Nighttime games scheduled tonight and Tuesday at the Sacramento Softball Complex have been canceled after thieves stole copper wiring and electrical equipment from Del Paso Regional Park.
Greg Narramore, parks and recreation superintendent with the city of Sacramento, said the theft occurred late Friday night or early Saturday morning. The complex is located near Interstate 80 and Watt Avenue. The thieves took large copper wiring and other equipment linking SMUD power lines to the park's main circuit, he said, adding that wiring and equipment also were stolen from AT&T facilities at the site.
"We have no power. The lights are out and our well - we can't flush the toilets," Narramore said.
The complex also was left without phone service.
Narramore said portable toilets and bottled water were brought in, allowing daytime games to be played during the weekend. But he said 32 adult softball games - 16 tonight and 16 Tuesday night -- have been canceled and will be rescheduled later in the season.
Repairs are expected to be completed Wednesday. A cost estimate for the repairs was not available, but Narramore said it will be thousands of dollars.
City parks are among facilities throughout the Sacramento region that have been targeted by thieves who steal copper wire for its recycling value. Other sites have suffered worse damage, Narramore said, but this incident is of particular concern because it involved high voltage lines and equipment.
A Roseville man was electrocuted in February as he tried to cut a high-voltage power line to steal copper wiring from a SMUD box at Harry Renfree baseball field near Auburn Boulevard and Watt Avenue, not far from the site of last weekend's thefts.
Aside from the damage to facilities and disruption of activities, Narramore said, the thefts pose considerable physical risk for thieves.
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