Parents raise safety concerns over Cathedral City’s Fountain of Life

Some parents are raising concerns over their children’s safety at the ‘Fountain of Life,’ a popular Cathedral City landmark.

“About a month ago, we brought our daughter here and we noticed that, and we’re like, ‘Oh’, so we came back today hoping it was better, but it’s still there,” said Raul Moctezuma Jeromino, a parent from Palm Springs. He’s referring to the foam blue flooring at the fountain.

The fountain is a popular spot for kids to cool off during the summer, but parts of the floor are damaged and some parents consider it a safety hazard.

“With our daughter, she sees this and she has so much fun here, and she wants to play, but sometimes I feel like I can’t let her walk around because I’m scared of her falling,” Angelica Arellano added.

“Someone can trip, fall. There’s rocks, they can hit their head, hit the floor, that’s not always a good thing,” said Moctezuma Jeromino.

One boy picked up a bottle cap and put it in his mouth. This adds to the concerns parents have as trash and debris are left on the floor.

“Sometimes I do see cigarette buds,” Arellano added. “I would just be scared of a little kid picking it up.”

City communication and events manager, Chris Parman, says crews pick up trash every morning. The damaged floor, however, is on the city’s radar.

“Two years ago, we had this completely replaced. We’ve done some patchwork repair in June of last year and also November of last year. We’re planning right after the Tejano Music Festival after September 22nd to go and do a complete repair and redo of the soft surface, so it will look pristine once more,” Parman said.

The resurfacing project is expected to last four weeks, just in time for the city’s Halloween event. The project is expected to cost between $50,000 and $60,000 from the city’s general fund.

“The sooner the better. It has been there for quite a bit, but it tells me that it’s has been acknowledged and if they are saying it’s on the list, then that’s good. I’m hoping it does come to fruition,” said Moctezuma Jeromino.