WARREN, Ohio – River Gate High School Director Jason Cooper received a notification Sunday from the school’s alarm company.
It wasn’t good news.
“I pulled up our security cameras, and I could see roofing installation hanging,” he said.
Facebook posts shared by school staff members showed storm damage to the front of the school.
“Everything is new construction, and I would say about a 24-by-20-foot section of our roof got pulled off,” Cooper said. “The metal siding on the front of the building has been pulled away.”
Winds threw a 6-yard steel Dumpster at the school during construction of a manufacturing lab about 30 feet.
The area of the manufacturing lab, which was slated to open for a new program next school year, sustained the bulk of the damage, including from the rain.
“It’s a mess right now,” the school’s director said.
Rain and high winds blew through parts of the Mahoning Valley late Sunday afternoon, with tornado and storm warnings issued for some communities.
A company was sealing off the roof Monday, and insurance adjusters are evaluating the damage.
Cooper said the episode won’t affect the start of the next school year, although it may delay the start of the opening of the construction manufacturing career pathway classroom.
“I don’t think it’s going to delay it much,” he said. “Once the roof is back, they’ll be able to begin work back on it again.”
And he’s grateful it wasn’t worse.
“Thankfully, it’s during the summer break, so we can get everything taken care of and, thankfully, no one was in the building,” Cooper said.
River Gate is a charter school on East Market Street that serves about 200 students in ninth through 12th grades. It operates independently with its own board rather than under a management company. Enrollment is open to students in Trumbull County and counties contiguous to it.