Thieves steal expensive posts from future pavilion at Ohiopyle
On Tuesday, 10 wooden posts were set up and bolted to cement at Ohiopyle State Park for the construction of a new pavilion.
Submitted photo On Wednesday, the 10 wooden posts, each ranging in cost over $100, were stolen from the pavilion.
Submitted photo
On Wednesday, the 10 wooden posts, each ranging in cost over $100, were stolen from the pavilion.
A future pavilion at Ohiopyle State Park was the target of thieves last week when expensive posts were stolen from the project after the first day of construction.
“I’m really upset and concerned,” said Liz Tavares, a volunteer with Friends of Ohiopyle, a nonprofit organization of volunteers working to maintain trails and complete projects at the park.
Tavares said the organization has relied on funds raised from the annual Music in the Mountains and Winterfest to pay for various projects, one of which was to have an outdoor classroom/pavilion at Sugarloaf Sledding area ready for the next Winterfest in February.
After being able to raise the funds, obtain permits and getting everything in place, Tavares said construction of the pavilion started on Oct. 16 where the foundation was cemented and 10, 12-foot-long 8×8-inch wolmanized wooden posts were set in place and bolted to the concrete.
However, sometime between 2 p.m. that day and the early afternoon of Oct. 17, it was discovered that the 10 posts were dismantled and stolen from the site.
“Someone took time to get that wood out of the ground,” Tavares said.
Not only were the posts set in the concrete in order to prepare for the next step in the project, they’re pressure-treated wood with preservative to provide structural protection from termites and fungal decay.
“Because they’re treated, they’re expensive,” Tavares said and while she didn’t know the exact price of the posts, an Internet search showed the cost of a post in the same measurements can be over $100 per post.
Tavares said not only was she upset over the number of grilled cheese sandwiches and T-shirts they needed to sell at the festivals to raise money to pay for the materials as well as the tax dollars in park-employee labor to help build the structure, but the theft of the posts has set the project back from the targeted opening for February as the organization has to raise money for more posts.
“Hopefully, somewhere along the line, people can donate or help to raise money for the post so they can continue the construction,” Tavares said.
With state parks going through funding cuts, Tavares said the park has really depended on the organization to enhance parts of the park through the dedicated hard work and time put into such projects.
“Then someone comes and in a matter of hours, steals it,” she said. “That’s just unbelievable to me.”
Anyone with information on the theft is asked to contact the Ohiopyle State Park office at 724-329-8591.