Easter Seals planning to rebuild after roof collapse
TOWAMENCIN — The Montgomery County division of the Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania is back on its feet after a partial roof collapse on Feb. 14. A section of the Towamencin building’s roof collapsed due to a buildup of heavy snow, said Bill Webb, Towamencin Township’s director of community development and codes. It was originally estimated that the building would reopen Tuesday, Feb. 25, though the building was officially back open for business on Wednesday, said Carl Webster, CEO of the Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
The damage was confined to a 40-foot-by-40-foot area of the building, Webster said; the rest of the building has been deemed safe. “We had two structural engineers look at the building … and evaluate whether there was potential, based on what had occurred, that something might happen in another part of the building,” Webster said. Based on that assessment, other sections of the roof have been reinforced. “We’ve made some changes to make sure we don’t have that kind of problem occur in another part of the building,” he said. He also noted that this was the first time the building has had a problem with its roof since it was built 24 years ago.
“The next step in the process is to rebuild the portion of the building that is damaged,” Webster said. “We’re hopeful that insurance will cover most of the expenses. We know it won’t cover all of the expenses, but we’re hoping it covers most.” Many community members have asked how they can help the Easter Seals rebuild; the most helpful thing right now would be financial support to cover the rest of the rebuilding costs, Webster said.
So far, designers have looked at the damaged part of the building and started to put together plans for rebuilding. Those plans will be submitted to Towamencin Township for approval, Webster said, and then contractors can be hired to begin work. The rebuilding process shouldn’t take more than a few months, he estimated. Additionally, the process will be planned around the programming that takes place in the building. “That would be part of the planning process, to make sure we’re doing the reconstruction in a way that doesn’t negatively affect the services for kids,” Webster said.
Although Webster would love to expand the building, he anticipates it will be rebuilt “essentially the way it was.” The only changes will be to strengthen the structural support of the roof, he said.
Donations can be sent to Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania Montgomery County Division, P.O. Box 333, Kulpsville, PA 19443