We are nothing more than citizens of our community. We’re not an organization, support group or committee. Rather, we’re just a couple of guys who thought of an idea, and came up with a plan for execution. We love running. We love the outdoors. And we believe that Lafayette is a special place to live and play.

We couldn’t have gotten here without a little help along the way. Huge thanks to these folks who have worked and are continuing to work behind the scenes:

• Videographer: Katie Napoli
• Water Fountain Designers: UL Industrial Design Students and Hector LaSala
• Plumber and Fountain Installer: Brandon Touchet
• Brick Layer: John Francis
• The Helping Hands: Drew Edmiston, James LeBlanc, Butch Roussel, David Wyble, Edie Riedel, Kevin Castille, Erin Edmiston, Elizabeth Greenman, Active Acadiana, and Zydeco Marathon. 

The Quick Facts.

• Purpose: To install drinking water fountains in various neighborhoods throughout Lafayette. The fountains will serve as a “hydration station” for runners, walkers, bikers, children playing, and of course, our pets.
• Funding Goal: $14,500.00. This is an ‘All or Nothing Campaign.’ If the project isn’t fully funded, your credit card is not charged.
• Days to reach goal: ~60 days.
• Fountain Target Areas: Saint Streets, White Subdivision, Upper Lafayette, Broadmoor, UL Campus, Freetown, and East Bayou Parkway (we’re still working on finalizing locations, and will provide in an update soon).
• Fountain Designs: There will be eight (8) fountains total. Four (4) will be designed by UL’s industrial design students in a competition through a school project called “Project No Waste.” Other fountains installed will be square/brick.
• Fountain installation and use: The project creators have sought feedback from people in the community to determine the most desired locations. Property owners have agreed to “adopt a fountain,” which means after installation, the property owner will maintain the fountain including paying for water utilities on a monthly basis.
• #hydratelafayette

What We Want?

Simply put, we want to install eight (8) filtered drinking water fountains in neighborhoods where people are most active. Lafayette is ever increasingly becoming a more active community. An active community is a healthy community and we would like to make physical activity here in Lafayette a little easier. The water fountains will serve as a ‘hydration station’ for runners, walkers, bikers, children playing in neighborhoods, pets, etc. The project goal is to install drinking water fountains for a funding goal of $14,500. Areas that have been targeted as possible locations include Saint Streets, White Oak Subdivision, Upper Lafayette area, Broadmoor, UL Campus area, Freetown, and East Bayou Parkway area. The intent is to target areas that are high in foot traffic. The water fountains will be designed by UL’s Industrial Design Department through a school project called ‘Project No Waste.’ Fountain designs will be chosen through collaborations with civicside.com, the Project Creator, the property owner, UL Industrial Design Professors, and/or voting through social media outlets.

We plan to accomplish this by seeking the help of the active community to help and crowdfund this project. A small donation today could materialize into multiple drinking fountains being installed throughout Lafayette.

Location Location Location.

Consulting the public was the only way to determine the ideal locations. In a perfect world, we would be able to install drinking water fountains in every nook and crevice that needed one. We sought feedback from thousands of runners during the Zydeco Marathon, who told us where they run and play. We created a map, and decided knocking on neighbors doors to see if they would be interested in “adopting a fountain.” At least 90% of our effort has been reaching out to folks in the community who live or work in high demand areas. Some property owners said no. Some said maybe. And others said, yes! We’re still working out some of the final locations, and promise to let everyone know as soon as possible where they’ll be. Here’s the target areas:

• Saint Streets
• White Subdivision
• Upper Lafayette
• Broadmoor
• UL Campus
• Freetown
• East Bayou Parkway

Why We Want It?

The real question is… Do you want it? Here’s a couple of reasons that we came up with. By all means, feel free to come up with your own reasons, and share with us:

• Runners and bikers have told us time and time again that their routes are mapped around water sources. Running the same routes every day to reach certain water sources around Lafayette can become monotonous. Additional water sources will make running easier and more convenient.
• We all love to walk our dogs. Taking the dog for a long walk means that both you and your pup will at some point need a drink of water.
• If knowing your neighbor has a drinking water fountain encourages you to take a jog around the neighborhood, then we’ve done our job. Enough said! 
• Running with water strapped to your hips can be annoying, inconvenient and heavy on the legs.

The Small Print.

Water Fountain Specification: The placement of the fountain will be on private property within close proximity to property owner’s water meter, and should be easily accessible to pedestrians. Each fountain location will be discussed and agreed upon by the property owner and Project Creator prior to installation. To ensure stability of the fountains, an approximate 4×4 ft concrete slab will be poured to serve as the base for the fountain design. The distance from ground to bubbler will be approximately 42 inches, and is considered an ideal height for young children and adults. See image below for additional specifications. To access water, the plumber will install a ‘T fitting’ on the main access water line near the water meter. Between the ‘T fitting’ and water fountain will be a shutoff valve and water fountain (both housed in an accessible box underground). The shut off valve will allow the ability to shut off water from the fountain without shutting off the entire water supply from the water meter.

Water Fountain Installation: The water fountains will be installed by a licensed/insured master plumber, with the ability to purchase city permits, if necessary. During installation, the plumber has communicated risks in possibly damaging other piping during the installation of the ‘T fitting,’ particularly if the main water line is fragile galvanized piping. The Project Creator has considered this possibility and will make every attempt to pay for additional labor to remedy the problem as project funds allow.  The property owner should expect the trench to be filled back with dirt. The project or project funds will not be responsible for planting grass for re-growth.

Water Fountain Maintenance: Where the Project Creator is responsible for providing the funds for the installation of the water fountain, the property owner is responsible for the maintenance and agrees to keep the fountain in clean condition and working order. As part of this agreement, the homeowner also agrees to pay appropriate utilities for water and sewage, and recognizes that civicside.com and the Project Creator is NOT responsible for these utilities. The property owner should consider creating a safe pathway, free of obstruction, walkway to the fountain from the road so that it can be accessed freely and safely by walkers and runners. The property owner should also consider landscaping and/or solar lighting around the fountain to ensure attractive appeal in your neighborhood.

Project Liability: The property owner understands and acknowledges: (1) the water fountain creates an express invitation for individuals to lawfully enter their property; (2) the property owner may be liable for any injuries or damages sustained by individuals lawfully on their property; (3) the property owner must maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition for individuals to use the water fountain; (4) the property owner must periodically inspect the water fountain and the surrounding property for any potentially dangerous conditions; AND (5) civicside, LLC and/or the Project Creator are in no way responsible for any injuries or damages which occur on the property owner’s property.

How Can You Help?

We feel that the community stands to benefit from this project. We ask for a contribution, or just to let your friends know about the project. If successful, our goal is to begin installation of the fountains beginning July 2015. The biggest way in which you can help is to spread the word that this project is underway and seeking the help of the community to help make it a reality.