Tacoma struggles with solution for popular but oft-vandalized water sculpture

With vandals again damaging Tacoma’s popular Water Forest sculpture, the city is trying to figure out what to do and whether it’s worth the cost to fix it or just get rid of it.

The sculpture has drawn rave reviews and plenty of activity since its installation just outside the Museum of Glass in 2003. It’s common for kids to run through its streaming water on warm summer days.

The towering bronze and plexi-glass tubes form two rings, each filling with water provided by a complex pump system below.

But vandals have repeatedly knocked over some tubes in the interactive feature, prompting the city to spend $174,000 to re-engineer and reinstall the sculpture, said Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride.

After new cracks were discovered in some of the glass, McBride ordered the inner ring of eight tubes be removed to prevent further damage.

New estimates have determined it could cost upwards of $250,000 to redesign, reinforce, and reinstall the tubes.

Is it worth it? McBride will meet with the Tacoma Arts Commission and a number of experts Monday evening to discuss some of the potential options.

“It’s such a big decision. If it does indeed cost an additional $250,000, how long is that for? Do we commission a new work for that money and still use the water system that’s functioning fine? Is there an extra $250,000 that’s magically out there?”

Adding to the challenges, the city must comply with artist Howard BenTre’s original vision and intent, meaning they can’t simply put up a fence since he always wanted it to be interactive.

“That’s kind of the fine line with this that makes it more complicated than just a regular fountain,” she said. “The bottom line is we have to be good stewards of the public dollars, so that’s why we’re taking our time with it.”