School Board Tours Memorial Elementary

AVON PARK - After receiving a preliminary engineering report on the roof concerns at Memorial Elementary School, Highlands County School Board members toured the school's construction site Tuesday for a first-hand look.

Prior to the walk-through at the construction site, School Board Member Donna Howerton noted that the report stated there were no immediate concerns, but then the next paragraph indicated there does indeed appear to have been notable issues with improper expansion and contraction mechanisms.

Expansion in the metal roof caused cracks a few months ago in cement blocks at the school.
Expansion joints were added to the roof system to correct the problem.

The school is going to be "one of the jewels of Highlands County," School Board Member Wally Randall said Tuesday afternoon after he toured the site. "I have absolute confidence in A.D. Morgan and their ability to put together a school and bring it in under budget.

"There's no question in my mind that this school is going to be just fine."

School Board Chairman J. Ned Hancock said he was told the project is on schedule with substantial completion expected in about two weeks.

"The things they've done to remediate the problems appear to have been successful," he added.
The preliminary report by Principle Design and Development Inc. states that the retrofit metal twist strap connectors used at the metal roof trusses at the four corners of the building should be checked on ability to withstand wind.

The final report on the roof should be completed by June 20.