WYOMING, Mich. — There is now a clearer picture on the cause and response to the two roof collapses at Godrey-Lee middle and high school in June. Superintendent Kevin Polston held a meeting with parents and the media Thursday night.
On June 5 a portion of the Lee Middle School and High School roof collapsed due to a structural failure, according to their press release. And another collapse in the same area happened on June 23 due to the weight of debris.
Damage, demolition at Lee Middle/High School
RELATED: 2nd structural collapse at Lee Middle & High School
RELATED: Roof collapse at Wyoming school
At the meeting, district representatives shared their findings about the causes of the collapse, an investigation into why it happened, and the current status.
"The structural engineer said the building is safe for occupancy at this time," says Godfrey Lee Schools superintendent Kevin Polston.
The cause of the structural failure
- Failure at bearing point of steel bar joists on west wall
- Joist seats corroded over time due to exposure to water
- The precise source of the water penetration is unknown
The investigation looked into
- Roofing assessments
- Maintenance requests for room 301, the classroom where the collapse occurred
- Schools Board of Education
- Government and school codes and acts
The current status
- Unstable and/or damaged materials have been removed
- Other adjacent areas have been shored and stabilized as a precautionary measure.
- Safety/firewalls in place to delineate construction area
- Fire alarm system, emergency lighting is operational in all occupied areas
- Additional demolition will occur prior to repairs
"They did go over a lot of concerns parents had," said Laura Saldivar, a mother who attended the meeting Thursday night."I feel comfortable continuing to have my children come here."
"They were just giving us the run around, that’s the way I see it," said parent Jesse Hinojosa, who also attended. "I mean, if something like this happened it is going to happen again ," he says gesturing to damage at Lee Middle High School.
The district is considering three options for restoring the building
- Restore existing structure
- Demo and rebuild existing design
- Demo and design master plan for site
Contractors also tested for asbestos, and say it does not present a health concern.
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter