(File photo)

Updated March 3 at 9:22 a.m. 

Dale Boyd

Osoyoos Times

An estimated $25,000 worth of tools were stolen overnight Feb. 26 from local contractors and volunteers who were donating their time to help renovate the new location of the Osoyoos Museum.

The break-in occurred sometime after 10 p.m. when a thief or thieves broke in through a side door to the museum currently undergoing renovations said Larry Stone, volunteer project manager.

“It was just awful, when I got the phone call this morning I almost threw up. All the guys, they put so much effort in. They come here and their tools are gone,” Stone said.

Volunteer workers had taken off the side door to the building and put in a temporary door, which was found smashed in on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 27.

One drywall worker had to source together tools to get through the day of work, and “for small local contractors, that’s a big hit to their bottom line,” Stone said.

“He’s got no tools so he can’t work this morning,” Stone said.

Chop saws, Hilti drills, a 65-lb concrete breaker, hand tools, impact guns and other cordless drills were among the stolen items Stone is hoping the public will keep an eye out for.

He estimates the total loss from plumbers, electricians and the personal tools of volunteer workers is around $25,000. Stone is asking the public to be on the lookout for some of the tools which may be marked with company stickers, or bright green dot stickers — or the tool owner’s names on them.

On Feb. 28 staff from the local Home Hardware brought cupcakes and a few replacement tools — a new circular saw, a cordless drill and cordless impact gun — for the volunteers.

“It helped replace a bit of the tools that were stolen,” Stone said. “It’s a nice gesture, and we’ve had other people of Facebook who say ‘hey if you need any tools I’ve got tons and I’ll loan them to you.’ So there’s been nice support that way.”

Most of Stone’s concern is for the local subcontractors who were volunteering their time to help with the community project.

“Small, mom and pop operations, or they’re owned by one person. To lose $15,000 or $5,000 worth of tools, that hurts the bottom line. Even with insurance coverage, by the time you pay the deductible of $5,000 you’re still out of pocket $15,000,” Stone said. “We don’t know whether our insurance will cover it. It may come down to the museum having to pay some of the costs of the tools.”

The work on the museum’s new location was stalled on Feb. 27 after the theft occurred, but volunteers were right back to it on Feb. 28. Stone said, according to police, the suspect or suspects have likely skipped town and the tools will not likely be recovered locally.

“They are somewhere across the valley or the border by now but you know, the police have a good idea of who it is,” Stone said.