Two Mahopac businesses were left homeless after a catastrophic roof collapse at their building at 571 Route 6 in Mahopac in January. However, the good news is they will return faster than expected thanks to the record-setting repairs and roof replacement work.
The businesses, Unstoppable K9, a wellness facility for dogs that focuses on grooming, training and conditioning, and Ronin Martial Arts, a mixed martial arts gym for youth and adults, were forced to shut down operations at the site after the collapse.
Nicole Barile Stern, of Lynlil Associates, which owns and manages the property (the former Yellow Shed Antiques building next to Dana’s Diner), said the Jan. 25 snowstorm, which dumped around 10 inches of snow on Mahopac, was responsible for the devastation that took place two days later.
“We think it was from the weight of the snow,” she said. “The engineers and the Building Department think that was the cause. We got a text from one of our tenants, and we immediately secured the premises and began assessing the damage.”
Barile Stern said that, remarkably, no one was injured. A martial arts class, which takes place on the second floor, was underway when they began to hear the roof creaking.
“They all began to vacate immediately, and then the roof collapsed,” she said. “It gives me the chills. It was an act of God. This is the first time for us. We’ve never had anything like this happen before in all the time we’ve been in business.”
Barile Stern said they were able to get a new roof on the building “in record time.”
“We had a lot of community members and contractors help us get it done,” she said. “Because of how it collapsed, they had to take it down piece by piece to prevent further damage. By the 30th we had what was left of the old roof removed.”
Barile Stern said builders added new trusses that were installed at a different angle than the originals to strengthen the load-bearing capabilities.
“We got the trusses by Feb. 16 from Builders FirstSource. They’re our neighbors and they had our backs,” she said. “We’ve been in this business for a long time and have made a lot of great relationships.”
Barile Stern said the new roof is now completely sheathed and just needs to be shingled, and renovations on the second floor have begun. Due to the extensive damage, that floor had to be gutted down to the studs and then rebuilt.
“We knew we had to get our tenants back as soon as possible,” she said. “That’s always been our goal.
“My dad (former Town Councilman Mike Barile) and I were there every day. We weren't going to let them do it alone, so we were right by their side. That was the week when it was 5 degrees. We made lots of runs to Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee.”
Amanda Monteiro, who owns Unstoppable K9 with her sister Michele, a renowned dog trainer, said her business is the primary tenant, and they sublet the second floor to the martial arts school.
“We have not been able to resume our business since it happened,” she said. “We have had to work with our clients as best we can. The good news is that Nicole’s team worked on an exceptional timeline, and we will be back on March 2. Our clients have been very supportive. It slowed us down a bit, but we are looking forward to coming back.”
Barile Stern said because the second floor had to be rebuilt, Ronin Martial Arts will take longer to return, but the facility is expected to reopen by mid- to late March.
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