« Photo: Designs for "defining moment" in Providence | Today | Hearing delayed again for suspect in fatal hit-run »

April 24, 2006

Water vandalism costs Blackstone $41,000-plus

BLACKSTONE, Mass. – The recent vandalism of a water-holding tank in this community of 9,000 cost the town just under $41,000 in direct costs -- but that figure doesn’t include the indirect costs, according to Town Administrator Raymond W. Houle Jr.

The $40,797.18 covers overtime for town employees and emergency personnel who responded after the vandalism, tank repairs and water reserves used to cleanse the system, according to town bills.

Harder to measure, though, are the indirect costs, Houle said. Those include the loss of business to the couple dozen mom-and-pop local businesses that had to close for two days and the psychological factors, such as how safe people in town feel about their water system, Houle said.

Houle said he would like to see the direct costs for the town reimbursed through the judicial process. “I certainly will make the court aware of that and ask for restitution,” he said. “I don’t know what the likelihood of getting it would be.”

Posted by Kate Bramson  at 12:58 PM | Permalink

Comments

Post a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)