Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 29, 1994 TAG: 9401290182
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
An engineering study completed in November disclosed that bricks attached to a breezeway at the front entrance to the courthouse are in danger of falling.
Three or four bricks, which were attached to the soffit with an adhesive, have fallen to the sidewalk the past year. No one has been injured.
The loose bricks were discovered as part of a $6,000 study of the structural soundness of the 8-year-old courthouse.
Sheretz Franklin Crawford Shaffner Inc. deemed the building safe, but found it was exhibiting "structural distress" at several points.
One problem is in the Domestic Relations Court area, where a bank of windows facing Main Street is separating from internal walls.
Tye Campbell, a structural engineer, said the cause appears to be thermal expansion.
The bank of windows, several hundred feet long, was built without expansion joints that might have prevented the problem.
Assistant County Administrator John Chambliss said it was unclear who was to blame - the architect, the window manufacturer or the contractor.
"I have some problem right now pointing my finger at what caused the problem," Chambliss said.
The windows do not pose a safety problem, but Roanoke County has installed monitoring devices to make sure the windows do not continue to move.
The recent cold snap exposed additional problems in the building.
Two pipes in the breezeway between Circuit Court and the Domestic Relations Court burst, causing about $20,000 in damage.
Ken Hardesty, assistant director of the county's General Services Department, said some of the insulation was installed incorrectly, leaving the pipes exposed.
Crews will raise the pipes and add more insulation, Hardesty said.
by CNB