Schools to Clear Modular-Classroom Roofs Sunday

Custodial crews will bring snow blowers onto rooftops to remove snow, official says.

Updated, 6:20 p.m. North Reading Public Schools will deploy crews Sunday morning to clear snow from the roofs of the modular classrooms at the middle school and high school, after another winter storm brings a mix of rain and snow to the area Saturday. Custodial workers will begin clearing snow after 10 a.m. Sunday, North Reading Public Schools Director of Finance and Operations Carl Nelson told North Reading Patch on Friday afternoon.  "We plan to hoist snow blowers up there to clear as much snow as possible," Nelson said. On Friday, crews removed snow from the modular-classroom roofs at the J. Turner Hood and E. Ethel Little schools, School Committee Chairman Mel Webster said. Wayne Hardacker, supervisor of buildings and grounds for the …

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Town Officials Monitoring Roofs After Snowfall

Above-average snowfall has led to many structure failures in Massachusetts, and the state has offered tips to keep buildings safe. School district workers will begin clearing modular-classroom roofs Thursday.

The above-average snowfall this winter has led to several roof collapses around the state in the past week, but North Reading officials are confident that the town’s buildings are safe. Jim DeCola, the town’s building inspector, said he is monitoring the roofs on municipal buildings, but everything appears safe at this point. Workers have not gone up on town buildings to shovel snow from roofs yet, DeCola said, although officials are keeping a close eye on the situation. The roof at Town Hall has approximately 16 inches of snow on it, but the roof is about two years old and has a slight pitch to it, so it is of less concern than other structures, DeCola said. “It’s certainly something to be concerned about,” DeCola said. “It’s the flat …

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Storm Center

UPDATED: Another Winter Storm Could Bring a Foot of Snow, Ice

Area could see a mix of snow and rain mid-week, and the weight of snow and ice could cause structural concerns, the National Weather Service says.

Updated, 5:35 p.m., with the latest National Weather Service forecast. Another winter storm is headed for New England, and this long-duration event could bring a mix of snow and sleet, raising concerns that already-deep snow could weigh down roofs.  The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for North Reading for 6 a.m. Tuesday through 1 a.m. Thursday. The weather service is calling for anywhere between 18-24 inches of snow through Thursday. Snow is expected to begin by the Tuesday morning commute in eastern Massachusetts, with a total of four to eight inches of snow possible by Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said. A lull in the storm is possible Tuesday night, with snow continuing again through the day …

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