Eagles Aerie roof project progressing
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-Chronicle photo
Volunteer members of the local Eagles Aerie No. 2618 are systematically working to renovate the roof of their Main Street building and have removed old layers of roof in preparation for renewing the structure prior to a new roof being applied. The second-floor ballroom has seen better days but members are determined to complete the renovation work on the historic downtown structure.
DAYTON–Twenty-twentyone will be the year the Dayton Eagles will long remember as they work diligently on replacing the roof of their aerie in downtown Dayton.
Thankfully, it has rained very little in April, says Trustee Lupe Benavides.
Volunteers are working to reinforce the roof's structure and remove five layers of previous roofing materials in preparation for an application of a torched-down roofing system, Benavides told the Dayton Chronicle last week.
Members of the Eagles have been working together to safeguard interior items as much as possible, remove old flooring and ready the interior for renovation work. "We're on track to put that back together," he said.
Other members have been working on the roof, bracing a sagging, damaged portion from inside what was the Aerie's club rooms and, at one time, a dance venue.
"We got all the roofing taken off," Benavides said. "It had to be framed in one section, but then we found another bad spot and it had to be reinforced."
Plywood sheeting is the next step, he said. "When we get this done, it's going to be a lot better, but we're just in the process of getting that done."
The next step will be to move rolls of tar paper to the roof for a torched-down roof. Plans are to rent a machine for that work, Benavides said.
Benavides said it's difficult to say when the project will be complete and the Aerie again opens for members to enjoy. "It's taking a little longer than we expected," he said. "Some of our volunteers are afraid of heights."
