Surfside's Champlain Towers North Gets Structural Support

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Residents at Champlain Towers North in Surfside are on alert after maintenance crews added additional steel support in the garage, the lobby and on several floors.

It happened nearly 7 months after the sister building Champlain Towers South collapsed.

Engineers said this is out of an abundance of caution, while they work to finish a 40-year recertification on the building.

In the garage, there are nearly a dozen columns surrounded with additional steel support.

"When I last went through the North garage it was probably a couple months ago," said Chairman of KCE Structural Engineers, Allyn Kilsheimer. But since then, steel post shores were added in the garage, the lobby and on several floors.

"I'm trying to not overwhelm myself with thoughts about it," says Liora Santos, who lives in Champlain Towers North.

Liora Santos, who lives with her two kids, said the condo building is being very transparent, alerting the people who live here to any changes.

"I also go to the manager and ask him what things have been done and if it's safe and he always assures me that they're fixing, they're checking and there is nothing to worry about," she explained.

Allyn Kilsheimer, an engineer, who's helped evaluate many building collapses, including Champlain Towers South, said, from a visual standpoint, the North Tower garage seemed to be well maintained.

"I didn't see any major cracks anywhere. I didn't see any spalls any place. I didn't see any major depressions or lowering of slabs or anything," he says of his visit a few months ago.

The 40-year recertification was supposed to be complete in December, but the engineer asked for a 90-day extension. Kilsheimer said it can take time to complete recertifications, especially on old buildings.

"When you're designing a building, you design it for the current applicable building code. The building codes change. What the code required you to do 40 years ago is not what the code requires you to do today," he explained.

The Champlain Towers North President sent residents a letter reading in part, "The post shores are added as an abundance of caution and until the columns are reinforced or support collars are installed as needed.

The 40-year recertification on the building should be complete by the end of March.