The Leechburg Youth Baseball Association has its wood back.
After about $1,400 worth of lumber was stolen from the group recently, a local hardware store donated exact replacements on Wednesday as the association prepares to begin its season.
Covered with a tarp behind an equipment shed at Gilpin-Leechburg Park, the lumber was meant for repairs to field infrastructure, including its bleachers and dugouts, and the construction of a new concession stand, according to head of field and maintenance Ramon Sipolino.
Earlier this week, Sipolino said, he went to get a count of the wood while the association began field preparations. But he found neither wood nor tarp, realizing someone had stolen the materials.
“I didn’t really know how to feel because this is a small community,” he said.
Occupying its out-of-the-way spot throughout the winter, Sipolino said someone would have had “to go searching” to find the wood.
Taking to social media, association President Jonathan McLaughlin said he was “taken aback” by the immediate support the association received from the community.
Several local businesses volunteered to replace the materials, but McLaughlin said Stanford Home Center in Leechburg had replacement materials ready on Wednesday.
When they arrived, McLaughlin said he was “overwhelmed” by the whirlwind of events.
“The look on my face was probably priceless,” McLaughlin said.
Brian Potter, a sales representative at Stanford, said he received a call from the store’s owner soon after news of the theft spread on social media, instructing him to replace the materials.
In total, he said, it likely was around 1,500 pounds of lumber.
“It’s a shame it got stolen in the first place,” Potter said. “We definitely wanted to help out.”
The theft investigation is ongoing, according to Southern Armstrong Regional Police Chief Chris Fabec, but they have no suspects yet.
The field has no security cameras, and the chief said he was aware of previous thefts at that location.
Originally, McLaughlin thought the lumber was stolen over this past weekend, but now said it could have been taken prior to that.
For now, he plans to use donations from the community and money raised through an online fundraiser for improvements to playing surfaces, fencing and equipment for players who might not be able to afford it.
The association will begin using the replacement lumber, McLaughlin said, during its first cleanup day on April 12, if not sooner.
