Correction! The $30K Halloween price tag came from a T-S report, but further research indicates the clean-up cost from that devilish holiday totaled somewhere around $8,600 or somewhat more. In any case, cleaning up “human excrement” and clearing off graffiti is a lousy job.

Update: 8:47 p.m. Friend of LoCO Terrence McNally reports that rumors of a Santa Rosa SWAT team guarding the Plaza are unfounded – but “APD has rolled out their new disaster vehicle and it’s impressive.”

If you’d hoped to impress your fellow revelers with your statue-climbing skills, you’ll have to find another man of marble to mount — breaking with years of New Year’s Eve tradition, President McKinley (and surrounding planter beds) are off limits as of this afternoon.

A history of holiday Plaza-trashing that culminated in over $30,000 of damage during Halloween prompted the new policy. Will the fence stand against drunks and drum circles? Will 2012 be ushered in on the wings of crowd cooperation or will the revelry-barrier spark confrontation? A passerby warned fence-installers the act of telling people they can’t do something might spark Oppositional Defiance Disorder (seriously!). Stay tuned…

Oh! For the formal word, the T-S went with the APD press release:

People can still gather at the Plaza but are expected to act responsibly and not engage in disruptive or illegal conduct, according to an APD release. Officials said acts such as graffiti vandalism, public urination, indecent exposure and the illegal climbing of the McKinley statue will not be tolerated. Additional law enforcement officials will be working.

Entry into the center area will be prohibited, and the consumption of alcohol and the possession of glass containers on the Plaza will result in citation or arrest. Discharging of fireworks in or near a crowd of people is a felony offense and will result in immediate arrest, officials said.