Metal New Item for Thieves

Many burglaries have occurred in last six months at construction
sites
n By Serdar Tumgoren Staff Writer

Gilroy – Officials hoping to minimize delays on a year-long face-lift to Monterey Street now find themselves in a race against the rain.

A season of back-to-back storms could mean repeated work stoppages for construction crews looking to prepare soil for street paving. The dirt stretching along a two-block stretch of Monterey Street already has officials worried about “pumping,” a condition where unstable soil can give way under asphalt and cause early deterioration of a freshly paved road.

An exceptionally long rain season earlier in the year and various other snarls along the course of the project have pushed the construction schedule dangerously close to the start of the wet season, though rain does not necessarily mean a halt to construction, according to project manager Charlie Krueger.

“If we get a rain storm every three days, it doesn’t give us a chance to dry out,” he said. “If we get a break, it gives us a chance to work.”

Consistent rain, Krueger explained, would prevent work crews form performing preliminary grading work and testing of the soil. Such work will help the city fix problem areas or determine the need for a large-scale solution to “pumping” such as an extra layer of asphalt. Officials hope to avoid the latter fix since it could add $200,000 or more to the $4.1 million project cost, Krueger said.

The preliminary grading, expected to last about three weeks, cannot begin until PG&E crews complete work on gas mains along the west side of the road. That work could wrap up as early as next week. In the meantime, officials hope to shave time off the overall construction schedule by starting to install sidewalks at intersections and crosswalks.

Originally, the two-block stretch of road between Fourth and Sixth streets was supposed to re-open in July, with sidewalk work proceeding in phases in the following three months. Officials have said the project is at least two months behind schedule, but on Wednesday, they still had no specific end dates for downtown merchants.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Larry Mickartz, president of the Gilroy Downtown Business Association. Mickartz also inquired about end dates at last week’s meeting, held in the midst of the construction project at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce.

Krueger said the city and contractor Golden Bay Construction, of Hayward, would meet today to finalize a new contract with target completion dates.

“We’re working on completing the project as soon as possible, instead of ending up in court,” he said. “That doesn’t help any of the businesses downtown.”

The Streetscape project is one piece of a broader effort to revitalize the downtown. Businesses that weather the construction project, originally scheduled to finish in early October, will eventually face out onto a wider road and sidewalks with new trees, art installations and decorative street lamps.

Serdar Tumgoren, Senior Staff Writer, covers City Hall for The Dispatch. Reach him at 847-7109 or [email protected].

n By Marilyn Dubil Staff Writer

Gilroy – Copper thefts may be on the rise in Morgan Hill, but in Gilroy, it’s aluminum that’s the metal of choice for thieves.

The most recent cases of aluminum theft are believed to be linked to the same man, Roby Galbraith, 41. Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Galbraith June 27 after initial investigations lead them to his residence at Budget Inn on Monterey Highway. He will be in court today on petty theft charges.

Wednesday, aluminum was going for anywhere between .37 to .58 cents per pound, a far cry from what thieves get for copper, which was going for almost $3 per pound.

There has been two cases of copper thefts this year in unincorporated Gilroy, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy Doug VanderEsch said. Each of the cases involved utility cords taken from residences and stripped for the copper inside, with an estimated worth of a few thousand dollars.

Farmers should fence off their property and be more careful about leaving irrigation pipes out, VanderEsch said, especially in Morgan Hill where burglaries of construction sites and other locations where copper pipes, wires and fittings can be found are on the rise, with a recent theft at the Pacific Gas & Electric site on West Main Avenue at Crest Avenue.

There have been 10 cases involving theft of copper of some type in the last six months in Morgan Hill.

Morgan Hill police suspect the burglaries are related to drugs, with the thieves stealing the copper then recycling it for money to buy drugs.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Deputy Serg Palanov agreed.

“It’s (drug addicts) … not organized crime,” he said.

While officers are on the alert for these types of thefts, Morgan Hill police Sgt. David Swing said construction companies should also take preventative measures. Recycling companies should be on the alert as well.

“I think it is incumbent on recycling companies to be aware of what’s going on,” Swing said. “When someone brings in 25 pounds of copper wire, and that’s an easy amount to carry, maybe they need to question why, maybe that’s a clue. Why, if the wire is useable, don’t they return it to where they bought it and get more money for it? They need to see that as something where they say, ‘aha,’ where they realize something is not right.”

Twice during the early morning hours of Aug. 2 or late the night before, copper was stolen from construction sites. Wiring and pipe were taken from a house under construction on Espana Court, and sprinkler fittings and valves were stolen from a construction trailer on Arguello Avenue.

Two nights later, copper wire and pipes were stolen from plumbing and electrician containers at a construction site on Arguello Court.

Although developers may try to keep construction sites tidy because there are occupied homes nearby, putting storage containers in locations that are hidden away instead of out in the open may lead to burglaries, Swing said. The proximity of occupied houses may make thieves more cautious about breaking into locked containers in the open.

But construction sites aren’t the only targets. On the late evening of Aug. 5 or early morning of Aug. 6, copper wire valued at $400 was stolen from the PG&E yard at West Main Avenue and Crest Avenue. 

Police do not know if the same suspect or group of suspects is responsible for all of the thefts. 

Swing said some construction companies are finding it worth their while to hire nighttime security guards to patrol the sites. One of the guards alerted police on patrol to a suspicious vehicle in the area, which turned out to be a stolen vehicle. It’s not known if the suspect driving the car intended to burglarize the site.

Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at [email protected]. Jessica Thy Nguyen contributed to this story.