Goodbye, Ann Morrison Park fountain. Boise’s largest park to get ‘interactive’ update

For decades, Boise residents have soaked up the beauty of the fountain at the center of Ann Morrison Park.

Shooting water up to 65 feet into the blue sky, it’s been a visual feast. A way to cool off when you stood close enough to let mist drench your face. And, assuming your IQ rivals mine, a skull-cracking possibility if you climbed the wall and slipped off.

That fountain is dry right now. Turned off. Like so many aspects of evolving Boise, it won’t be coming back.

This fall, the aging attraction is slated to be replaced with a modern water feature. One with timed choreography. LED lights. Summertime bells and whistles that make children smile.

Wait — it’s being demolished to make room for a splash pad?

“This would be more of a splash pad on steroids at the end of the day,” explains Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway. “It’ll be larger.”

This is what fountains are becoming in parks and plazas nationwide. Hands-on attractions.

“Cities are no longer just building a fountain that you can stand and look at and say, ‘That’s pretty,’ “ Holloway says.

The fountain replacement is part of a renewal project for the 153-acre park. Hatched in 2016, part of that plan already has been completed: the $450,000 Together Treasure Valley Dog Island, a popular off-leash swim area for canines.

The fountain reinvention is expected to cost around $1 million. The Harry W. Morrison Foundation has committed to contributing $100,000, Holloway says, while the rest will be paid for with major repair and maintenance money from the city’s general fund.

Last updated a quarter century ago, the fountain has been plagued by structural and mechanical issues in recent years. Leaky cracks in the foundation. Nozzle problems. Outdated parts. Inherent design safety issues, which is why we see signs posted telling us not to take a dip.

“It’s old,” Holloway says, “and essentially irreparable, and it can’t be engaged with. So we’re going to create something that will bring people down to the park to enjoy that.

“When a family shows up at the park on a hot summer afternoon, their kids can spend literally half of a day just playing in it. That’s what we’re trying to get to.”

‘Love’ it or ‘boring’?

Naturally, some Idahoans think it’s a terrible idea. Even after Parks and Rec described it on Facebook recently as an “upgrade” with a “more interactive experience that is accessible to users of all abilities.”

“Splash pads are BORING,” a commenter groaned.

“Aw man, I loved watching my cousins almost drown and slip everywhere,” wrote another.

“Thanks. I hate it,” griped one more.

Having lived here long enough to remember the long-defunct Boise River Festival — where the current fountain was dedicated in June 1996 — part of me feels the same way.

But deep down, I know it’s the right thing. We all do. Many responses online have been positive. “Yay! Kids will absolutely love!!!” wrote one Facebooker.

Boiseans of all ages will appreciate a fountain that screams “Come play in me!” on a scorching afternoon. When the city solicited input from the public about Ann Morrison Park improvements five years ago, making the fountain more engaging was one of the most common suggestions, Holloway says.

But, yeah, he realizes it won’t make a splash with everybody. “People don’t like change at the end of the day, right?” Holloway says. “People enjoy the things that we have in the city of Boise. We totally get that.”

For one thing, it won’t blast half an ocean into the stratosphere. “It probably won’t be as colossal ...,” he says, “but that’s what you give up in order to create an environment where kids can actually play in it and families can enjoy it.”

At some point, throwing tax dollars at something antiquated becomes illogical. Bullheaded. Fiscally irresponsible. “And at the end of the day, you .... still have what you have — and not something you can physically enjoy,” Holloway says.

As familiar city comforts disappear in the name of progress, we Idahoans find ourselves getting worked up. It’s difficult to look forward when it feels so good to look back.

But on those 101-degree days in summer 2022, I’m betting that cooler heads prevail.

Mine will be one of the wet ones in Ann Morrison Park.

This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 4:00 AM.