ASHFIELD — The temporary wooden structure atop the Town Hall roof has been secured, after heavy winds nearly blew it off last week.

Stuart Harris, chair of the Town Hall Building Committee, said that wind gusts between 2:15 and 4:30 a.m. on Thursday morning caught hold of a tarp that had been left on top of the Town Hall tower, effectively turning the tarp into a sail that dragged a temporary structure across the roof and left it hanging precariously over the edge.

“We have it anchored with some chains and cables so hopefully nothing happens to it now,” Harris said.

Harris and his crew had been working on the roof a few weeks ago and hung up a tarp to shield them from gusts of wind. They left the tarp up and planned to return a few weeks later when warmer weather would allow them to continue work to restore the belfry and cupola. Unfortunately, Harris said, while the tarp protected them from wind while they worked, it also led to the temporary structure being dragged across the roof.

“We’ve had wind before, but we haven’t had anything like we had two days ago,” Harris said when reached by phone on Friday evening.

Antennas for internet and cellular equipment on the roof captured the exact time that the wind gusts moved the structure early Thursday morning, Harris said. The structure moved several feet but got caught on cable equipment, preventing it from falling off the roof entirely.

Harris said workers spent most of Thursday and Friday on the roof working to pull the temporary structure back into place and stabilize it until warmer weather returns and crews can continue work on Town Hall. At that time, the plan is to insert the columns that will support the belfry and cupola, which have been waiting behind Town Hall to be repaired and restored to their position on top of the building.

Visitors to Town Hall are advised to use the side entrance until further notice.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.