Damages of $75,000 prompt county to add security cameras

BRUCE BISHOP / CHRONICLE

The cupola on the top of the old train station was damaged when thieves and vandals stripped the building’s copper.

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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