The section of roof torn from a pavilion at the Murphy Arts District amphitheatre during a storm on Tuesday will not put a damper on MAD’s upcoming schedule, said Pam Griffin, the organization’s president and CEO.
Griffin said the debris is cleaned up and, despite the dramatic-looking wreckage scattered across Hill Street on Tuesday, damage was overall minimal.
“After we posted pictures of [the damage] on Facebook, I started getting concerned calls from people and thought ‘this must look worse than it actually is,’” Griffin said.
The debris consisted of the top “membrane” and foam insulation that sits on top of the pavilion’s tin roofs.
This top layer was torn away by the straight-line winds during Tuesday’s storm, but the tin roof itself is still intact on the pavilion.
The pavilion that took damage is the one located closest to the Amphitheatre stage.
The damage should not affect any upcoming events, Griffin said, including the Farmers Market set for Saturday that takes place under both pavilions.
“It’s all cleaned up. We’ll of course have to fix the roof of the pavilion, and the fence at the Playscape was knocked over a bit. It also took out a few trees, but there wasn’t any real damage. We’re very fortunate and very glad that no one was injured or in danger,” Griffin said.
Because the pavilion is still in working order, MAD officials are not scrambling to begin the repair process.
“We’re still working on getting estimates, we don’t really know the cost of fixing it yet. The way building materials are right now it might be more expensive that usual, but we don’t expect it to be terrible,” Griffin said.
MAD officials have not learned of any reason the pavilion might have been particular susceptible to wind damage.
“I think it was just the wind, one of those weird weather events,” Griffin said.
Griffin concluded by reminding residents of the Farmers Market on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. and the performance by musician Trey Johnson Saturday night at the First Financial Music Hall which “still has tables available.”