Timothy Jester of TAM Consultants gave a detailed report on suggestions for how to proceed with repairs to the roof of the Lee-Jackson Elementary School gymnasium during Tuesday’s meeting of the Mathews County Board of Supervisors.

Jester discussed specific truss members, some of which he said could be repaired, while he recommended replacing others. Trusses that supported a cupola on top of the roof were the primary cause of failure, he said, since the trusses had not been engineered to carry the extra weight of the cupola and other structures in the vicinity, including a plenum and ductwork for the HVAC system and wallboard that was installed as required to separate the large attic into two small spaces for fire code purposes.

Weather conditions at the time of failure were also likely a contributing factor, said Jester, with prevailing winds from the north lifting the cupola on one side and pressing it down on the other side in the presence of an accumulation of snow and ice....