Community Comes Together to Help Build New Health Clinic

Central Pennsylvania Clinic is a nonprofit medial facility that treats patients with rare genetic disorders. The local community came together to build the facility, with local companies donating labor and materials. Photos: Fisher’s Roofing

Dr. D. Holmes Morton and his wife, Caroline, established the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. It is a nonprofit pediatric clinic for children with rare, inherited disorders prevalent among the Amish and Mennonite people. The model was so successful that a second location was established in Belleville, Pennsylvania, called the Central Pennsylvania Clinic. It is a family practice that treats patients of all ages who suffer from genetic disorders.

The building was erected in true Amish fashion, with the community organizing to complete the task much like an old-fashioned barn raising. The project was a labor of love, with funding, materials and labor all donated to complete the project. The facility features a Kynar charcoal gray 24-gauge standing seam metal roof with S-5!’s ColorGard snow retention system. Among the local companies volunteering to work on the project were Kyfus Metals Sales, who roll-formed the panels, and Fisher’s Roofing, who installed the roof and snow retention system. A.B. Martin Roofing Supply donated steel for the project.

Project Challenges

The roof system was designed to blend in with the beautiful scenic surroundings of this hilly rural community. The numerous details and dormers on the 12,000-square-foot standing seam metal roof would pose some challenges, as would the siding and trim work, which had to be constructed precisely to receive the metal roof panels. It was critical for all components to be compatible with the standing seam roof where everything would lock together in place, and with volunteer labor, coordinating the work of various trades was crucial.

The clinic wanted to ensure a strong, long-lasting snow retention system would be installed to protect the pedestrian traffic going in and out of this busy Amish clinic. The various roof contours and pitches of the roof also presented a challenge for installers to determine precise snow loads.

Roof Installation

Fisher’s Roofing was invited to work on the project by Kenneth Zook of Zook Roofing at a fundraising event. Fisher’s Roofing’s owner, Sam Fisher, believed his company was a perfect fit for the installation. “We love complicated standing seam roofs — we’re experts, and that’s what we like to do,” Fisher says. “We volunteered to coordinate the roofing portion of the project and install the metal roof system.”

An 11-man crew form Fisher’s Roofing installed the metal roof and snow retention system.

The team from Fisher’s Roofing worked in conjunction with Jadon Stoltzfus of Kyfus Metal Sales, who rolled the panels on the site using New Tech Machinery’s portable panel forming machine. Sunset Construction, which served as the general contractor, provided lift equipment that was instrumental in the installation.

“We provided a lot of our own equipment for the project as well,” Fisher notes. “We own a Swenson SnapTable Pro that was indispensable on this project. We are known for our detailed jobs on standing seam roofs.”

An 11-man crew tackled the project. Two men on the ground worked with Stoltzfus, and panels were lifted and installed as they came off of the roll former. “As fast as they could roll them, we were installing the panels,” Fisher says. “The long panels required a little more manpower, but it was a fun project to work on.”

The pitch of the roof made it difficult to fabricate a ridge cap that would provide adequate ventilation. It was also tough to install. The safety plan called for personal fall arrest systems, and the harnesses were attached to anchor points at the ridge. To attach the ridge cap, the anchor points had to be removed, so the final steps were completed by technicians using man lifts.

Details included a rake trim with a special configuration to eliminate exposed fasteners. “With our expertise, it’s something we were used to, but the trim work was time consuming,” notes Fisher.

Snow Retention

Fisher’s Roofing also installed the complete S-5! ColorGard system, including S-5-S Clamps, VersaClips and SnowClips II. The snow retention system was chosen for its aesthetics as well as its performance, as it offered a perfect color match and is fully tested and engineered to last for the life of the roof. “We installed the ColorGard on the downslope side to match the roof,” Fisher notes. “It gives it a much better appearance. I can’t say enough about the S-5! system. It is easy to install and has great structural integrity.”

The S-5! ColorGard snow retention system was chosen for its performance and aesthetics, as it offered a perfect color match to the roof.

Stoltzfus agrees, noting that the system does not compromise the roof warranty. “S-5! is all that we use on our standing seam roofs,” Stoltzfus says. “It is so strong — we’ve never had a customer report a failure in all of the years we have been using it.”

The Central Pennsylvania Clinic now has a beautiful new facility, protected by a roof and snow retention system that will help its health care staff serve the community for years to come.

The effort of volunteers on the project was inspiring, notes Fisher. “It’s all about giving back to the community,” he says. “We try and do a couple of these types of projects every year. We had never worked with Kyfus Metal Sales before, and it was great to work with them. All of the other companies on the project we had worked with in the past. Everyone worked together really well, and we had a lot of fun. It’s rewarding to see people come together on a project like this.”

TEAM

Architect: Henry Architecture and Design, State College, Pennsylvania, had.archi

General Contractor: Sunset Construction, Belleville, Pennsylvania

Roofing Contractor: Fisher’s Roofing, Loysville, Pennsylvania, fishersroofingpa.com

Steel Supplier: A.B. Martin Roofing Supply, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, abmartin.net

Roll Forming: Kyfus Metals Sales, McVeytown, Pennsylvania, kyfusmetalroofingandsiding.com

MATERIALS

Metal Roof: 24-gauge, 19.5 panel, Kynar charcoal gray, A.B. Martin Roofing Supply, abmartin.net

Snow Retention: ColorGard, S-5-S Clamps, VersaClip, SnowClip II, S-5!, s-5.com

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