Solution under study on Tekoa roof collapse

The resolution for a partial-roof collapse of a Main Street Tekoa building remains to be seen after the cave-in Jan. 26 due to snow.

Owner Keith Anderson of Tekoa reports he is in discussions with an engineer about how to potentially repair the damage.

Zach Lanham, Tekoa building inspector, said resolution of the problem is being left up to Anderson.

“We're going to have to wait for things to warm up a bit,” said Anderson.

Lanham estimated that 1,200 square feet of roof came down onto the second floor, along with part of the brick wall on both sides.

Built before 1902, the building had not operated as a business since Redfern & Sons went out of business in the 1950s.

“It depends on how willing the owner is to clean it up and make it safe,” said Whitman County Building Inspector Dan Gladwill. “It's essentially his responsibility.”

Whitman County monitors buildings in unincorporated areas, so the Anderson building in Tekoa is not under Gladwill's jurisdiction.

The red-brick building on the corner of Crosby and Main Street is known as the former Cohn Motor Co. location and later Redfern & Sons Motor Company.

Anderson has owned the building since 2006.

He reported no damage to items inside the building. The first floor, which at one time housed a service station, was unaffected.