Kenan Fountain could get another upgrade

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — More money could be going to protect Kenan Fountain tomorrow if Wilmington City Council gives the green light. The fountain keeps getting hit by cars especially at night. City Council is poised to discuss adding more lighting to the fountain.

The idea is that the brighter the fountain is, the harder it would be to run into. Council has already spent thousands of dollars upgrading lighting around the fountain to keep it from getting hit, but the fountain has been hit over and over again.

On the agenda this time a $46,000 lighting package city staff says would make the fountain more visible at night. Folks we talked with said something had to be done.

“It’s a lot of money, and it seems to be causing problems every once in a while, and it’s just a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured,” said Michael Edwards, a downtown resident.

If approved council would also approve the stop light at the fountain to be a resting red light. That means it would only turn green after a car approached the intersection. The idea there is that people would slow down before they got to the fountain in the first place.