At first it seems cute, laughable even.
Giant masses of soap bubbles overflowing from the borders of the Ross Street Plaza fountain. Wads of soapy suds floating in the air and down the street. It may look just like a harmless prank or some good, clean fun.
But there’s another side to that coin.
According to Downtown Salmon Arm, the fountain has been soaped 26 times, including every Saturday night for the past nine weeks.
To those who have to maintain the public area, it’s a royal pain to clean the fountain and ensure that the parts are not going to become clogged. The whole process takes three hours of a city worker’s time.
That’s when the prank becomes even less amusing. All that cleaning comes with a cost, and again, Downtown Salmon Arm reports that is $6,000 this year alone. That’s money that comes from all the citizens of Salmon Arm, and we feel confident it’s not something taxpayers are happy to fork out.
So, whoever you are, put away your detergent and knock it off.