Collapsed Chester Police carport gone; contractor expected to foot bill for vehicle damage

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

In mid-February, the carport erected next to Chester’s Public Safety Building collapsed after a snowstorm trapping a police cruiser and an officer’s private car underneath. This past Sunday, a crew disassembled it and the cars underneath it were removed. The delay had to do with the unusual arraignment under which it was constructed.

The carport was a gift to the town by a resident as a memorial to his deceased brother and the contract to build it was between him and Carport Central of Mount Airy, N.C. That did not look like a problem from the beginning, but it complicated the town’s response when the building collapsed. The carport was erected in the fall of 2024.

According to Town Manager Julie Hance, because the town was not part of the contract to buy and erect the carport, it needed to have the company that put it up indemnify the town before it could take the building down. The town’s municipal insurance does not cover carports.

Hance said that Carport Central “verbally” said that it “would pay to remove the structure and pay to make both of the vehicles whole.” However, Hance added, after consulting with the town’s attorney, she asked for that in writing. During last Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, Hance told the board she had received the signed agreement during the meeting.

Hance said the town intends to repair the police cruiser.  Initial damage estimates were $6,000. But that now that it is out from under the carport, the town will look at it more closely.

As for the carport, Hance said, “We will not replace the structure with a similar design. We will evaluate our needs and look for the best option going forward, not using taxpayer funds.”

Hance called the situation a “lesson learned” in making sure the town is contractually involved even with gifts it is receiving.