Brookside Elementary School Undergoes Repairs to Gymnasium Roof

Brookside Elementary School started the school year with a number of renovations done throughout the building, and part of the changes included repairs to the gymnasium roof. Students in grades K-3 will not be taking physical education classes in the gym for another 30-45 days until the repairs have been finalized.

When a lighter and more efficient heating and ventilation unit was hung in the gymnasium, workers saw a previously-repaired crack in one structure that exclusively supports the roof. 

The problem was discovered on August 31. The district wanted to take safe measures, even though there was no danger of the roof collapsing, and find a solution to address all support beams, said Dennis Verboys, Yorktown Central School District's director of facilities. 

He said he thinks the repair to the original beam was done approximately 20 years ago by putting in metal rods, which have remained there since. Now, the school is taking precautions by erecting scaffolding underneath the damaged area.

"We want to come up with a permanent fix to an already pre-engineered repair," Verboys said. 

The Brookside Elementary School building was built in the 1950s and it has the only gym in the district with a curved roof. Verboys said the building was built with the trusses to support the roof. Currently, there are seven tresses in place.

The staff was notified of the changes when they returned to school on September 7, and parents were notified on September 13.

"To err on the side of caution, we immediately took conservative measures to re-support the structure," said Dr. Napolitano of the renovations in a letter mailed out to parents. "In order to ensure no interruption to our physical education program, our PE teachers will be conducting their classes outdoors or in student classrooms during this time." 

Other renovations the district underwent included 26 painted and renovated classrooms, with new flooring, bookshelves, countertops, 'cubbies,' and storage units; new playground equipment; as well as new flooring, windows and heating and ventilation units which were installed in the cafeteria and gymnasium.

The district is working with a structural engineer, project management team and architects to complete the roof project. The gym is expected to be closed until the beginning of November.