Campus 124 assessing damages, CoreFit to remain closed

Published 1:17 pm Tuesday, March 30, 2021

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PELHAM—As the city of Pelham was rocked by tornadoes that destroyed around 50 homes on March 25, the Campus 124 development was not spared any damage and is currently assessing and making plans for repairs.

Out of three businesses currently operating out of the facility, the CoreFit gym was the only one to sustain any major damage. The Guy’s Place and Beer Hog were untouched are reopening with no issues.

On March 29, developer Schrimsher Company met with engineers to assess the damage and determine the best path forward. According to Austin Schrimsher, senior project manager, the assessment will take a few weeks and they will decide how to move forward at that point.

The CoreFit facility was hit hard during the storms, glass was shattered and there was worry that there may be foundational issues, which prompted the assessment.

“We are assessing the gym now,” Schrimsher explained. “It is temporarily closed until further notice. Once we get the assessment that is when we will figure out what the next step and phases for this building. Some of the support beams may be jeopardized, so we will have to look at what we have to do at that point.”

The two other facilities in Campus 124, The Guy’s Place and Beerhog, were able open almost immediately. Beer Hog had planned to have its official opening on Monday, March 29, but opted to push back to Wednesday, March 31.

“We were planning on opening today,” Beer Hog Owner Chris Lawrence said. “We got lucky, considering what happened just a couple doors down from us. We just lost power for a few days, but luckily we did not get set back too far.”

The Guy’s Place also lost power for a few days, but was given the go-ahead to reopen on the same day.

Outside of the building the damage was even more evident. Trees were ripped out of the ground, an air conditioner unit lay displaced far away from its intended location and chairs had been flipped.

Schrimsher said that they got lucky considering what happened in the neighborhoods just next door to the development. They will learn more in the coming weeks for the CoreFit facility, and strategize on the best way to move forward.