Issue date: 2/6/08
More than two weeks after a 17-year-old boy fell through the roof of the Gymnasium, reconstruction to the plate glass window has been completed and the Gym reopened.
On Jan. 20, an unidentified teenager gained access and fell approximately 50 feet through a glass panel on the roof of the Gymnasium, suffering trauma to his left leg and cuts and scratches to his face.
Paramedics were called and the young man was rushed off to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek for treatment.
The repair was finished on Thursday at 1 p.m. by the El Cerrito Glass Company.
"It really was not a difficult repair," Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said. "High rise lifts were rented to reach the roof and we replaced the two glass panels with the same reinforced glass.
"One was cracked and the other was just a hole because the kid had fallen through and shattered it," he said.
Despite a wire mesh that ran through the glass to offer extra support and strength, the glass was not meant to hold the weight of the young man.
Due to the damage, the Gymnasium was temporarily closed, resulting in the cancellation of P.E. classes.
Additionally, both the men's and women's basketball games had to be relocated to their opponents' gyms. Coaches said the move caused difficulties for their teams.
"The real inconvenience for us was not being able to gain access into the Gym for almost two weeks in the middle of the basketball season," women's basketball coach Paul DeBolt said.
The team had to play five straight conference games away.
"Instead of playing home first, we were forced to play away," DeBolt said. Five out of the last six season games are now to be played here at home.
"Basically everything is back to normal," DeBolt said.
There was no permanent damage done to the floor, but the area underneath the roof was sectioned off and required some clean up.
The invoice is currently being processed and the fairly expensive repair is to be paid for by the college.
"The repair could have been accomplished sooner, but due to the rain we experienced recently it was too dangerous and inconvenient," King said.
There is no entrance to the roof from the inside of the Gymnasium, with the only access being a ladder on the exterior upper portion of the roof.
According to King, the college is looking at long-term efforts to keep the Gym roof inaccessible, despite a metal shield that is currently over the ladder.
Contact Regina Sarnicola at rsarnicola.advocate@gmail.com.
On Jan. 20, an unidentified teenager gained access and fell approximately 50 feet through a glass panel on the roof of the Gymnasium, suffering trauma to his left leg and cuts and scratches to his face.
Paramedics were called and the young man was rushed off to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek for treatment.
The repair was finished on Thursday at 1 p.m. by the El Cerrito Glass Company.
"It really was not a difficult repair," Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said. "High rise lifts were rented to reach the roof and we replaced the two glass panels with the same reinforced glass.
"One was cracked and the other was just a hole because the kid had fallen through and shattered it," he said.
Despite a wire mesh that ran through the glass to offer extra support and strength, the glass was not meant to hold the weight of the young man.
Due to the damage, the Gymnasium was temporarily closed, resulting in the cancellation of P.E. classes.
Additionally, both the men's and women's basketball games had to be relocated to their opponents' gyms. Coaches said the move caused difficulties for their teams.
"The real inconvenience for us was not being able to gain access into the Gym for almost two weeks in the middle of the basketball season," women's basketball coach Paul DeBolt said.
The team had to play five straight conference games away.
"Instead of playing home first, we were forced to play away," DeBolt said. Five out of the last six season games are now to be played here at home.
"Basically everything is back to normal," DeBolt said.
There was no permanent damage done to the floor, but the area underneath the roof was sectioned off and required some clean up.
The invoice is currently being processed and the fairly expensive repair is to be paid for by the college.
"The repair could have been accomplished sooner, but due to the rain we experienced recently it was too dangerous and inconvenient," King said.
There is no entrance to the roof from the inside of the Gymnasium, with the only access being a ladder on the exterior upper portion of the roof.
According to King, the college is looking at long-term efforts to keep the Gym roof inaccessible, despite a metal shield that is currently over the ladder.
Contact Regina Sarnicola at rsarnicola.advocate@gmail.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
kyle Zinter- owner Spec Right Products
posted 2/08/08 @ 11:05 AM PST
It says in this article that the glass was replaced with Wire Reinforced Glass. I have been in the skylight business for over 10 years and hve done thousands of skylights in this time period. (Continued…)
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