Lorain/Elyria, OH
Copper thieves strike old train station in Elyria
Damages of $75,000 prompt county to add security cameras
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| BRUCE BISHOP / CHRONICLE |
| The cupola on the top of the old train station was damaged when thieves and vandals stripped the building’s copper.
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ELYRIA — Copper thieves have caused so much damage to copper flashing and decorative panels on the historic New York Central train station on Depot Street that it will cost the county nearly $75,000 to repair.
“People are so bold,” county Special Projects Manager Karen Davis said.
She said she hopes the bandits will be caught when they try to sell the copper because county sheriff’s deputies have photographs of the decorative panels, which are quite distinctive.
The county also was forced to board the station’s windows after vandals entered the historic structure, scrawled graffiti and started a small fire, county Administrator James Cordes said.
County commissioners agreed Thursday with Cordes’ plan to install cameras costing about $4,000 and motion lighting costing about $19,500 at the station, which the county plans to eventually reopen as a transportation hub.
The cost of the lighting stunned Commissioner Lori Kokoski, who said she would have voted against the project if the money had come from the county’s cash-strapped general fund.
Instead, money will come from about $3 million worth of federal grants which are being used to pay for the building’s restoration.
Cordes said the security system would be needed when the building is complete. He said the lighting had to be extensive in order for the cameras to capture distinctive features of would-be thieves.
The county is insured but has a $5,000 deductible for each incident.
The historic train station, which has art deco elements, was used between 1927 and 1955 before being closed to train traffic.
It was used for several other purposes, including a cosmetology school, over the years until the building was finally closed in 1992.
The county has been working on the project for the past several years and plans to conduct work on the interior this year, Cordes said.
Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.
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Well, I guess you MIGHT have caught them until you told them that LCSO is on the look out for the distinctive panels. They probably already threw them in the river after reading this.
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The answer to catching these copper thieves is ONLY to find out where they are getting cash for the copper. SOMEBODY IN A SCRAP COMPANY IS BUYING THIS AND THEY MUST BE CAUGHT! There aren’t that many dealers, so put the stop to them and you will cut down the thievery if they have no outlet to sell.
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We had thieves break into an energized substation and steal copper wire. They managed to get away without killing themselves but it was a very dumb thing to do. There are a lot of stories of people getting killed in such attempts.
Recent changes in the law require people bringing semi-precious metal in for scrap to produce identification so that they can be linked to thefts. This has slowed down the theft of copper but the price of copper has been near record highs.
Vic Oeftering
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It would be nice to see rail transportation in the US. This would help offset the cost of fuel. After all, GM killed rail transporartion in the fiirst place just for this reason. I would LOVE to rid the train from Westlake, Avon/Avon lake/Elyria or Lorain down to The Lorain County Fair and other places throught NE Ohio.
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