Repairs to Reagan Statue Underway

It’s been a month since a vandal the bronze statue of former President Ronald Reagan in Newport Beach, and officials say the sculpture will soon stand again. 

Dave Webb, the city’s deputy public works director, said the statue is being repaired at the foundry and another crew is fixing the granite base. Estimated cost: $7,000 to $10,000, which will be paid through public funds.

No return date has been set, but “once all the repair work is complete, the statue will be reinstalled on the existing granite base at Bonita Canyon Sports Park, including additional security measures,” Webb said.

The extra precautions - which are likely to include a security camera - are designed to thwart more incidents like the on Nov. 6, which happened less than a month after . According to a witness, the would-be thief tried to remove the statue by using a rope and attaching it to a truck. The botched theft left the statue tilting to its side.

The city is offering a for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for damaging the sculpture. Kathy Lowe, Newport Beach police spokeswoman, said the investigation has stalled.

"I spoke with Detective Carpentiari a few days ago and at that time there were no new leads in the case," Lowe said.