BRUNSWICK
A Brunswick structural engineer’s report written five years ago explains the March 4, 2011, cracking of a ceiling beam at the defunct Jordan Acres elementary school was due to a faulty design connection, not a heavy snow load.
The Lincoln/Haney Engineering Associates report, written by engineer Peter L. Lincoln, is relevant as town councilors consider sending a $33.7 million bond to a June referendum.
Brunswick resident Richard Fisco told town councilors during a Jan. 17 public hearing on the bond that councilors were not qualified to determine a building’s viability. This includes Jordan Acres.
Fisco and other members of the now-defunct group Concerned Citizens of Brunswick ME have questioned why Jordan Acres cannot be renovated and reused.
Lincoln wrote the five-page report, submitted to School Superintendent Paul Perzanoski on Jan. 19, 2012.
“(I)t is our opinion that the split was the result of an inadequately designed connection, not an exceptionally high snow load or an individual rafter with imperfections,” the report notes.
Architectural codes and engineering practice changed after the 1971 building of Jordan Acres.
Professional building design changes were reported in trade magazines.
“This revised method for designing connections first appears in the 1985 edition of the American Institute of Timber Construction Manual,” Lincoln noted.
Repairs were made to the school to finish out the academic year. The school closed permanently after that completion.
lconnell@timesrecord.com
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