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USING ROCKS TO FIX WHAT HAS BEEN A GROWING PROBLEM OUTSIDE. MARLEI: THAT IS WHAT CUSTOMERS EXPECT TO SEE AT PIPE WORKS CLIMBING GYM. WHILE OUTSIDE, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS LINE THE PROPERTY, A SURPRISE FOR NEWCOMERS. >> WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE GETTING INTO WHEN WE BOUGHT THIS PROPERTY, BUT IN THE LAST THREE TO FOUR YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN PVIRTUALLY SURROUNDED BY HOMELES ENCAMPMENTS. MARLEI: THE GENERAL MANAGER SAYS THEY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. >> IT NEARLY MELTED THIS METAL. IT TWISTED THIS METAL. MARLEI: AS HOMELESS PEOPLE STARTED A FIRE THAT SPREAD TO THE GYM THIS WEEK. >> YOU WILL SEE IT WENT UP OVER 25, 30 FEET. MARLEI: ON THE OTHERS OF THE -- OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL, FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISHED HOTSPOTS TUESDAY NIGHT AND PIPEWORK HAS TO REPLACE PANELS, FRAMING, AND INSULATION. >> IT MIGHT HAVE BURNED THE WHOLE PLACE DOWN. MARLEI: RIGHT OUTSIDE, THIS STREET USED TO BE FILLED WITH EVEN MORE HOMELESS PEOPLE, WHICH IS WHY THE BUSINESS PUT THESE BOULDERS IN PLACE, TO PREVENT THE GROWING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS. PIPEWORKS SAYS THIS STRETCH IS THEIR PROPERTY AND THEY WORKED WITH THE CITY BEFORE PLACING THE BOULDERS. THE CITY TELLS ME THEY ARE LOOKING INTO IT. PIPEWORKS SAYS THEY HAVE TO ADDRESS THE HOMELESS CRISIS THAT HAS REACHED THEIR STEP. >> I HAD A MEMBER QUIT THE OTHER DAY OVER SOME DIES WERE SHOTING UP OUTSIDE THE GYM. MARLEI: HE SAYS YOUTH ENROLLMENT HAS DROPPED BY 1000 KIDS IN THREE YEARS BECAUSE OF THE HOMELESS ISSUE. >> GOOD JOB. MARLEI: THE OLDER SISTER CAN SEE WHY. >> I DO NOT FEEL SAFE PERSONALLY HAVING THEN NEAR THIS PLACE, ESPECIALLY IF THERE’S FIRES AND THEY LIVE NEAR HERE, BECAUSE IT IS DANGEROUS. MARLEI: MEDFORD SAYS THEY ARE WORKING WITH THE CITY, POLICE, AND BUSINESS DISTRICT. THE COMPANY AND CUSTOMERS HOPING FOR RELIEF. >> IT IS KIND OF SAD BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A LOT OF PROFESSIONALS IN HERE, WHITE-COLLAR, WORKING-CLASS PEOPLE, AND THEN OUTSIDE, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW THE HOMELESS. , IT SEEMS LIKE A STARK JUXTAPOSITION. MARL

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A Sacramento rock climbing gym is trying to address the homeless crisis that has reached their doorstep. >> Download the KCRA 3 appPipeworks general manager Vaughn Medford said the gym has had to deal with drug use, human feces and most recently a fire on their property because of the homeless issue.“It really has a negative effect on what we do here for sure,” Medford said.This week, Pipeworks is working to replace panels, framing and insulation after a fire at a homeless encampment spread to the gym. According to Medford, a bed that caught fire was placed along the exterior wall of the gym last week. The flames spread to the gym and caused the evacuation of about 300 people inside.“It might have burned the whole place down,” Medford said.Staff, customers and firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading. But, the recent fire had shed light on the growing homeless crisis. “We knew what we were getting into when we bought this property,” said Medford. “But in the last three, four years we’ve been virtually surrounded by homeless encampments.”A couple weeks ago, Pipeworks placed dozens of boulders along one side of their property -- along North A Street, off North 16th Street -- to prevent the homeless encampments from growing. Medford said that portion of the street is Pipeworks’ property and that they worked with the city before placing the boulders. A city spokesperson said officials are looking into it.Medford said youth enrollment has dropped by 1,000 children in three years because of the homeless issue. “We had a woman that drove her child down from Chico to come from a climbing day,” he said. “She got out to Ahern and turned around, literally turned around and drove back to Chico.” Medford said a homeless woman once broke out a window and threw a towel full of human excrement into the gym while the staff was inside. He also said a member quit the other day after seeing people “shooting up” outside the gym.Myah Rodriguez takes her younger siblings to Pipeworks and said the homeless issue is worrisome. “I don’t feel safe, personally, having them near this place, especially, if they’re going to do fires and live near here because it’s dangerous,” she said.Customer William Maloney said it is sad seeing the homeless encampments outside of the gym.“Seeing the homeless encampments outside itself is kind of sad just because it seems like there’s a lot of professionals in here, white collar, working class people and then outside, of course, the homeless," Maloney said. "So, it just seems like a sharp juxtaposition of the city we live in -- it’s sad.”Medford said this is a complicated issue, and they are working closely with the city, business district and police.