Snow Causes Roof Collapse at HS Wrestling Facility

The weight of snow from this week's record-breaking snowstorm caused the roof of the Solanco High School wrestling team's practice facility to cave in.

Staff arrived on the high school's campus Thursday morning to discover the roof had collapsed overnight.

"We are very, very thankful that no one was inside the building," said district spokesman Keith Kaufman Thursday.

Kaufman said anywhere from 6 inches to a foot of snow fell on the campus during the storm that started Tuesday and ended late Wednesday. The campus is "infamous" for being windy, he said, so snow had piled in drifts around it.

District administrators plan to meet with the district's insurance company Friday to determine whether the building can be repaired or will need to be torn down.

Wrestling teams used the facility, which was also used for other events throughout the year, for practices. Matches are held in the high school gymnasium.

The facility, which sits behind the high school atop a hill, was built in 1992 with the help of funds from the community and wrestling team alumni. Inside there's a large room with wrestling mats and a locker room.

"It was on school property, but it was built with a lot of support from the community," Kaufman said. "Solanco has a long, proud history with its wrestling program."

Kaufman said the wrestling program will do what it can do find other locations for activities in the meantime.

"It's disappointing. Obviously, you don't like to see property damage in any form, but we are very thankful no one was inside," he said. "A training facility can be rebuilt, the main point is, we didn't have students inside. We are thankful for that."

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