Contractor recommends inspections, short-term repairs for county roofs; county to seek budget for assessment

Steve LaPointe of G and E Roofing told the Knox County Commission on Sept. 9 that multiple county buildings, including the jail and courthouse, show aging roof systems and some evidence of water infiltration and deteriorated decking. "You probably noticed you've got some areas where the shingles are blown off," LaPointe said, and added that flashings are failing and "that roof should be planning for replacement the next couple of years."

LaPointe outlined a two-step approach: immediate service calls and patching to stop leaks, then a comprehensive inspection that would produce an itemized inventory, photos and a three- to five-year capital forecast. He said the quoted inspection fee for the courthouse was $3,000 plus man-lift costs, the airport inspection (about 20 buildings) was quoted at $7,500, and a smaller public safety building inspection at $4,000. He estimated the man lift at roughly $1,500 for the lift days and said a full package for all buildings could approach roughly $16,000. "What we would do is come in — one of our inspectors would come in and spend two or three days on each property," LaPointe said.

Commissioners pressed about timing and funding. One commissioner said the county is "way overdue" for a full assessment and noted visible leaks should be addressed sooner rather than later; another said the county will likely need to include inspection or repair money in the next budget. The county administrator confirmed the budget committee would be involved and said staff will work to produce numbers for the upcoming budget cycle. "If you wait till spring of next year, in theory you're not going to have the funding available until the next fiscal year," LaPointe warned, urging earlier budgeting.

Commissioners asked whether a lighter, lower-cost assessment or drone-based estimate could be used; LaPointe said a drone or scaled estimate using blueprints could give broad budget numbers but would not replace a full inspection. He offered an interim option: time-and-material service calls with a not-to-exceed amount to touch up the worst leaks and provide a limited assessment. "We can come in and do an assessment... set something up on time and material, not to exceed $5,000," LaPointe said, adding that touching up the really bad areas would be prioritized.

County staff and commissioners discussed procurement implications. Without current budget authority for the larger package, commissioners indicated they may need to prepare a bid packet or bring the estimate to the budget committee for approval. The county administrator said staff will work with finance to present options so the commission can decide how much to fund for patches now and whether to commission the full inspection for capital planning.

The presentation included a brief review of the county's historic roofing data: LaPointe said county records show roof work at the courthouse last recorded in February 2016 and sparse records for other facilities, which creates "holes" in the maintenance history that a new inspection would fill. Commissioners thanked the contractor for the information and agreed to pursue budget options and follow up with the administrator and finance staff.

Ending

No formal county action was taken at the meeting. Commissioners instructed the county administrator and finance staff to develop cost options and a procurement approach — ranging from limited service calls to a full inspection and capital forecast — for consideration by the commission and the budget committee.