The roof on the school district’s administration building on Amwell Road needs to be replaced, the Board of Education was told at its Nov. 12 work session. “The roof is leaking pretty badly,” schools Superintendent John Ravally told the board. Ravally said he will have a resolution for the board at its Nov. 19 action meeting to hire Design Resources Group architects to shepherd the roof replacement. A Nov. 6, 2015 proposal from DRG estimated the cost of the new roof to be as much as $315,500. Interim district administrator James Strimple said the money would come from the district’s capital reserve fund. In the letter, DRG’s Patrick Seiwell delineated the problems with the 30-year-old roof: “Seams are compromised and have been caulked in an effort to stem water infiltration. The membrane has pulled away from various sections of the parapet and could now tear under high wind conditions. Coping stone joints need to be rehabilitated. The active masonry chimney masonry needs to be addressed. Roof edges and gutter/leader systems are in poor condition.” Seiwell wrote that the level of moisture in the walls is not known, but any moisture could cause a problem if it freezes and thaws. “This cycle weakens the motor joints and impacts the overall integrity of the wall,” he wrote. “The damage this causes could have significant structural implications if the roof and roof edge is not remediated in a timely fashion." Seiwall wrote that a complete roof investigation would have to be done, and would cost about $5,000. Most of the water damage has occurred in the part of the building that houses the district’s Information Technology department. Ceiling ties are stained, and part of one wall has water damage. The work that DRG recommends includes: Complete removal of all roofs down to existing deck Provide new Single Ply EPDM roof over rigid insulation Address coping stone soft joints / or / cover with metal coping Address condition of masonry exterior walls (at areas of infiltration), chimney Provide new gutter and leader system Rehab plaster at interior walls.
The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
