Soaping of Mission Hills fountains carries steep price tag, say city officials

The Belinder Circle fountain was among the three soaped over the Memorial Day weekend.

Mission Hills administrators took space in the most recent issue of the city’s newsletter to encourage residents to alert authorities if they see “suspicious activity” around local fountains — an effort to avoid another rash of “soapings” that can cause the city thousands of dollars to clean up.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, three Mission Hills fountains — at Belinder Circle, the Verona Columns, and 59th and Oakwood — were soaped. The clean up efforts took the maintenance staff’s time plus the cost of the chemical used to defoam the water and replacement parts for damaged fountain pumps.

“It may seem like harmless fun,” reads the newsletter article, “but it is costly and damaging.”