City reopens Ferril Lake as 'a gift for future generations'
Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News
Published June 29, 2007 at midnight
Classical music filled the air Thursday as Mayor John Hickenlooper and more than 100 guests celebrated another Denver classic: Ferril Lake in City Park.
The mayor was on hand to officially reopen the lake, which has been undergoing renovations since last year as part of a $28 million storm drainage project.
The work included reconstruction of the Electric Fountain, a nearly 100-year-old landmark neglected for decades but that supporters want to fully restore in time for the Democratic National Convention next year.
"When (then-Mayor Robert) Speer decided that this fountain was a priority back in 1908, his edict was that it had to be running for the Democratic National Convention in 1908," said Larry Kerecman, founder of Friends of the Electric Fountain.
"Here we are, amazingly enough as luck would have it, that we got the convention here 100 years later, so it seemed like everything was just a perfect fit to recreate history," he said.
The fountain, which sits in the middle of the lake, now shoots a single column of water about 90 feet into the air. But plans call for new nozzles, lights and a control system for water displays reminiscent of the past.
In its heyday, the fountain had 11 columns of light that an operator would set to changing water patterns and music of the Denver Municipal Band, which played at Thursday's ceremony.
Kim Bailey, Denver's parks and recreation manager, called Ferril Lake "a gift for future generations."
"City Park is a magnificent oasis in the middle of our city," Hickenlooper said while standing on the stage of the newly painted bandstand.
He said he would always be fond of the stage because it's where he celebrated winning the top spot in the 2003 runoff.
"Tradition always needs to find a re-expression and re-creation, and what we're doing today is giving new life to City Park and to Ferril Lake," he said.
Kerecman said $1 million still has to be raised to pay for the additional fountain improvements. He said more information is available at -http://electricfoun tain.home.att.net/index.html.
chacond@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5099
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