WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ) – The gym at Waupaca High School is closed after damage to the roof was sustained from an unrelenting onslaught of snow.
The Waupaca area received more than three feet of snow in February alone and on Tuesday they got another fresh four inches.
Damage to the roof was initially discovered earlier this week and then confirmed following an inspection on Wednesday.
One of the first signs that something was wrong was when divider curtains were discovered out of place.
“They were sitting even lower than normal, perhaps even resting on the floor, and that was abnormal,” says the school’s athletic director Aaron Jenson. “That’s when engineers got brought in.”
The school made a call at that point that it wasn’t safe for anyone to be inside.
“We closed the gym off until we have a better opportunity to evaluate the roof,” says Waupaca High School principal Michael Werbowsky.
Roofers are now trying to clear some of that snow the old-fashioned way, breaking out shovels and snow blowers in an attempt to ease the load.
“With the amount of snow we received, and the rain, we want to make sure everything is safe until we have our classes come back in,” says Werbowsky.
At this point, spring sports are currently in limbo.
“We’ve had meetings with community partners the Waupaca Rec. Center, the elementary school and middle school,” says Jenson. “We’re planning to shuffle practices for the next month or so to different gymnasiums.”
Spring sports practices are supposed to begin next week.
The school is still waiting to receive estimates on the total damage and a potential timeline for repairs.
Once that information is available they’ll have an idea of when the gym can be reopened.
