Building the Places Where Community Comes Together

Athens, uninterrupted: Reroofing an Ohio community center while the community continues to gather inside

The Athens Community Center sits at the heart of life in this Appalachian Ohio town. On any given day, it could be running fitness classes, providing childcare, staging a community art exhibition, or facilitating a neighborhood meeting. Every four years, it serves as a polling location, making it true civic infrastructure.

So when leaks and hail damage began to compromise the facility's aging PVC roofing system, there was never any question of simply closing to complete the work. The building had to stay open. The community had to be served.

The project team, working with Damschroder Roofing of Fremont, Ohio, specified a Duro-Last Roofing System to replace the failed membrane across the facility's multi-level barrelled structure - 47,000 square feet in total.

Performance was essential, but sustainability was also a factor. The City of Athens has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent over the coming decade, and that target shaped decisions on the site.

The old membrane didn't go into the landfill. Through a take-back program, it was removed, returned and repurposed into commercial flooring and walkway pads.

Once the re-roofing was complete, more than 1,800 square feet of solar panels were installed to help offset a significant portion of the building's energy use: sustainability goals advanced, long-term protection locked in.

Through it all, the center stayed open. The community remained connected. The building continued to perform. For a community space, that's the trifecta of success.