Don’t give up on the fountain at Birkdale Village
The fountain at Birkdale Village is expected to reopen Labor Day week. Photo | MVP Properties file
Aug. 1. Keep your fingers crossed: The fountain at Birkdale Village should be up and running again the week of Labor Day, according to a NAP spokeswoman.
The fountain has been out of commission for months for repairs from damage that happened while the ice-skating rink was taken down.
The ice-skating rink will return and open during The Lighting of Birkdale on Nov. 18, according to North American Properties. The tree will sit atop the fountain again, so it’ll be closed late October through the end of January.
Other Birkdale notes
Meanwhile, The Cheesecake Factory, Southern Tide and Monkee’s of Lake Norman are on track for August openings.
And the outside patio extension at Red Rocks Cafe is a welcome expansion, says owner Ron Herbert.
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My best guess is not many people are as worried about the fountains as they are about the increased crime at Birkdale. Mgmt best get ahead of the issue now with increased police presence, especially on the interior roads.Kids driving to fast with too loud of cars and too loud music on the interior loop. Just a matter of time before theres a shooting with young males who think shooting someone is cool. Northlake didnt address it and it will be an empty building within 2 years
We just had 22 days of 90+ degrees in July.
It should be 75 by Labor Day and then we won’t need it.
I like turtles.
Caution to “Cornelius Today”: Please exercise better journalistic standards and stop simply regurgitating NAP press releases. Yes, NAP continues to fight the battle of the fountain which is a major debacle that has had multiple “opening” announcements which you have blindly shared, none of which have proved true.
There was no press release. We know that parents are interested in the fountain and when it will reopen. If you have details on a “debacle,” let us know.
First of all, NAP has made it clear, certainly in conversations with residents, that this is not going to be a splash pad as it was in the past. Anyone looking forward to having their kiddies play in the dancing water as my grandchildren did, will be very disappointed. Please double check with the NAP spokeswoman who told you the fountain would be open after Labor Day. Not being clear about this is creating unrealistic expectations.
Second, the old fountain had a solid concrete surface, while the current version of the fountain will be “paved” with 18″ square concrete pavers. Those pavers will “float” on PVC pedestals that simply sit at the bottom of the water retention basin beneath the pavers. The pedestals aren’t connected to one another or the base of the basin, and if any pedestal is dislodged and tips over there will be a collapse of multiple surface pavers. This construction approach has been open for all to see for months.
NAP promised the fountain would be open the week after Easter, and four months and MANY contractors later, it’s still not functioning. I walk in the Village several times a week and watch the process closely. There has been a procession of contractors who have worked on this project since the Christmas tree was removed. (As evidenced by the different colors and names on T-shirts of the workers at the fountain.) This scenario has repeated itself multiple times: New contractor shows up; workers tinker with the pavers, lights, and water jets for a few days; supervisors convene and converse; heads are scratched, then phone calls are made. Wait a few weeks and the whole process starts over again with a new color of t-shirts on the workers.
THIS is why I describe the fountain as a debacle.