• Square-facebook
  • X-twitter
  • Instagram
Time to read
less than
1 minute
Read so far

Senior center ceiling collapses

Wed, 07/24/2019 - 12:32 pm

Just minutes after several diners finished their lunch and cleared out from the area beneath, a large section of ceiling fell in the Concerned Citizens of Jack County dining room Monday.


“The people sitting at that table had just gotten up. It shows God protects us here,” said center staff member Glennda Jones.


No one was injured in the collapse occurring at about 12:45 p.m. City of Jacksboro Building Inspector Greg Damron was viewing the scene and as of that afternoon was not sure of the cause for the ceiling failure.


There was some speculation among Concerned Citizen supporters and staff it was possibly partially the result of the foundation shifting.


Executive Director Russonna Jones-Briscoe said the ceiling had been in place for 41 years. Her concern Monday was how to serve the senior citizens and Meals on Wheels recipients the following day.


“We have to figure out where to operate. We might need to use a church,” she said. “If they’ll let us use our kitchen, we’ll get the Meals On Wheels out from here. We’ll figure something out. Every time we have an emergency, we’ve been able to keep serving.”


A frozen pipe in the center’s kitchen ceiling burst and thawed flooding the center in January 2018 resulting in a shut down while repairs could be made. During that time, the center operated out of the Church of Christ to feed the approximately 160 to 200 dine-in and Meals on Wheels recipients each weekday,

The center staff were able to continue using the kitchen and are currently serving diners in the game room.