Morning read: Heavy snow crushes barns, Glens Falls arena

The last week has seen monumental amounts of snow dumping on the North Country.  One tough side-effect is that buildings sometimes collapse under the weight.

Last week, 25 cows were killed in Northumberland after a barn roof collapsed.  The Glens Falls Post-Star is reporting that three more barns collapsed on another farm over the weekend in Greenwich, killing  at least two cows.

According to the newspaper, there were also barn collapses in Kingsbury and Granville.

The Associated Press is reporting that the heavy snow winter is affecting farms across the Northeast, with at least 136 agricultural structures damaged in Connecticut alone.

A similar collapse occurred earlier this month at a dairy farm in Canton, according to the Ogdensburg Journal.

And VPR is reporting that agriculture officials in Vermont are urging farmers to get out and shovel excess snow from their barns.

In older barns…it’s also common to find that support braces have been cut away to make extra room.  He says that can add to a structure’s vulnerability – especially with all this snow.  According to the Department of Agriculture, a roof can lose it structural integrity in about 30 days if not cleared.

And late Sunday, the dome of the Adirondack Sports Complex in Queenbury partially collapsed, according to the Glens Falls Post Star.

Doug Miller, general manager of the complex, said build-up on the structure had prompted him to contact the dome manufacturer about options for snow removal. A representative with the firm was already scheduled to make a visit on Monday.

“We’ve had a pretty good amount of ice and snow build-up on top of the dome. It appears that it shifted,” he said.

Tags: agriculture, winter