ENMU Campus Fountain Gets Facelift

For those students and alumni returning to Eastern’s campus this fall, they will be greeted by a new sight in the middle of campus; a recently remodeled fountain. “It was a 1982 structure that needed a facelift,” says Dr. Patrice Caldwell. “The old fountain was very inefficient in terms of water, maintenance and money. We had students commenting that there were very few greyhounds on campus and we thought the 75th anniversary of Eastern would be a perfect time to add some to the centerpiece of campus.”

The fountain features two life-size statues of greyhounds facing the Campus Union Building while the opposite side consists of an arrangement of malpais stone with strategically placed water outlets. Various grasses and rock landscaping surround the structure which took only a month to complete. “At first when they were working on it, it was kind of a mess, but it turned out much better than I expected,” says Paul Montgomery, a senior graphic design major. “After seeing the empty fountain in the wintertime, I think it is much better because it will look attractive year round.”

The new design was created by Lance Switzer of High Plains Turf Farms Inc. in Clovis. Mr. Switzer redesigned the look of the fountain to have more of a water effect while using less water. The new design reduces water waste, maintenance and is aesthetically pleasing year round.

“We were very lucky to work with them. He designed it and one month later we turned on the water which was really amazing,” says Dr. Caldwell. In an effort to be more “green” at ENMU, the new fountain uses only 20% of the water that the old fountain used. In addition to the reduced water capacity, the water in use is constantly recycling and filtered for continuous use. More work will be done to the fountain according to Dr. Caldwell. “It’s such an attractive centerpiece and the dogs are so expressive,” remarks Caldwell. “I think it looks much newer and it is much more practical because it uses less water,” says Brittany Chrisman, a junior history major. “I love the greyhounds; they’re gorgeous.”

The revamped and “greener” fountain was dedicated during ENMU’s 75th anniversary Dawg Days freshman orientation, Aug. 15-18.