Fence bandits strike twice, and city has little money for repairs

Unlike copper, which can be sold for scrap, a chain-link fence would seem to be pretty safe from thieves.

That's why city and school officials are baffled that several hundred feet of chain-link fence have disappeared from a ballfield and schools in recent days.

A 4-foot-tall fence around the baseball field at Carver Park and a chain link fence, possibly 6-foot-tall, at nearby Rudy Elementary School have been stolen not once, but twice.

“Remember when they were taking the copper out of the lights and stuff? This is kind of a throwback on that, only a little twist to it, you know?” a school District 11 security officer who declined to give her name said Tuesday. “I think what we need to do is figure out where somebody is building something that needs a big chain-link fence, and we might have found out where our fence is going.”

Up to 150 feet of fence was stolen from Doherty High School, probably Monday night, the guard said.

In all, bandits have ripped off about 660 feet of chain link fence.

Just a couple of days after the city replaced 60 feet of the 150 feet of fence stolen from Carver Park, thieves struck again.

The first time, the thieves took the fence fabric but left the rails, said Kurt Schroeder, the city’s park maintenance manager. After the city reinstalled 60 feet of fence it had in stock, the thieves took the fence as well as some of the top rails, he said.

“It’s shocking,” Schroeder said. “I mean, I’ve seen a lot in my 20-some years in the business. I’ve never seen chain-link fence stolen.”

The city, which is grappling with tight budgets, may not be able to replace the fence.

“We’re looking through our accounts,” said Paul Butcher, the city’s director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. “We have very, very little money left for what we call vandalism repair. Our intent would be to fix it because you can’t use the field without wing fences.”
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