Question: I've noticed that sections of concrete have been installed in front of several bus stops around Fresno. What are they for?

-- Pat Rose, Fresno

Answer: According to Kenneth Hamm, director of Fresno Area Express, the reinforced concrete pads replace worn-out asphalt in front of the bus stops.

"Over time, the stopping and starting [of buses] had taken its toll at many [stops], digging huge ruts in the streets and causing problems for some of our buses," Hamm wrote in an email.

Fresno Area Express used $1.2 million in federal funds on the project. The Dave Christian Construction Co. of Fresno did the work, pouring 60-foot-by-10-foot steel-reinforced concrete pads at 92 of Fresno's nearly 2,000 bus stops.

"These pads are engineered to withstand the constant pounding of 13-ton buses," Hamm wrote. "It's our understanding that these pads will stay solid for 20 years or more."

Q: I recall that years ago the Physicians Building at Fresno and P streets had a fountain and fish pond in the lobby. Is it still there and does the building have any official historical designation?

-- Maureen Walters, Madera

A: The Physicians Building at 2607 Fresno St. was built in 1926 for six doctors. The facility was the first of its kind during a time when many doctors had their offices in their homes.

The doctors -- J.L. Maupin, J.L. Maupin Jr., Clinton D. Collins, A.B. Cowan, Roland B. Tupper and C.M. Vanderburgh -- each had their own practice and specialty, including general surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and internal medicine.

At the core of the Spanish Revival-style building was a central court that featured an octagonal fountain and fish pond. It was eight feet across and was surrounded by a low stone wall that formed a bench.

Twenty-eight rooms led off the central court, grouped into office units. The brick walls of the one-story building were two-feet thick.

In the 1960s, new owners modernized the building, destroying many of its design features. The fountain and fish pond were "jackhammered into chunks ... and hauled away," according to a Fresno Bee story.

Fresno businessman and developer Robert N. Klein Jr. and others bought the building and spent about $300,000 to restore it by 1980, but the fountain and pond were not replaced.

The Physicians Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and to Fresno's Local Register of Historic Resources in 1979.

Q: What is the status of the Aquarius Aquarium?

-- Julie Enos, Fresno

A: Donations have dwindled, but the Aquarius Aquarium project is still in the works, said co-founder Tom Lang.

"Obviously, we're suffering from the effects of the recession. Donations have been down the last couple of years," Lang said. "But we're still raising money. We've got this concept: raise the money first and then build."

Lang and his wife, Aletha, own an aquarium business called Aquarius Aquarium. They founded the nonprofit Aquarius Aquarium Institute to build the $30 million saltwater and freshwater aquarium on 10 acres overlooking the San Joaquin River.

Tom Lang said about $4.9 million in cash and in-kind donations have helped the Institute secure the land, design and engineering work, site preparation and, most recently, 12 large aquatic tanks with viewing windows.

The Institute has held four fundraising and educational programs this year, with two more events planned in September and October.

To learn more about Aquarius Aquarium Institute, visit aquariusaquarium.org.