Recently uncovered roofing issues delay repairs to Weldon Auditorium

After a strong start, the roofers working on Weldon Auditorium soon hit a snag, and Gladewater ISD’s engineering consultants are at work on a solution.
The aging and deteriorating decking of the building’s roof adds another complication to the storm damage repair project. GISD trustees got an update on the work last week not long before they approved a $317,800 budget allocation for the overall effort Jan. 22.
“What the roofers actually uncovered was a little more extensive than what we expected when we started the process,” according to consultant Doug Shearer. He noted the gypsum deck shows the longtime effects of climate, air quality and other factors – aging materials and newly-discovered holes. That said, “These are unknown conditions that you find in construction projects.”
“Once we saw these conditions, of course there was a major safety issue. Roofers stepped through a couple of places. We’re currently putting together information from the engineering side about how to proceed.”
Delayed further by the rainy weather, that report will likely arrive later this week, and the contractors will develop a recommendation on how to proceed.
How the district’s insurance will be involved in the process remains to be seen.
“In the roofing industry, in the roofing world, this is not unusual,” Shearer added. “We run into these issues, particularly with old buildings. It’s going to be fixed we just have to figure how to go about doing it.”