The O’Donnell Fountain restoration has been an ongoing issue for many years. The fountain is arguably one of the most important art deco fountains in Australia and has suffered from council neglect for too long.  Very rarely cleaned, stagnant water and rubbish in the water enclosure, the fountain which should be a pride of place icon of our suburb is just another symbol of a council neglect – a failure in not dealing with the basics and recognising the importance of civic pride in our historic suburb.

We understand that council attempted to restore the fountain with a new water pump several years ago, but the pump failed after several months because it was incapable of pumping water to a height of 8 metres. Why was such an unsuitable pump approved in the first place? Why was it not covered by warranty? Where is the report on this failure and the original signed contract?

Attempts to access the report were met with the usual “Commercial and in Confidence” – a code phrase too often used these days by hapless bureaucracy to shut out transparent public inquiry. We can only assume that this failed restoration of a few years back was but a waste of ratepayer money, and without answers, it only reinforces the community’s continual scepticism of council.

I have heard recently of a council plan to put plants in this heritage-listed fountain. This philistine mediocre response is to be expected. As one Facebook contributor recently described the proposal as the “Bunnings solution” A few bags of soil and some geraniums!

A petition which I led with over 520 signatures to restore the fountain was tabled at a meeting on 27 November 2024. Cr Serge Thomann who made the restoration of the fountain one of his election pledges tabled that petition.  Since then, nothing has happened.

O’Donnell fountain is a heritage-listed monument. It should be treated as such and restored properly- not met with token gestures. This is not just about meeting the “now” either. We owe it to future generations so they too can appreciate history, architecture and the quality of construction from an era that will most likely not be repeated.  At the very least, council could immediately arrange for an electrician to repair the lighting that after a few months of getting turned back on has gone off again.

Meanwhile, cities around the world – and in our Victorian country towns from Ararat to Daylesford, are maintaining working fountains as part of civic pride and love of their monuments and history. They rightly see maintenance of them as part of the core functions of local government. Yet in St Kilda, despite our ever-increasing rates and the concern over lack of value that we receive from them, this heritage fountain restoration is just a can that keeps getting kicked down the road.

Leadership at its worst.