Turning on the centerpiece of Hart Plaza

The spaceship-reminiscent Dodge Fountain in the center of Hart Plaza could soon be restored to its former glory, the Detroit News reports.

Driving the news: Hart Plaza is getting a $9 million facelift this fall using federal pandemic aid, so the fountain could be up and running again regularly by next spring.

• Recently the fountain runs only occasionally by the grace of "duct tape and prayer," city COO Brad Dick told the News.
• The lights and hundreds of jets of the futuristic-looking fountain also don't work correctly.

The intrigue: Also next spring? The 2024 NFL Draft.

The big picture: City officials want to revitalize the concrete-laden public plaza more holistically.

• "The design is very 1970s concrete, whereas designs people like to see today are more greenspace, having more shade to cool down, and we're trying to focus on those styles going forward," Dick told the News.

Flashback: Acclaimed sculptor Isamu Noguchi designed the fountain and Hart Plaza in an "ambitious," nearly decade-long effort in the 1970s, per the Noguchi museum.

Worthy of your time: "Hart Plaza's futuristic fountain might gush again. The story behind the effort"