Council deferred approving the purchase and installation of a drinking water fountain in farmers' market square during Tuesday's meeting, citing concerns about accessibility, location and the $30,000 cost.
Following up with a motion made by Coun. Scott Hamilton in the spring, city staff recommended the model and location in a report to council last night.
It came with a recommendation to install the amenity as a placemaking pilot project that can be used to inform future installations in each of the city's core areas.
Adding the drinking fountain to the market square would give added weight to the city's efforts to make the farmers' market eligible to be named a bike friendly destination, staff said.
It would also encourage more active transportation throughout the city and "transform the market into a more dynamic and inviting space," said delegate Emily Sousa, who sits on the market's advisory committee.
After researching the amenity in other municipalities, staff found the price for public drinking fountains range from around $6,000 on the low end, to about $17,000 on the high end.
The one staff is recommending comes in at around $12,000 before tax. The city's choice was made after hearing feedback from other cities who had purchased cheaper versions and ran into mechanical issues and down time with their fountains.
The City of Waterloo's recent pilot with a temporary fountain hooked up to a fire hydrant in Waterloo Town Square cost around $7,000.
The fountain Cambridge aims to purchase is fully accessible and features a dog bowl and bottle filler in addition to regular drinking taps at different heights. It also chills the water to a set temperature.
"So basically you get what you pay for, so you might as well pay for something good," commented Hamilton.
Installation of the fountain will cost an additional $15,000 because it taps into an existing water line.
Changing the location would change the price of installation, staff said.
"It just seems a lot to me," said Mayor Jan Liggett after questioning the cost of installation.
Since it won't be functional until the spring at the earliest, she wanted council's decision deferred to give staff a chance to take it to the accessibility advisory committee and also to give council a chance to view the model, "so we know what it is we're paying for here."
Coun. Sheri Roberts agreed the committee should get a chance to view the unit and its location to ensure the area is AODA compliant. Staff said it chose the model because it meets all AODA specs.
Coun. Adam Cooper wanted assurances that it was "tough enough" to suffer the impacts of vandalism.
Staff said it's the same model used by the City of Toronto and the City of Kitchener and both have done well in those downtown environments.
