Floozie in Jacuzzi attacked by business group
Jun 24 2010 by Jon Griffin, Birmingham Mail
BIRMINGHAM’S famous “Floozie in the Jacuzzi” has lost her glamorous appeal and is turning the city centre into a damp squib, say business leaders.
Business Voice WM says the fountain is all too often out of order due to long-standing leakage problems.
And the lobbying group has written to Sharon Lea, the council’s strategic director of environment and culture, urging speedy action to prevent it from ruining the city centre’s image.
BVWM’s Gary Saunders, who represents the West Midlands Chambers of Commerce and is business development manager of Erdington-based Churchill Office Solutions, attacked “the poor impression that is being given of the city”.
Mr Saunders said: “Victoria Square is a key feature of Birmingham to tourists and inward investors but the city does not show itself to its full advantage when the fountain is often not operating.
“This gives an odd impression that the city is not fully functioning as well as it should when a key architectural feature that has been developed, in part, to impress visitors and highlight civic pride, is out of order.
“It is small touches such as this that can have a disproportionate impact on people visiting Birmingham for the first time.
“We appreciate the city council is working hard to improve the image of Birmingham such as the work to revamp New Street Station,” Mr Saunders added.
“We applaud these moves but also propose that the small step of ensuring the Victoria Square fountain is working would create a positive impact on the first impressions people receive when entering this lovely area.”
The much-loved sculpture of a woman reclining in a water fountain is officially known as River but has long been affectionately nicknamed by Birmingham citizens as “The Floozie in the Jacuzzi”.
Mr Saunders said the city’s most famous water feature had suffered from leakage problems going as far back as 2002.
The water feature was installed in 1993 when Victoria Square was pedestrianised and remodelled.
