I.F. business owner: Vandals caused over $100,000 of damage to building - East Idaho News
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I.F. business owner: Vandals caused over $100,000 of damage to building

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IDAHO FALLS – The owner of a medical office that flooded earlier this week due to vandals estimates repairs will cost over $100,000.

Dr. Bruce Tolman has owned the Idaho Foot and Ankle Center on Elk Creek Drive for several years. He was in the process of retiring and turning his practice over to Dr. Kylin Kovac.

On Sunday night tens of thousands of gallons of water from a nearby canal poured into the building, filling the basement and inching toward the top of the stairs.

The water was from a nearby canal and police say it overflowed because somebody messed with a canal gate at First and St. Clair.

“The vandals were able to raise the gate about a foot, which introduced more water into the system than it could handle,” Tolman says.

Tolman says he and his staff aren’t sure where to go from here. They will have to replace virtually every piece of electronic equipment, the HVAC system, and everything else in the basement.

“We do not have a 100 percent denial from the insurance company yet, although it looks like they’re going to try to deny it,” Tolman says.

Tolman is asking parents to talk with their teenagers about where they were Sunday night and he has a message for the vandals who caused the flood.

“I suspect they had no idea what the ramifications were, but nevertheless it’s a very serious thing,” Tolman says.

Police are asking anyone who have saw or heard anything near the canal Sunday night to contact them at (208) 529-1200.

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