Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 18, 1993 TAG: 9303180188
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CLUB'S PLANS ON HOLD
The LancerLot health club will not reopen until Roanoke County is satisfied the building is structurally sound, officials said Wednesday."I want full assurances that it's safe," County Administrator Elmer Hodge said.
County officials condemned the entire sports complex this week after the roof partially collapsed during the weekend's snowstorm.
LancerLot owner Henry Brabham wants to reopen the portion of the club that houses a swimming pool and fitness club.
But a structural engineer who evaluated the LancerLot this week failed to give a "clean bill of health" to the remaining portion of the roof, according to county Fire Marshal Donald Gillispie.
The engineer - hired by Brabham - did not say the roof was unsound, but was hesitant to say the structure was safe, Gillispie said.
"We can't accept that when we're dealing with people's lives," he said.
Brabham had to be reminded Wednesday that the LancerLot must be shut to anyone except him, his son and experts hired to evaluate the structure in more detail.
When Gillispie arrived Wednesday, he found people coming and going from the building and about 10 people in the area where Brabham keeps his office.
Brabham was ordered to evacuate the LancerLot and to keep it closed.
"He was a little upset and rightfully so," Gillispie said. "The man has taken quite a loss."
Brabham could not be reached for comment. A woman who answered the phone at Lancer Oil Co. would not take a message and hung up.
Meanwhile, county officials are preparing a letter in which they will outline what steps Brabham must take before he can reopen the LancerLot fitness center.
Officials declined to say whether they would require Brabham to correct structural problems - first identified in 1988 - that are unrelated to the roof collapse.
Two engineers have found design problems with the fitness club, contained in a three-story structure built within a larger shell building.
The experts have said the upper floors were designed to handle only half the weight recommended by the state's building code.
In June 1990, Vinton officials ordered Brabham to add support columns and horizontal beams to reinforce the upper floors.
But the work never was done, and Vinton officials failed to follow up on the matter.
Acting Town Manager Bob Benninger said Wednesday that the town has turned over enforcement of the LancerLot floor supports to Roanoke County.