For those thirsty pedestrians and their four-legged companions venturing onto the Bicentennial Bridge, a special hydration station to quench their thirst has been installed at Deborah Cooper Park on Adrian's Island.
The water fountain, which is located at the beginning of the path to the bridge and just below the Gold Star Memorial on the north side of the state Capitol, can serve adults, children and pets and has a station to fill water bottles.
The biggest plus: The water is chilled.
Brent Haas, manager of operations for Missouri American Water in Jefferson City, said Mayor Carrie Tergin approached the company about the need for a hydration station at the bridge, and that set things in motion.
"In April, Missouri American began a grant program to put in hydration stations like this one around the state," Haas said. "This is one of the first to be put into service in the state."
Haas said Missouri American donated nearly $5,000 for the station, which has been in use for a couple of weeks.
"While we donated the funds to purchase the fountain, the city paid for the installation," Haas said.
Tergin added: "We knew with the amount of people using these facilities there would be a need for something like this. It's just the perfect spot for something like this."