Precision Pool recovering after vandalism

Precision Pool suffered a $300,000 loss in September after authorities say an 18-year-old man and two 19-year-old men breeched the construction site for Crackerneck Creek, a $200 million, 180-acre lifestyle development that will be anchored by a 150,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.

Precision Pool was building an 80-foot waterfall for Bass Pro when the vandalism occurred.

Bruette said three of his eight pieces of equipment were insured, but he still had to lay off six of his 14 employees, four of whom hail from the Springfield area.

“It was a pretty devastating loss to us,” Bruette said.

Bruette is hopeful that he’ll eventually be able to rehire his former employees. He’s since bought a new crane, and construction on the waterfall has resumed.

The Kansas City Star reported that on Nov. 3, the Jackson County prosecutor charged Joshua Bacus, Jason Culbertson and Christopher Walters each with five counts of tampering and one count of first-degree property damage, which combined could land each of them in prison for as much as 39 years.

See SBJ’s Nov. 20 issue for more on Precision Pool Inc.’s recovery.