Part of ceiling collapses in third-floor classroom

No one was injured when part of a plaster ceiling came down.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Austintown Middle School is closed today because part of a ceiling in a science classroom on the third floor collapsed about 1:30 p.m. Monday.
No one was hurt. Most pupils had left the room to change classes. The teacher and one pupil were in the room when the ceiling came down, said Michael Creatore, school board president. He said he got there shortly after it happened.
He said a lighting fixture about 15 feet long fell, along with 40 percent to 45 percent of the plaster ceiling, and smashed a desk.
Stan Watson, the school district's building facilities director, said he thinks the ceiling collapsed because of the building's age, about 90 years. Plaster on wire mesh has been nailed to wooden joists, and it looks as though the nails pulled out, Creatore said.
Architects and engineers are expected to visit the school today. Superintendent Doug Heuer said that administrators and officials are waiting to see what they say before deciding what to do.
Heuer said that if the engineers say part of the building should be closed, pupils could be moved to other areas after space is made available as alternative classrooms.
He said he's not expecting news that the entire building is unsafe, but said that in that event, the district has options.
Heuer said options would include finding space for pupils within the district, or going to another district to rent a building. He said a split schedule is another option.
This school year ends June 9. Next year is the last year classes are to be held in the building. The new middle school being built on Raccoon Road is expected to open in fall of 2007.