Soap Lake lava lite may come together

Pre-construction design proposal expected soon

SOAP LAKE - Soap Lake is working with the original engineers of the lava lite to facilitate the construction of the project.

Mayor Wayne Hovde said he held a conference call with the original engineers to discuss a pre-construction proposal.

The lamp will be built 360 degrees around, he said. The Plexiglas portion where the simulation lava is held, may only be 270 degrees around.

For $20,000 the city will receive the pre-construction design.

The design includes a three dimensional model and a computer program simulating the lava lite parts to understand how to build it, Hovde said.

The engineers will evaluate the parts of the lava lite stored at the Port of Ephrata to determine what can be used for the project and what can be sold or thrown away. They will determine the parts in need of shelter and the parts to be placed at the lava lite site to avoid further storage at the port.

Hovde said some of the parts, including the gears, can be sold.

Originally it was thought no parts of the lava lite could be sold because of licensing issues with the original creator of the lava lamp, Hagedorn.

City Attorney Jim Whitaker said Hagedorn representatives didn't initially understand the project because they hadn't seen it before. They were concerned boiling lava-like liquid would injure people, he said. He explained there is no lava-like substance in the lite. It was originally gears simulating lava and will eventually be stage lighting to simulate the lava.

"It's a fancy neon sign," Whitaker said.

He said some of the parts such as metal beams and gears can be sold because they don't look like the lava lite. The exterior parts would have to go to the landfill to avoid possible trademark infringements because it resembles the lava lite.

A proposal for how to move the lava lite and where to store the pieces is expected Nov. 7, Hovde said.