Los Angeles port gushes over $9 million ?water feature?

Los Angeles port gushes over $9 million ôwater featureö What do you get when you hire the designers of Las Vegas’ Bellagio Hotel fountains and add a large, wedge-shaped parcel of empty land in an area virtually devoid of foot traffic?
   If you are the Port of Los Angeles, you get a spectacular $9 million reflecting pool with dancing waters at the intersection of a freeway off-ramp and the entrance to a cruise terminal parking lot.
   The Gateway Plaza Fountain, which also features piped in music and choreographed lighting for nighttime displays, is the northern lynchpin of a narrow buffer zone that the port has been developing for some time. The 80-foot-wide strip of land runs for just under a mile and separates the eastern edge of downtown San Pedro and the western edge of the port. Called the Promenade by port officials, the buffer area also features replicas of early-1900s electric tramcars shuttling back and forth on a 1.5 mile route.
   Port officials are inviting the public to a dedication of the Gateway fountain 7 p.m. Friday.
   The 18-inch-deep pool has been finished for some time and despite the lack of area foot traffic, has been attracting enough adults and children trying to take a dip that port officials had to post warning signs to stay out.
   The port, which describes the pool and water spraying fixtures as the “signature water feature” along the buffer strip, has also posted a security guard to make sure visitors enjoy the fountain only from the safety of dry land.
   Additional details about the dedication can be found at the port Web site at www.portoflosangeles.org.