Houston's Mecom Fountain had its lights stolen

(5/26/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- A Houston landmark, one many of us recognize, isn't so visible now. Someone stole the lights out of the Mecom Fountain on Main Street making it hard to see at night. Now, some people are worried it will attract trouble, too.

Several times a week Chris Arhelger runs in The Museum District with her four watchdogs by her side.

But lately she says it seems to have lost something. Darkness falls and the fountain seems to disappear.

"It's dangerous, people don't notice when they are crossing," she said.

Angeles Rojas doesn't understand how almost 300 lights were stolen from the fountain in the first place.

"Here they are in the middle of hundreds of people going by every minute and nobody noticed," Rojas said.

City council members Ada Edwards and Peter Brown are asking the city for funds to replace the lights. The mayor says it may be a part of the next budget.

The rooms at the new Hotel Zaza have a picture perfect view of the bubbling water. While the chandeliers are aglow inside, many fear the darkness outside could invite trouble.

"We have 24 hour security at the hotel and we've offered to add that on our route to help keep that secure 24 hours a day," said the hotel's general manager John Remmers.

Remmers says as long as it's this dark, security officers at the new hotel will patrol the fountain and surrounding areas both day and night.

"Ultimately I'd like to get the lights turned on as soon as possible and brought back to the grandeur fountain that it is," he said.

The parks department estimates it will cost more than $100,000 to turn the lights back on. That doesn't even include the labor. While the city searches for that money, police are still looking for the thieves.

In 2003, the fountain underwent a million dollar renovation. The city of Houston approved the project after several cars hit the aging fountain and two side bowls of the fountain had stopped working.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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