By
Kirk D. Kistner
Vice President of Marketing and Business Development
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
San Antonio, Texas

At approximately 5:30 pm on Friday, March 6, 2009, a 125 foot tall light pole at a high school football stadium in Kyle, Texas fell over and landed on a high school gymnasium.  Bartlett Cocke General Contractors was called immediately to assess the situation, remove the fallen light pole off of the gymnasium, clean up the debris and repair the damage. 

According to witnesses, the wind conditions at the stadium were strong, but not excessively high.  While wind may have had some impact in the light pole failure, the specific cause of the failure is currently under investigation and has not been determined at this time. 

After initial observations, it has been reported to us that metal fatigue including rusting and cracking in the light pole directly above the welds at the anchor base plate appeared be the possible cause of the failure, and that the problem appears to be with the light poles and not the concrete foundation and/or anchor bolts, which were observed to be intact.  The other existing light poles at the stadium were also observed and reported to show significant rusting and cracking just above the welds at the base plate.  These light poles were also removed as a precautionary measure.

Bartlett Cocke General Contractors recognizes the seriousness of this incident and want to prevent future similar light pole failures and the potential for injury.  It has been reported to us that similar light pole failures at athletic fields throughout the United States have occurred on multiple occasions and these failures could possibly be related.  We are currently in the process of inspecting all athletic light poles installed by our organization over the past 20 years and will implement the observation of athletic light poles into our twelve (12) month walk through for our warranty program.     

We are urging all school district facilities personnel to inspect the light poles at your facilities immediately and to maintain some sort of regular observation program so that you can monitor the condition of the light poles.   If you observe signs of metal fatigue including rusting and cracking please cordon off the area immediately and consult an engineering professional to determine whether the prompt removal of the pole(s) is warranted.

Related links to articles dealing with this issue:
1) Engineers blame flaw for toppling of Tech light pole.
http://www.articlearchives.com/construction/nonresidential-building/54251-1.html

2) Hays stadium light pole had cracks

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/10/0310poles.html

3) Stadium light falls near parking lot

http://www.midlothian-isd.net/pantherpride/index.html

Disclaimer:
The statements expressed in this blog posting reflect the participants' own views. These statements do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI). Broadcast, posting and dissemination of blogs should not be deemed or construed to constitute the approval of CEFPI, sponsorship, or endorsement of any method, product, service, enterprise, or organization. This blog is  intended for general information purposes only. They should be construed as tools that offer information and resources to individual members. In no way do they represent nor constitute professional advice endorsed or approved by CEFPI on any subject matter. The participant should consult with a licensed professional to determine how laws, suggestions, and illustrations apply to specific situations.