A water feature missing from Delaware Park for decades has been restored.Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy President and CEO Thomas Herrera-Mishler and elected leaders flipped the switch Wednesday morning on a new fountain in Hoyt Lake.
The fountain is a re-creation of one that was installed back in 1895, when the lake was known as The Gala Waters.
"This fountain very closely approximates the original fountain. We're very, very excited to be adding this new amenity to the historic landscape here in Delaware Park," Mishler said.
State Senator Mark Grisanti says along with adding beauty to the park, the fountain will aerate the water. Grisanti says that should help reduce algae and the foul odor it produces near the Delaware Avenue end of the lake.
"If they say that another fountain at the other end or possibly in the middle is something that is necessary, that's something we'll have to talk to [Mishler] about and the board to see if that's something that fits in with the Olmsted plan of keeping things as correct as possible from years past," Grisanti said.
"It's part of the multi-pronged strategy to fix the ecosystem of Hoyt Lake," added Assemblyman Sean Ryan.
The fountain shoots water 50 feet into the air and will be illuminated at night. The project was funded with state and federal grants.