Amazing Water Fountain News

Dear Diary,

You won't believe this, but as of yesterday, Wednesday, July 29,

all water fountains in Ravenna Park and Laurelhurst Playfield were RUNNING!

I saw Laurelhurst Playfield's unique fountain - the one near the tennis courts - turned on myself.  I did not see the nearer of the baseball diamond water fountains turned on, but it was on when I checked that morning, so it must have been turned on the day before (Tuesday, July 28) or earlier.

I had last checked the Laurelhurst Playfield fountains Tuesday, July 21, and the lower Ravenna Park fountain Sunday, July 26; at those days' ends, all were shut off.  I haven't actually verified that the upper Ravenna Park fountain is still running in the past 24 hours, but I last checked it Friday, July 24.  I also expect to get my water for today from it, since it's inconvenient for me to get to University Village today.

Most of the newly running fountains - the baseball pair at Laurelhurst plus lower Ravenna - are double fountains.  In each of these, one tap draws water relatively weakly, but the other overshoots the bowl.  So be wary.

Rachel Schulkin of the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation told me some time ago that the water fountains were shut off to forestall the spread of COVID-19.  Evidently the department has been reading the news enough to know that metal objects outdoors are unlikely vectors.  Yay.

The only other fountain I know to be running in the area is the street fountain at 15th Ave south of 43rd St, which I did verify last night.

Surely it's just a coincidence that in my local area, the water's restoration came first to the parks with money around them, as reflected by their 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. schedules (as against the more usual 4 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. ones).

I checked the following fountains after 7 P.M.  None was running when previously checked, and none was running tonight, either.

Bryant Playground
Burke-Gilman Playground Park (only recently shut off)
Christie Park (actually, park still not open)
Cowen Park
Ravenna-Eckstein Park
University Playground
View Ridge Playfield

I didn't check in the past 24 hours:

upper Ravenna Park (as noted above)
Magnuson Park (but something a park employee said in my hearing suggests that the fountain attached to the beach restrooms may now be running)
the street fountain on the Burke-Gilman Trail near 30th St.

I can't travel this much daily, but will see what I can tell y'all going forward.  Exciting times, dear Diary; you'll be at least as shocked by the news of restrooms I expect to write in you later today.