Photo: Chris Schoenne

EllisDon has just completed work on a 40-unit affordable housing project downtown Penticton, but some facets of the finishing work may have been a bit too flashy for the neighbourhood.

Copper downspouts included on the Backstreet Boulevard building quickly became targets for local thieves.

“I saw those when they were first put up and I kinda figured they would go missing,” said local developer Chris Schoenne. “There was a guy going down Ellis today and he had the copper pipe in his shopping cart.”

Schoenne told the man he knew where the pipe was from and took it back from him. The man who had the pipe denied stealing it, and said he simply found it.

Once open, the building at 295 Backstreet will be managed by BC Housing to provide units to low-income families.