BERLIN — Some unanticipated costs have caused the Worcester County Commission to re-open the bidding process for a planned renovation project at the Berlin library branch.
Adherence to the existing energy code will more than triple the early estimated cost of the project from $18,000 to around $70,000.
“We’ve come to the realization that we do need to put a better roof on that facility,” said John Tustin, director of Public Works.
The current roof on the library is made of roughly 40-year-old slate shingles. Nearly two years ago, the county began seeking estimates to replace that with new asphalt shingles. Expecting only a cost of about $18,000, the county then began an extended evaluation of the project and realized that a simple shingle replacement would not meet the energy code requirements as the roof decking lacks insulation, which will require much more work to fix.
“As the building’s slate roof shingles have continued to deteriorate and leak during rain events, it is recommended that the County Commissioners rebid this project using the attached revised bid specifications,” wrote Tustin in a memo to the commission, “which include allowance of alternate insulated roof panel products. This will require an estimated $52,000 in additional funding …”
It’s a significant leap and one the commission admitted some heartburn over. The spike is made worse by the fact that the county is already searching Berlin for a new library site, which will require a new or renovated building and will certainly be an expensive investment.
“You’re talking about putting $70,000 into something that we’re probably going to move out of in two and a half or three years,” said Commissioner Virgil Shockley.
Tustin pointed out that the current library is leased from the Berlin Fire Company and part of the deal with the county was that it be kept in order.
“We have an agreement with the Berlin Fire Company that we are going to maintain this building in first-class condition,” he said.
County Attorney Sonny Bloxom added that it wouldn’t be fair for the commission to leave the building in bad shape.
Shockley clarified that he wasn’t opposed to the repairs but noted that the county will have to perform further renovations on the old building when the new library plans are inked, making such an expensive roof replacement only a few years before the move even tougher to take.
The expense of replacing the roof wasn’t an issue, according to Commissioner Jim Bunting, but the need to spend so much more to meet the energy code was perplexing.
“Why is the energy code kicking in on the roof replacement?” he asked.
Bunting pointed out that if he wanted to re-roof his private home he wouldn’t be forced to fall in line with the code. But the county has to hold itself to a higher standard, argued Bloxom.
“It’s a county project and we know what the code is, we know what the code requires,” he told Bunting. “We can’t turn a blind-eye.”
Bunting said he was simply curious why the code seems to work one way for a private residence and another way for a county project. But it’s not actually the code that changes, only the degree of scrutiny since the county does not require the same level of investigation into a residential re-roofing as it does for a county operation.
“The code still applies but we have not gotten into the business of issuing permits for home new roofing jobs,” said Ed Tudor, director of Development Review and Permitting.
The commission voted unanimously to re-bid the project with the more extensive criteria to guarantee that the new roof will match the code.