A garden and fountain in the center of Medford serve as a tranquil space that “inspires humanity” as it honors the four victims who died during and in the immediate aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.

The Krystle Campbell Peace Garden memorializes one of Medford’s own who died in the tragedy that shattered Greater Boston, but at the same time, made it resilient.

But for the last several years, the garden has sat lifeless along the bustling streets of Medford Square, next to the city’s Senior Center and nearby Interstate 93. The fountain is dry, and city councilors say they are looking to rectify the issue as soon as possible.

“It has been really disheartening,” Councilor George Scarpelli told the Herald on Friday, “and for some reason, we don’t get the answers that we’re really looking for from the city. It’s not as transparent as people would like to think our government is.”

Last Monday marked the eleventh anniversary of when terrorist brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev bombed the 117th running of the marathon, killing Krystle Campbell and two other spectators, Martin Richard and Lingzi Lu. Hundreds more were injured. Two police officers, Sean Collier and Dennis Simmons, died in the aftermath.

Campbell, a 2001 Medford High School graduate who went on to study sociology at UMass Boston, died at the age 29.

In response to a Herald request for information regarding the garden’s desolate state, the Mayor’s Office highlighted how city officials turned the water off during the pandemic but failed to power it back up due to technical issues with a sump pump that had been flooded and installed without an alarm.

A donation-funded trust overseeing the garden is responsible for covering the costs for the maintenance, repair and upkeep of the space, said Steve Smirti, director of communications.

City officials solicited bids for the repairs but they “came back much higher than anticipated,” and Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn had allocated $68,000 in federal pandemic relief funding to help offset costs, Smirti said, adding the trust “declined to move forward with the repairs.”

“With the trust not willing to fund the repairs, the City then moved forward on its own with fixing the fountain,” Smirti said in an email. “It should be up and running by sometime next week.”

An organizer for the trust declined to comment on the issue.

Scarpelli brought the situation forward during a council meeting last Tuesday, and councilors sided with him that repairs to the garden and fountain had to be immediate.

Councilor Justin Tseng recalled how the city banded together to create the space, with former Mayor Mike McGlynn spearheading the effort by driving an effort that raised more than $1 million in donations and grants for it to come to fruition.

“This is just a thing of accountability,” Tseng said. “The rules are written out pretty clearly. …  We should be able to do it, it shouldn’t be a problem. Evidently, we’ve fallen flat.”

The garden includes a mile marker walk representing each of the eight cities and towns that the Boston Marathon runs through and other notable specific locations like Heartbreak Hill. It also features a large compass which the water fountain stands in the middle of, with memorial plaques around it in honor of Campbell, Richard, Lu and Collier.

“The central water jet symbolizes the spirit of humanity and our quest for world peace,” a display board at the garden reads. “The four shorter surrounding water jets are aligned along the compass points and each represents one of those whom we lost.”

Residents and community members came together in September 2016 for the formal dedication of the garden, but because of its decrepit shape, groups have looked elsewhere to hold events over the past few years, Scarpelli said.

“Sadly, after many years, the marathon memorial fountain is still not working,” resident Andrew Castagnetti told councilors. “This is typical of Medford. It’s a damn shame.”

A Peace Garden in memory of Boston Marathon bombing victim Krystle Campbell has fallen into decrepit shape in Medford. (Libby O’Neill/Boston Herald)