Memorial Park fountain receives $100k safety upgrade following child’s death

Memorial Park fountain is undergoing work to make it safer. Photo / Alex Cairns

The Memorial Park fountain where a 4-year-old child drowned last year is this week getting a $100,000 safety upgrade.

Last May 21, emergency services were called to a “drowning incident” at the fountain and found a child “unresponsive”. CPR was carried out but the 4-year-old, who would have turned 5 three days later, did not survive.

Pre-modifications, the centre of the fountain reached a depth of 765mm.

Tauranga City Council general manager of community services Barbara Dempsey said the modifications would create a “zero water depth environment”.

An insert was being added so that water could still flow, but without any depth to the pool. Dempsey said the modifications were expected to cost $106,000 and should be completed by the end of the week.

There would be no impact to park users.

Dempsey said the council commissioned an independent safety review of all artificial water features in its parks and reserves after the child’s death.

“The report found many of the water features were minimal risk, as they were not intended as play features, but some minor modifications were suggested to reduce the risk with artificial water bodies.”

Flowers left at the fountain at Memorial Park, Tauranga, after a tragic incident involving a child. Photo / Alex Cairns

The council emptied the fountain and put temporary fencing around it after the tragedy. In the days following the death, flowers were placed on the fence next to a handwritten “Keep out” sign.

According to the Tauranga Historical Society, the Memorial Park fountain was unveiled on December 15, 1962, after volunteers gave up 5000 hours of their time over 27 weekends to build it.