For decades, the fountain in City Hall Plaza has been a maintenance nightmare, with incessant leaks and broken filters and motors. City officials have found a new solution to the problem: pave it over.
The fountain is now covered by a concrete slab the size of a baseball infield. While some see the possibility for hosting events like dances, markets, or an ice-rink, others say the bare slab does little to draw people to the plaza.
Photo: Globe Staff Photo / Wendy Maeda