thieves steal wood stove from ATV club shelter (submitted)
A post-Christmas Grinch who wanted to warm up decided to take a wood stove from a shelter for ATV riders.
President of the Albert County Trailblazers Aron Tavender says they have four shelters on their trail system that runs from Hillsborough out to Salisbury and into Riverview.
They’re used by ATVers who need to rest and warm up for a bit.
On Sunday night, someone stole the woodstove from the shelter closest to the Tower Woods Road
“It was a plate steel stove, so it was heavy and we had members who reported that they had been in that building and the stove was hot at around 5 p.m. Sunday night. So it was done some time in the middle of the night,” Tavender says.
He says their club members were insulted, because the contents of the shelters are all donated, and the members volunteer their time for the upkeep.
“We’ve even had times where we have had members, fall through thin ice and get soaked. It gives them a place to go to warm up. If riders are out with their children, it gives them a place to go so they’re not standing out in the freezing cold the whole time,” Tavender says.
The Club has dealt with theft before, but nothing like this, “There are 54 clubs throughout the province. I know some other clubs who have had woodstoves stolen. About a month ago, we supply the shelters with firewood as well, and all of the firewood went missing from one of them,” Tavender says.
On a positive note, Tavender says, many members have since come forward donating parts and a woodstove, as well as their time so it can be installed quickly.
Tavender adds they’re planning on installing cameras in the hopes of preventing this from happening again.
(Photo: submitted)
(Photo: submitted)
