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The non-functioning fountain on the River Common in Wilkes-Barre aptly sums up the status of the surrounding park: so much potential, yet not used to its fullest.

It’ll cost about $200,000 to fix leaks to the fountain, a Luzerne County official said this week. The splash area for children has operated only sporadically since the multimillion-dollar park’s completion in June 2009 – a project intended to showcase the splendid riverfront and eliminate barriers, visual and psychological, between the city and the Susquehanna.

Finding the cash for the latest fountain repairs won’t be easy. A Wyoming Valley levee maintenance fee, collected from certain county homeowners, goes toward the flood-control system, not any of its recreational elements. The county could tap its fund for capital projects, although that’s already running low and unlikely to be replenished for years. Another option: Earmark money for the fountain from the county’s annual natural-gas drilling allocation. (Thank you, Marcellus Shale.)

Similarly, officials so far haven’t been able to identify a suitable and sustainable funding stream to enable the River Common to reach its promise. Billed as a community gathering spot, it was touted as a site for year-round activities: frequent concerts, boating events and other public entertainment. Holding major events, however, costs money.

To their credit, members of the Riverfront Parks Committee – a group that pre-dates the River Common – have done a bang-up job of bringing life to the place. And they’ve done it on a shoestring budget.

Beyond the annual RiverFest, with its featured dragon boat races, there have been jazz performances, yoga classes, a Halloween-themed children’s affair called “Shiver by the River” and other clever offerings. Currently promoted on the committee’s Facebook page is an Oct. 3 chalk festival. The committee also encourages people to consider hosting their own events, such as weddings, at the River Common.

For its first six years, this riverfront amenity has been drawing crowds largely on resourcefulness; it needs resources.

One quick, but seemingly politically unattainable, solution: Create a River Common endowment using one-year’s funding, or about $12 million, from the Mohegan Sun casino’s annual slots revenue that is dedicated to “local share” grants. (The grants, so far in the history of the program, have been divvied among dozens of recipients every year rather than put toward a common goal.)

The pump is primed for success on the River Common. Will we acknowledge and act on it, or neglect it?

The pump is primed for success on the River Common in Wilkes-Barre. (Times Leader file photo)
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_nepa6.jpg.optimal.jpgThe pump is primed for success on the River Common in Wilkes-Barre. (Times Leader file photo)