Brent Sinclair: City, others tried to improve corner with fountain, but plan fell apart

Re “Burchell Fountain gave the city character, beauty” (Page 1D, Aug. 7): Recent news stories and letters to the editor might be confusing residents as to the status of the Burchell Fountain (on the southwest corner of the McHenry and Briggsmore intersection). Because there is a fair amount of public interest in this landmark, and the city has been identified as a key player, we want to clarify some specifics.

The City of Modesto is not involved in the Burchell Fountain project in any way. In 2010, a collaborative effort involving property owners, commercial tenants, MID, the city and the Burchell family worked toward finding a solution to repurpose and redesign the southwest corner of this intersection. Conceptual plans included new landscaping, redesigned parking, access and a new right-turn lane. Each party had a role and responsibility in this proposal and the city’s part was to construct the right-turn lane using state and federal Congestion Management Funds.

Unfortunately the project did not go forward due to lack of funds from the property owners and a lack of agreement between all parties regarding access and maintenance responsibilities.

This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Brent Sinclair: City, others tried to improve corner with fountain, but plan fell apart."