County commissioners reject Glover Road metal-roof bid, direct rebid that will include shingle option

St. Francois County commissioners voted to reject a single bid for a metal roof on the Glover Road facility after staff said the proposal came in at nearly $900,000, roughly three times the county estimate, and directed staff to rebid both metal and shingle roof options.

The action follows commissioners’ concern that the lone metal bid left them nothing to compare. Commissioners said obtaining a shingle bid would allow the county to weigh upfront cost differences against longer-term durability and to avoid returning in two weeks to reconfigure the procurement.

County staff told commissioners they do not want to award the solar contract until the roof work is complete because the solar contractor will have about 90 days to start after an award. That timing drove the decision to rebid now rather than proceed with the existing bid. Commissioners also discussed whether an insurance claim for storm damage had been explored; staff said the roof’s age—estimated in discussion at about 25 years—likely limited any insurance recovery.

The motion to reject the metal-roof bid and authorize rebidding both a metal roof and a shingle roof was made and seconded; commissioners voted in favor.

Commissioners also noted there is an existing shingle roof in place in parts of the building and discussed potential budget sources, including funds set aside for the courthouse roof that were not used when that courthouse work was postponed. No dollar amount for the current project budget was specified during the discussion.

Looking ahead, staff will solicit new bids for both roof types and return with results for award. The county’s solar-timing constraint remains: roof work must be completed before awarding and beginning the solar installation.