By Bob Seidenberg

Evanston’s downtown fountain probably won’t start flowing  again until summer of 2026, City Engineer, Lara Biggs told City Council members in a discussion of the issue tonight.  The fountain, a centerpiece of downtown, has been off since spring of 2021, when officials observed it was unable to retain water.

The city subsequently filed a lawsuit against the company, Copenhaver Construction, Inc. in 2022 alleging defects in construction of the 2017 Fountain Square renovation project — resulting in water loss of up to 4,536 gallons a day.

In June, the city announced it had reached an $800,000 settlement with Copenhaver Construction as well as Christopher B. Burke Engineering, which had a supervisory role on the project.