After a lengthy and lively discussion at its Sept. 28 meeting, the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees voted 4-3 to pay $38,000 for shingles and $800 for an extended 15-year warranty to fix the roof at the fire hall.
The board also indicated it will authorize about $4,000 to $5,000 more to improve the ventilation in the soffits and asked to seek bids to change to a continuous soffit as soon as possible.
The option chosen was the low bid from All Phase Construction to install 50-year Owens Corning shingles.
The roof will be cleared off and the wood inspected before the shingles are put into place. An organic material is believed to have been used under the present shingles and it is holding the water.
The present shingles are curling and the roof is leaking.
An option to use metal roofing was favored by some of the board members. The metal would be installed over the present roof. Bid price was $63,650 for 45-year metal.
Voting yes for shingles were Trustees Linda Kennedy, William Hamm and Alan Bates and Supervisor Johnny Vawters. Voting no were Treasurer John Morgan, Trustee Peggy Morgan, and Clerk Clarence Hoffman.
Sumpter Building Official Larry Goodman said he believed it was a design problem, with two valleys emptying into one spot. Also, there is a problem with venting.
“It’s like concrete. It’s only as good as what you lay in down on,” Goodman said of the roof.
A bid for “barn steel” was questioned by Trustee Peggy Morgan.
“Will it take away the looks of the fire hall?” Trustee Morgan asked and Goodman said the name “barn steel” is misleading and is a name for a category of roofing.
“I think it’s nice,” Goodman said of metal roofs. “It’s upcoming for the age.”
“The township spent an awful lot of money to make the building aesthetically pleasing,” reminded Trustee Linda Kennedy. “I don’t want us to put a lot of money to put a roof on and not keep the aesthetics viable.”
She referred to the use of a local, acclaimed designer, the late Chesley Odom, who designed the structure and turned his drawings over to an architect to put into reality. The fire hall’s grand opening was in December 1998.
The original builder went bankrupt and the building was completed under the bond company’s direction.
Trustee Morgan said she wants to make sure the roof they put on will last and she doesn’t want another future board to have to spend a lot of money to replace the roof again.
“In my opinion, the bang for the buck is the steel,” Goodman said.
Trustee William Hamm asked about the class-action suit mentioned in a previous meeting that was being brought for inferior shingles, and Goodman said he doesn’t know if the shingles on the fire hall are the ones mentioned in the suit.
“I don’t see the problem with the 50-year shingles,” said Fire Chief Les Powell. “We’d have $20,000 in our pockets to fix the soffit.
Powell addressed Goodman, saying Goodman had a mindset in favor of the metal roof and planned for his buddy to put on that roof. There was a disagreement about who said what to Kemp Construction.
Trustee Alan Bates said the fire hall has a 10:12 roof pitch and, “all you see is roof” and with metal it would look like a barn.
“Nobody knows how the valleys were done and we won’t know until the roof is stripped,” Trustee Bates said.
Powell asked about hail storm damage on metal roofs and Goodman said there haven’t been any hail storms strong enough to damage a roof in a long time.
“Tear it off and do a new roof,” Kennedy said. “I’d feel a lot better about that.”
In other business at the Sept. 28 meeting, the board:
* Presented certificates of appreciation to members of Cub Scout
Pack #822 who built two benches for the township hall. The scouts meet at the community center and wanted to show they were grateful for the meeting space;
* Approved an agreement with Carlisle/Wortman planning consultants to update zoning ordinances at a cost of $13,510, with 20% being held back until completion;
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement with Wayne County to be eligible for park funds;
* After a long discussion, tabled any further action on Dan Markey’s house at 26981 Sumpter Road until after the township demolition bids have come in. Markey’s building has been designated a dangerous building and is slated for demolition;
* Approved payment of $4,259 for 2010-11 dues to the Conference of Western Wayne;
* Approved directing METCO engineers to check the new flood plain map and report back recommendations;
* Approved allowing one DPW worker and Deputy Supervisor Craig Moody to work six hours per day, not to exceed 12 hours per weekend, for work at Graham Park for a minimum of two weekends and maximum of three weekends, at a cost out of general fund not to exceed $2,850. The plan is for the two to be working on enclosures for the porta-johns, while supervising court workers install fencing at the parking areas;
* Was informed there will be a resolution for board consideration at the next meeting concerning the .7 mill for the district library. The .7 will continue to be levied after the Nov. 2 election, but the election will determine whether the township or the district library gets the tax revenue; and
* Went into a 43-minute executive session with township attorney Rob Young and the township’s insurance attorney to discuss the lawsuit brought by former police officer Michael Lange