The symbolic "Baker's Fireman's Fountain" in Owego Village courthouse square is undergoing a complete restoration and organizers hope to have the project complete sometime this summer.
Wednesday afternoon, local officials went to the construction site to meet with members of the Owego Hose team for a groundbreaking ceremony that kicked off the restoration project. The 104-year-old Baker Fireman Fountain was last restored in 2000, and is located in the center of town.
“The Owego Fire Department is real big in this community, represented above that is a completely volunteer fire department is the Baker Fireman fountain... unfortunately it had fallen in disrepair, so we took it upon ourselves to raise the money and get the work done,” said Patrick Gavin, Volunteer with the Hose Team. “It's going to get a new waterline and a new water source, a new pump. We're going to put in a memorial brick walkway and we're going to put in a Maltese cross surrounding the fountain that will honor Owego's five fallen firefighters.