JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Williams Family YMCA in Mandarin reopened at 5 p.m. Wednesday after a crane lifting air conditioning units onto the roof of the building tipped over Tuesday morning, hitting the building and forcing a partial evacuation.
No one was injured when the crane's boom fell against the roof of the San Jose Boulevard building about 9:35 a.m. Tuesday, YMCA officials said.
“For precautionary reasons, we have closed the east side of the building, that is the gymnasium, the group exercise studios and also our cardio room,” YMCA Executive Director Dean Shackelford said Tuesday.
Shackelford said the YMCA was having two air conditioning units replaced, and the crane was removing the old units and lifting the new units onto the roof.
“At some point, there was a malfunction, and after a big rumble, the staff ran and did what they were supposed to do to make sure that the members were secure, and then we came and talked to the crane operators,” he said. “We're trying to determine exactly what happened.”
Shackelford said besides the loud rumble, the children and staff members in the Kid Zone area were not disturbed by the crane falling, because the Kid Zone is on the opposite side of the building on the first floor.
The air conditioning units being replaced service areas that are not currently in use, and the rest of the building has functioning AC, Shackelford said.
A spokesperson for the YMCA said parking may limited through Thursday until the heavy equipment that was used to remove the crane arm from the building's roof is moved.
Members are welcomed to visit any other First Coast YMCA location until that time. YMCA members can also call 904-292-1660 for the latest information, Shackelford said.