the pipes dealing with the water flow, and kept off to prevent further damage from the colder elements.

In years past, these same fountains had fallen into disrepair due to a lack of winterizing and some had simply stopped working altogether.

“We recognize they were centerpieces of our parks,” said Sam Kitchens, the director of Macon’s Parks & Beautification Department. “They’re an eyesore when they’re not running, they’re a beauty mark then they’re running so they do enhance the beauty of the parks.”

This is the second year in a row that the Parks & Beautification Department have stopped the flow of the fountains during the winter.

The fountains that are now active are located at the following locations:

• Third Street Park on the corner of Third and Cherry Streets
• Washington Park on Magnolia Street
• Rotary Park on Riverside Drive near the Second Street bridge
• Poplar Street
• Charles H. Jones Gateway Park on the corner of Riverside Drive and MLK Blvd.
• Cherry Street Plaza between the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Tubman Museum
• Cherry Blossom Festival Headquarters at 794 Cherry Street