One aspect of NIU’s landscaping that was not apparent to some will soon be visible again.

The fountain outside Cole and Neptune halls should be fixed by June or early July, said Mike Saari, associate director of NIU’s Physical Plant.

The fountain had mechanical problems when it was installed during the fall of 2003, Saari said.

“It’s more than likely a problem with the pumping system,” Saari said. “The system probably either failed or has been obstructed.”

Budget constraints have kept the fountain from being fixed. The Physical Plant must focus on the right things, Saari added, because the maintenance budget is always stretched thin. Other things on campus have been higher priorities for the Physical Plant, he said.

“If we have to choose between fixing an elevator and fixing a fountain, obviously we will choose to keep the elevator moving,” Saari said.

The Cole Hall fountain is one of six fountains on campus. Some students have not noticed the fountain because it has been broken since they have been at NIU.

“[The fountain] is not a big deal to me since I had not noticed it,” said Brian Rohde, a freshman computer science major, “but they might as well fix it since it is there.”

Senior criminology major Ariane Dickerson has noticed the fountain and thinks it should be fixed.

“There is no purpose for the fountain if it is not going to work,” she said. “If there was going to be a problem with it, then it should not have been put there in the first place.”

Once the fountain is fixed, it will not cost much money to maintain, Saari said.

“It is designed to be self-sustaining,” Saari said. “So it will only need to be checked once per month when it is fixed.”