BACKGROUND
1. A Bridge Fountain is a
fountain that is attached to a bridge and cascades water down to the river
below (see Attachment 4 for an example from South Korea)
2. There are several bridge
fountains internationally, but no known examples in Australia, i.e. if one were
built in Parramatta it would be an Australian first.
3. There is potential for
publicity around this item as a Sesquicentary project for the City.
4. A Bridge Fountain in
Parramatta is likely to contribute to the river foreshore as a regional
attraction. If successful in achieving
this objective, the area will attract significant numbers of additional
visitors, with consequent increases in local economic activity and employment .
5. Alternatives to a Bridge
Fountain were investigated, such as provision of a screen of water / laser show
/ projection of images (e.g. like Darling Harbour). However, these were considered to be
unsuitable at this point due to
a. Their higher capital cost
(approximately four times the capital cost of a Bridge Fountain)
b. Their higher complexity
increases operational and maintenance costs
c. The difficulty in building
such a system in a flood affected River such as the Parramatta River
d. The use of the space – a
screen of water for projection of images associated with the Barry Wilde Bridge
would be at right angles to the majority of the audience (on the banks of the
River), and as such would not operate to maximum effectiveness. This does not however preclude this option in
any future development of activation or interpretation in another location on
the River
6. The capital cost of
building the Bridge Fountain has been estimated at $350,000 ex GST.
7. The estimated
operational and maintenance cost of the Bridge Fountain is $18 per hour.
8. If the Bridge Fountain
were operated for 3 hours a day in winter and 5 hours day during the rest of
the year then 37,800 kWh of electricity would be consumed and the total
operational and maintenance cost would be approximately $30,000 per year.
9. Of the four bridges that
cross the Parramatta River in the CBD, Barry Wilde Bridge (see attachments for
a map showing the Bridge location) was considered to be the most suitable for
attaching a bridge fountain, to the eastern side of the Bridge, as
a. Unlike the Lennox Bridge or
Elizabeth St Footbridge (Bridge of Oars) it was felt that Barry Wilde Bridge
had no intrinsic aesthetic or heritage value
b. Council owns Barry Wilde
Bridge outright, so there are likely to be no issues with other agencies
c. Having the fountain on the
eastern side of the Bridge would provide an attractive sight for people
arriving by ferry, or for people walking across the Bridge of Oars
d. Electrical power is available
relatively close to the Bridge. Once
power is brought to the Bridge, it will make future riverside events easier and
cheaper to arrange (currently portable generators are required)
e. The shape and form of the
Bridge make it relatively easy to attach a bridge fountain to the Bridge
superstructure
f. During operation the fountain
will hide the current low level footbridge underneath Barry Wilde Bridge, which
is on the western side of the Bridge.
10. A concept design has been
developed for the bridge fountain, which would be located on the eastern side
only (not the western) and also an artists impression of the completed
structure (attached to this report).
11. River water will be
extracted from near the Bridge, pumped through a filter and ultraviolet light
steriliser, then passed through a series of spigots attached to the Bridge,
each surrounded by a LED light (see below for an example of a spigot / light).
12. The water will be
projected out from the Bridge at a fixed speed and angle.
13. As the water is filtered
and sterile, and adds oxygen to the River as it falls, it will improve the
water quality in the River.
14. The LED lights are
programmable and will allow variable colours / patterns of illumination to be
imparted to the falling water.
15. An anemometer (wind speed
meter) will be connected to the fountain controller and will stop fountain
operation if excessively windy, to stop people being sprayed by water.
16. Solar panels located on
the Bridge will reduce the amount of grid electricity used for the fountain
pumps and lights, will demonstrate environmental sustainability, and will
reduce operating costs.
ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES
17. The construction and
operation of the Bridge Fountain is currently unfunded. However, it is believed there are sufficient
funds in the Section 94 and CBD Infrastructure Special Rate to enable immediate
construction of the Bridge Fountain.
18. Alternative State or
Federal sources of funding could also be sought, perhaps linked to the
celebrations of 150 years since the formation of Parramatta Council.
19. The operational costs
of the Bridge Fountain would require an increase in the operational budget of
the Civil Infrastructure Unit of Council.
However, the increased economic activity resulting from increased
visitation would result in additional rate, parking and other revenues accruing
to Council. For example, if over a year,
10,000 additional cars were parked for 3 hours in Parramatta Council operated
car parking spaces this would conservatively generate over $50,000 in extra
revenue.
TIMEFRAME
20. If approval is given
to proceed it is anticipated that the Bridge Fountain would take 3-4 months to
be built, with likely completion in the first half of 2012. The Bridge Fountain would be officially
opened as part of a Council Major Event or a Sesquicentary celebration.
Financial Impact
21. As discussed in the report, the
estimated cost for the construction of the fountain is $350,000. It is proposed that this be funded from the
CBD Infrastructure Special Rate Reserve and/or Section 94.
22. The project will require a wide
range of component parts from different suppliers and contractors, and project
managed in house. As a result of this, all of the supply and contracting
components will be below the tender threshold and as such a tender process will
not be required.
Paul Hackney
Senior Project Officer
Environmental Outcomes