Stage roof to be storm-stable
Staff writer
Although an under-construction roof over Marion’s Central Park stage might appear a bit flimsy at this point, city administrator Roger Holter said elements used in its construction are hurricane-rated for stability.
Two engineers, one with EBH and the other connected to The Building Center, worked to design the roof, Holter said.
At this time, the roof is framed in preparation for application of several layers of material that will comprise the finished product. For now, boards prop up the in-process structure, but those boards will be removed as work progresses.
The roof will be held upright by four 6-by-6-inch support posts — two behind the back wall of the stage and two just beyond the north end of the stage.
Holter said the support posts were anchored to concrete footers.
At the base of each support post are hurricane-rated straps secured by bolts.
Holter said the straps that secure the support posts to the bottom edge of the roof, while thinner than the straps at the bottom, also are hurricane-rated.
The roof doesn’t attach to the rock wall of the stage. Instead, horizontal roof edges cross the east and west ends at the top of the wall.
Holter said the company that built the back wall would not honor its work warranty if a roof were attached directly to the wall.
The roof project was undertaken by Marion Advancement Campaign. MAC wanted to complete the stage, an earlier MAC project.
Mickey Lundy, board member and secretary for MAC, earlier said the organization hoped the roof would extend over a portion of the seating area, but that plan was subject to design revision.
The roof won’t extend far beyond the edge of the stage.
MAC’s goal was to have the roof installed before Old Settlers Day.