Planks removed at Sarnia Bay Marina show where copper wire was stolen. Photo provided by Sarnia police.Planks removed at Sarnia Bay Marina show where copper wire was stolen. Photo provided by Sarnia police.
Sarnia

Year-round marina security being considered following thefts

Sarnia's parks and recreation director says dock repairs at Sarnia Bay Marina will take months to complete.

Rob Harwood said numerous planks were removed over the past month, and a number of conduits containing copper wire were cut from under the dock, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars damage.

"We actually discovered it when we opened up the dock area to prepare for the summer boating season," said Harwood. "Deck boards had been removed and put back in place, so it wasn't obvious that wiring was actually removed from the site."

He said the wiring serviced the picnic pavilion, dock lighting, hydro distribution panels, and individual boat slip receptacles.

"We've actually got plumbers and electricians on site because it's not only wire that was cut, but also plumbing lines and we've got a few weeks to prepare for the May 15 opening. Everybody is working at it diligently and we don't expect to have a delay in opening as long as we can keep things going and the weather cooperates," said Harwood.

Harwood said the theft was very dangerous.

"They [the suspects] actually had electric testers with them to make sure that they weren't cutting into live cable. So, they were quite sophisticated in how they did this project," he said. "It's just an ongoing problem. We'll have to obviously have better eyes on the site and it's unfortunate that all of our public facilities are faced with this kind of copper theft."

Harwood said they'll be investigating year-round security instead of just summer coverage as a result of the thefts.

He said insurance will cover most of the damage, but the deductible is high, so there will be a cost to taxpayers.

For safety reasons, the public is being asked to avoid any access to the dock facilities while repairs are made.

Dockside Restaurant is open and the public boat launch is still available for use.

City police have arrested four people in connection with the thefts, and are looking for more suspects.

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