Borough, school district are inspecting buildings with potential snow load concerns

In Anchorage and the Mat-Su, multiple buildings have had their roofs partially or fully collapse as a result of heavy snow load.  Both the Mat-Su Borough and the school district have been keeping an eye on their buildings in the Valley to try to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

Jillian Morrissey, spokeswoman for the Mat-Su Borough School District, says snow load is less of a concern in much of the Valley than in Anchorage, since high winds prevent excessive accumulation on many buildings.  She says the district has inspected some buildings that are known to accumulate snow and has taken action where necessary.

Stefan Hinman, spokesman for the Mat-Su Borough says structural engineers are taking a look at borough buildings.  Hinman says there is an emphasis on inspecting older buildings as well as ones known to accumulate snow on their roofs.  He says so far, the borough has not seen any structural failures or warning signs that one is imminent.

On Tuesday, the Anchorage School District announced that it was closing libraries in five elementary schools due to concerns about snow load. In those cases, the school district does not anticipate a catastrophic collapse, but believes that ceiling tiles could fall, posing an injury risk.