WHEELING, W.Va. — Structural engineers were at Wheeling Island Stadium Monday to inspect the stadium after workers noticed a shift in one of the concrete panels last week.
The Wheeling Police Department closed South Penn Street in front of the stadium Friday as a precaution. A lacrosse match scheduled to take place at the stadium was moved to a different location.
Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kim Miller said while inspections are still underway, it looks like the panel was damaged from weathering.
“It looks the water was getting in down into the joists and rods may have caused this,” she said.
The stadium was rebuilt in 1987, and is the site of state’s six high school football championships, the Super Six.
Miller said while the damaged panel was being removed, a second panel fell.
“We’re going to have our structural engineers take a good look at it so we can determine how to repair them, and then inspect the rest of the stadium so we know how to proceed,” she said.
Roads around the stadium have been closed as a safety precaution.
Miller said she did not know how much this would cost, but they are working with local law enforcement to keep people safe.
“We’ve put barriers up at both ends of the road so cars cannot drive through that area, so we’re looking at it from a safety aspect that we know needs to be corrected,” she said.
M&G Structural Engineers is handling the inspection process, according to Miller.