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Craig — Moffat County School Board members listened Tuesday night as they tried to grasp the finer details surrounding a structural problem plaguing Craig Middle School.

Board members had several questions:

■ Why does a portion of the roof on the building’s north wing fall short of building codes?

■ How did the issue escape detection when the building was under construction?

■ How will the issue be repaired by the time students return to school after winter break?

David Shigekane, vice president of The Neenan Co., the district’s general contractor for the school, spoke directly to the last question.

“I called back to the home office and again, our commitment is to get you in by the day the school opens” after the winter break Jan. 5, he said.

The project cost the lion’s share of a $29.5 million bond issue Moffat County voters approved in 2007. The rest of the funds paid for upgrades for schools across the district.

The company has come under scrutiny when Meeker Elementary School, another Neenan Co. project, was closed after structural problems were found there.

Other problems surfaced shortly afterward.

Structural concerns were raised at Monte Vista High School, another Neenan project, in southern Colorado. Although The Neenan Co. disagreed with the conclusions of a review team that examined the building, the company agreed to comply with recommendations.

Structural shortcomings also have been found at a school under construction in Akron, The Denver Post reported.

Moffat County School District Superintendent Joe Petrone said he asked KL&A, a Golden-based structural engineering firm, to review Craig Middle School immediately after learning about the Meeker school issue through coverage in the Post.

The reason why the roof doesn’t meet code is complex, but it boils down to this: The roof lacks the support needed to prevent it from shifting from side to side.

The problem goes back to a flaw in the design, said Brant Lahnert, KL&A principal engineer.

“The design was wrong,” he told board members Tuesday.

The problem occurred after changes were made to the original design, he said.

The engineer for the project from Computerized Structural Design — the company Neenan hired to design the building — “wasn’t reviewing the latest drawing for whatever reason,” Lahnert said.

To remedy the problem, Lahnert said, the roof will have to be retrofitted.

The Neenan Co., Computerized Structural Design or both will pay for the repairs, Petrone has said previously.

In any case, the district won’t foot the bill.

Areas of the middle school’s north wing — the locker rooms, band room, theater storage room and adjoining hallway area — are off-limits to students until the code violation is fixed.

Petrone stressed the restriction is a precautionary measure.

“It’s not a dangerous building,” he said. “I did not want anyone to think that the engineers were recommending evacuation.”