Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe NORTH MANKATO, Minn., July 11 (UPI) -- Police in North Mankato, Minn., said they have taken measures to stop the city's Centennial Park fountain from being flooded with soap. Since the fountain opened for the season, vandals have "soaped" it at least 10 times, flooding the monument with bubbles, The Mankato Free Press reported Tuesday. Advertisement "Baby-sitting a fountain just isn't a good use of our time," says Capt. Wayne Hoffman of the North Mankato Police Department. After each incident, a number of steps must be taken to clean the fountain to prevent the bubbles from causing damage. "It's not continuous work, you can do other things while you're doing it," said Russ Johnson, the city's parks superintendent. "It's more of a nuisance." However, the act is a crime, police said, and they have taken to closing the fountain earlier in the evening to prevent it. Hoffman said officers will also be paying closer attention to young people near the monument.
