Snow, ice and frozen pipes, take 2: What commercial property owners need to know

With the official start of spring on March 20, many are hoping that the harsh winter of 2015 will fade quickly. Unfortunately, depending on how far north you are, you may be looking at more ice and snow until April. With this in mind, commercial property owners are worried about the effect of winter weather and the spring thaw on their locations, especially when their buildings have flat roofs.

Case in point: The roof of a hockey rink in Canton, Mass., collapsed on Feb. 28, just as a local team began practice. Luckily, the coaches and parents heard the roof cracking and were able to get all the students off the ice seconds before the roof caved in. There were no injuries, but it could have been a lot worse because the back wall of the rink was blown out by the roof collapse.