Pittsburgh's signature Point State Park fountain hasn't spouted off for almost a year, but it will be part of efforts to make a big splash for next month's Steelers-NFL kickoff concert and the G-20 Summit.

A temporary fix will allow the fountain's central column of water to once again squirt skyward during the free concert by the Black Eyed Peas and Tim McGraw in Point State Park before the Steelers-Titans game at Heinz Field Sept. 10, and at selected times during the G-20 Sept. 24-25.

The 35-year-old fountain at the Point hasn't been running because of piping, pump and electrical problems. One of its three pumps is inoperable and a second very "iffy," said Christina Novak, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which owns the 36-acre park.

"This is not a permanent fix. It's a temporary patch," Ms. Novak said of the fountain, which is still scheduled for a major overhaul next year. "We're trying to see, for those key periods, if we can get it running."

Cost of the temporary repairs and operation is about $4,000 and will be paid for by Alcoa, which is also providing engineering expertise to get the electrical system and pumps running.

"Our thinking was to take steps needed to get [the fountain] to a longer short-term fix that will keep it running until the renovation work begins," said Kevin Lowery, an Alcoa spokesman.

Although the work hadn't been bid yet, permanent repairs to and refurbishment of the fountain will cost approximately $5.5 million. Riverlife, a public-private partnership established in 2000 to advocate for the redevelopment of Pittsburgh's riverfronts, will kick off the public phase of its fountain fundraising campaign, dubbed "Friends of the Fountain," in September.

Riverlife already has received commitments totaling about half of the amount needed for the fountain work from corporate contributors including PNC Financial Services, Allegheny Technologies, U.S. Steel, PPG, Duquesne Light, Eat'n Park, Highmark and EQT.

A permanent fix for the fountain is part of the $40 million, four-year, Point State Park renovation project to improve the green spaces, recreational opportunities, historical installations and outdated amenities at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. The state is picking up about $25 million of the total cost.