Bubbles appeared in the fountain at Gaiga Square on Third Avenue on Thursday morning to the surprise of many in the community.
Parks operations supervisor Rob Gaureault said that city staff used a neutralizer to counteract the substance that had been poured into the pool.
“It’s a little silly,” he said. “Probably just somebody pulling a prank.”
Stacey Gaiga, who owns the park with her husband Franco, said the issue “wasn’t vandalism, as the soap did not harm the fountain in any way.
“Putting soap in this fountain, with special equipment that we purchased, cleans the system.”
The Gaigas purchased the vacant lot and announced plans in 2015 to build a “pocket park” on Third Avenue at Angus Street that would be a public green space.
Gaiga Square in uptown Port Alberni celebrates its first anniversary this weekend. Stop and smell the flowers,… https://t.co/QLXsMIQQuE pic.twitter.com/AcJZLv4BQo
— AlberniNews (@AlberniNews) June 28, 2017
The park opened Canada Day weekend in 2016 with the unveiling of a commissioned piece of artwork by Tseshaht First Nation artist Gordon Dick of Ahtsik Gallery in Port Alberni. The cedar panel anchors the park at the corner of Third and Angus.
Gaiga was recently selected as a winner in Molson Canadian’s #ATasteofWhoWeAre campaign, which rewarded 150 Canadians who make Canada special with their own limited-edition red Molson Canadian beer fridge.
“My wife Stacey Gaiga, a ‘seventh generation’ Canadian, designed and built a public square for our community using our own personal savings,” Franco Gaiga wrote in nominating Stacey for the award.
“The town square features a mini arboretum with flower filled gardens, cedar seating throughout, a dancing colourful fountain and the entrance features a First Nations carved panel called ‘Teaching Foresight’ by renowned artist Gordon Dick. We bought the empty gravel lot, filled with needles, weeds and garbage, and in 2016, transformed it into green space. It is located in old uptown Port Alberni but the site is on traditional territory of the Tseshaht First Nations who have been living in the area for thousands of years.”
