KLTVA week of rain has caused one popular East Texas child care service to close its doors. Around 4 a.m. on Thursday, the roof on the Boys and Girls Club on College Street in Sulphur Springs collapsed. This is the second building to collapse in Sulphur Springs this month.
What once was the first school in Sulphur Springs is now ruined.
"It's just consistent weather beating it down," said Boys and Girls Director Ayana Pryor.
Ayana Pryor and Charles Dawson attended Houston School in Sulphur Springs.
"It was built in 1933 by the WPA; one of the last projects they did in Sulphur Springs," said Boys and Girls Club board president Charles Dawson. "The school has been added on to four times since I went to school here."
Seven years ago, Houston School became home to the local Boys and Girls Club. Thankfully, no one was inside on Thursday when the roof collapsed.
"My first thought was we've got to get kids in the building today," Pryor said. "When we came, of course I was glad to know it was in the cafeteria area, which is an area that we don't use."
Earlier this month, just a few blocks away in down town, another nearly hundred year old building collapsed.
"The wall deteriorated to a point where it wouldn't support the roof," said city manager Marc Maxwell. "It began to collapse and the weight of the roof compressed the air and blew the wall out."
City manager Marc Maxwell says because many of the buildings are at least 100 years old, structural engineers are doing inspections.
"Part of our job is to protect the public," Maxwell said. "There are six or seven walls within a couple blocks of where we stand that we have some concern about."
Now, the Boys and Girls Club board is scrambling to find a temporary site before summer school starts next week.
"It was a big blow because that one small area has caused the shutting down of the rest of the building," Pryor said. "The great thing about Sulphur Springs is it's a great community, it's a loving community, and I feel as though they're going to rally around to make sure that all of the kids, especially those that need us most, are going to have a place to go."
Maxwell says he's expecting a report within the next two weeks as whether or not those buildings that were inspected are dangerous. He says if any building owners have concerns, they can call city hall for assistance."