Antioch Walmart closed due to roof problems

The Walmart Superstore in Antioch is closed while engineers determine if the building's roof was damaged and in danger of failing due to the heavy snow this week, Walmart officials confirmed Friday.

Walmart spokeswoman Ashley Hardie said the supercenter at 475 E. Route 173 was shut down Wednesday morning due to the blizzard, but she added the store has not reopened because of the amount of snow on the roof.

“Walmart made the decision to close the store for safety purposes from the blizzard,” Hardie said. “Then, engineers discovered the amount of snow on the roof was too much for the roof to take, so we kept it closed while the snow was removed.”

She said no damage was discovered inside the store to force them to shut down the facility. Engineers used mathematical equations to determine the weight of the snow and compared it to the load the roof was able to withstand, she added.

“We are currently working with engineers and are following their guidance to determine when the store will reopen,” she said. “We also have workers on the roof clearing the snow off to make it safe.”

Village Administrator James Keim said the village's building department is working with the Walmart engineers to ensure when the building is safe to reopen.

“Our building department is closely monitoring the situation to ensure there are no building code violations and ensure the facility is safe for occupancy,” he said. “We will make sure the building is safe before it opens.”

An estimated 20 inches of snow fell in the Antioch and Lake Villa area during the Blizzard of 2011 Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, Keim said, that doesn't tell the real story of the snow. He said drifts as high as 7 feet have been recorded in Antioch, and added that snow drifts could have formed on the roof of the Walmart structure.

The weight of that snow seems to have caused some signs of stress to appear in the 5-year-old facility, he said.

“That's a lot of snow that is sitting on that roof,” Keim said. “Obviously, they saw something that was enough of a concern, and felt they should shut the store down while things are checked out. After the engineers go through it, we'll know more.”

Keim said village officials saw damage to the roof earlier Friday, but after consulting with building inspectors, determined it was minor and part of “nonstructural elements” attached to the roof.