Community Organizer? Leader? Me?

A year before Liz's passing, friends and members of the Austin City Council presented Liz with her sign at her home in Westlake Hills. Now, the fountain runs dry.

Two weeks ago I found out that the beautiful, ground level, interactive fountain smack in the middle of Austin, TX and named after the beloved Liz Carpenter was no longer working. This upset me on a couple of different levels. First, my three and a half year old son absolutely loves playing in that fountain on hot days which take up about six months out of the year here in Austin. Secondly, the fountain, which opened in 2007, was named after my close friend and mentor, Liz Carpenter. For those of you who don’t know who Liz is, she was the former Chief of Staff and Press Secretary to First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. Liz was like a grandmother to me. In fact, she sat in for my own mother (who died in 1993) at my 2003 wedding. I was one of an interesting string of people who once occupied Liz’s guest house. I think I officially hold the record for living there the longest– four years. Living with Liz was part grad school, part celebration, part therapy and a total adventure.

Kids cool off at the Liz Carpenter Fountain in Butler Park on one of Austin's many hot days.

So when I heard that Liz’s fountain was running dry only two months after her passing, I was shocked and upset. Not only were we heading into 100 degree weather, but the thought of this particular fountain losing its wet and wonderful wildness was just a litte too much to bear. You see, even though Liz died at the respectable age of 89, I still feel like her time had not quite come. Maybe because I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye the way I wanted to. Maybe because being a Mom for the last three and a half years prevented me from being with her as much as I wanted to be.

I remember going over to Liz’s when my son was around  two and a half years old. There was Ben, full of curiosity and energy, climbing all over chairs and running down the hallway, all the while screaming with joy. Liz loved it. I brought along a couple of snapshots of Ben playing in the fountain and I remember it brought her sort of a new brand of joy to see him and other children in a state of such Austin-tacious fun. This was a woman who, when I lived with her, would always send me down to H.E.B the first week of December to buy up a carload full of gingerbread houses, frosting and candy so that the various kids in her life could fill up her dining room (and sometimes her office) to assemble their holiday projects. The first time I did this, she sent me back to the store a second time because clearly I had not bought enough candy, and don’t I know that half the candy never gets put on the houses anyway because they get eaten right up and, also, wouldn’t we want just a little something for watching Seinfeld that night when the kids left?

Aside from the sentimental urge to become an instant steward of her fountain, I also realized that this lovely water feature ,with a perfect view of downtown Austin, had also become a joyful gathering place for thousands of children who come from every corner of the city. There is something uniquely magical about this wide open space at the foot of a towering, postcard perfect cityscape next to an arts complex and a wide, green open field. Combine that with the unfettered and uninhibited joy of crowds of familes and free-spirited children, it’s enough to put an actual lump in your throat– it’s so damn beautiful. Life.

There are no water fights here, no dunking, no obnoxious pushing into pools and being whistled or screamed at for running. If you have a spirited or disabled child, no worries. No one notices and no one cares. Moms don’t have to put on bathing suits. Get it?

Lots of Facebook folks showed up at the Liz Carpenter Fountain Rally on May 16, 2010.

But the City of Austin has turned the fountain off because it says that the filtration system simply can’t handle how popular the fountain has become. A system that was supposed to be cleaned out and maintained every six months is now being managed every 7-10 days. Only 150 gallons out of every 1800 gallons being pumped through the fountain are actually filtered. That could make people really sick. There are problems with the way the underground computerized maintenance system– designed by Canadians and not meant for Texas weather conditions– was designed and installed. Things are rusting, eroding and falling apart. And the grout that seals the Texas granite– which is the floor we all run across– is not up to par either. It all needs a big fix.

This is frustrating to me– so very annoying. The public messaging coming out of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department has been alarming, inconsistent and not that encouraging. First they were telling the public that the water will be turned back on, but no will be allowed to go into the water because it will not be filtered properly and will not meet state health regulations. Um, what? Then they said they are working hard to turn it back on in time for worst part of the heat. On the one hand they say it will cost $800,000 to properly fix everything that’s wrong with this fountain. On the other hand, they have absolutely no dedicated staff to actually take care of it. But I am not without some sympathy. I get that there are budget cuts and various interests and lots of red tape. I understand that there are lots of park projects that people are scrambling to find money for. But those are just not going to be good enough excuses when you’ve named a certain fountain after a certain “can do” type lady… especially one that has become so intensely popular. People are downright passionate about this fountain.

This prompted me to start a Facebook page and now, voila, apparently I am a community organizer. In two weeks, we have almost 750 members. I am in frequent contact with Liz’s family who supports the effort to keep safe, clean conditions in and around the fountain that bears Liz’s name. I am slowly learning

Liz Carpenter

 the subtle (and not so subtle) politics behind getting something inherently broken and unsafe, but which is wildly popular with the public, fixed. Sure, citizens approved an over $80 million bond for parks projects in 2006, but now I am being told that it’s all accounted for. Yes, they are building seven “splashpads” all over Austin BEFORE they fix the one that is so beloved already. One that is named after Liz.

I feel there are three possible outcomes: Liz’s fountain can either run dry, continue to run and become a health hazard for children possibly injuring them or the city can fix it. They can find the money– which I still believe is there– and possibly combine that with donations from the public if necessary. Maybe there’s a corporate sponsor who can swoop in and save the day.

One week after the Facebook page was up, and the day before a scheduled rally at the fountain, the Parks and Rec people assured me that the fountain would be up and running and up to code by peak season, which is sometime in June. I really, really want to believe that to be true, but for safe measure I am still encouraging FB members to come to the Parks Board meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, May 25 at 6 p.m. I want people to write to the Austin American-Statesman, the Austin Chronicle and to the Mayor and the City Council. I am proud of the media coverage this has generated, but we can not become complacent. Until we know for sure that longterm, permanent measures will be in place to protect and maintain the Liz Carpenter Fountain, I (and 750 of my closest Facebook buddies) will not rest.

I have been told I am now something of a community organizer. Maybe because I’ve written to the Mayor, talked to City Council people, met with a team at the Austin Parks and Recreation Dept., created a successful Facebook page, forged relationships with the Austin Parks Foundation and friends of Town Lake Park, organized a rally and secured media coverage with KXAN, KVUE and KUT. But really, I am listening to Liz’s voice in my head and in my heart and, more importantly, acting on her sage advice. I am not leading, just organizing and hoping against all hope that people will join me in protecting this extraordinary jewel that brings families together, fosters community, celebrates life and honors Liz. So please join me.

• Austin Parks and Recreation
• City of Austin
• Facebook
• Liz Carpenter
• Liz Carpenter Fountain