Warehouse Collapses Building Had Housed Gymnastics Classes

A wooden warehouse that until recently housed children’s gymnastics classes crumpled Tuesday under the weight of snow and ice.

No one was injured when the empty, 15-year-old building near West Anton Avenue and Government Way fell. Lake City Gymnastics had abandoned it just months ago after its lease expired.

“Oh thank God!” said parent Linda Weisbaum, whose two children took classes there until Labor Day. “It could have been filled with kids.”

The warehouse was the fifth Kootenai County structure to cave in since November. It was the only building used for more than storage.

Until California owner Michael Bertalouzza decided this summer to sell, the building was used weekly by up to 400 kids - ages 2 and up - learning to be gymnasts. The academy since has relocated to a wing of the Ironwood Athletic Club.

“We had our year-end party last night, so there wouldn’t likely have been people around,” gymnastics coach Brian Winnick said Tuesday. “But it’s quite good that we weren’t still there.”

It’s unclear if the building met all the safety requirements. Neither Coeur d’Alene nor Kootenai County officials could find records Tuesday of its building permit.

Regardless, the collapse raises questions about whether current codes require structures to be sturdy enough.

“I knew of no problems with the building,” said Realtor Marshall Mend, who was trying to sell it for $260,000. “So if that building had passed the inspections it needed to pass, we probably ought to take a look at those rules.”

The building likely fell in because snow and ice had been collecting on the roof since November’s ice storm, city fire prevention officer Pete Vandall said.

That’s more weight than many buildings are designed to handle.

“There could have been 100 pounds per square foot of snow on that roof - at least 50 to 60,” said Nick Bentley, chief building inspector for the county.

City and county building rules require structures to withstand at least 40 pounds of snow per square foot.

Bentley said county workers may consider raising that requirement to protect against a severe winter.

“Nothing is worth risking a life,” he said.

But Coeur d’Alene building inspector Bob Rudio said the threat is minimal.

Moisture melts or slides off most buildings, but heat in the warehouse had been off since it was vacated. The building also had a roof with little or no pitch.

The county’s other collapsed buildings - three barns, a shed and a series of carports - shared those features.

Few home and business owners need to worry, Rudio said. But he suggested owners of old or unheated buildings check the roof for cracks or decay and listen for creaking.

“If you hear it popping, that doesn’t necessarily mean something bad, but it’s worth paying attention to,” he said.

Rudio also suggested concerned homeowners call builders, roofers, architects or engineers to determine if they need to shovel snow off their roof.

“We don’t want to start sending people up there to do something dangerous if it’s not needed,” he said.

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