NEWS

Mass. man cited in connection with damage to fountain

Mark Reynolds
mreynold@providencejournal.com
Rick Simone of the Federal Hill Commerce Association inspects damage to the fountain at DePasquale Square the morning after it happened. [The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach]

PROVIDENCE — A 21-year-old Massachusetts man has been cited with “traffic violations” in connection with damage to the fountain at DePasquale Square, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Kyle Smith, of North Dartmouth, turned himself in to police on Friday, according to spokeswoman Lindsay Lague.

The vehicle that Smith was driving, the one that made contact with the fountain, was a Honda Civic, she said.

In an email, Lague said she had no further details.

The fountain itself, which had been the focus of planned renovation work, is more than just a few feet from nearby Atwells Avenue.

The damage knocked out parts of the large, chunky wall that contains the fountain’s pool.

According to the city’s website, the Board of Contract and Supply in September approved a $47,500 project by Weston & Sampson Engineering to repair the fountain.

The project included an engineering report and other work.

Soon after the incident, a spokesman for the city, Victor Morente, said that the assessment was completed in December. The long-term repairs were pending before the Board of Contract and Supply, Morente said.

An assessment of the recent damage to the fountain continues, Morente said Tuesday.

“We're in the late stages of a comprehensive assessment,” Morente said in an email. “We will have a clearer sense of possible next steps when completed.”