Council approves $177,400 roof repairs for two fire stations, with added warranty conditions

The Dearborn Heights City Council voted Sept. 23 to award a contract for roof repairs at the North and South fire stations to Armstrong Enterprises for a not-to-exceed total of $177,400, subject to specific contract language the council required.

Administration recommended Armstrong citing a three-year leak warranty; some councilmembers argued for the lowest bidder but were persuaded by staff and the engineer that the selected bidder—s warranty on leak-free performance across the inspected patches better protected the city while firefighters remain in the buildings for at least three more years. Councilman Saab and others asked for detailed scope language and documentation to be included in the final contract before work begins: total square footage covered by the warranty, whether areas outside the original scope would be covered, a breakdown of patched areas to be repaired or replaced, and the fine print of any 3-year leak-free guaranty.

Council approved the award conditioned on inserting those specifications and having administration bring the final contract back to the council if the contractor will not accept the terms.

Background and context: The project was presented to be an interim repair (not a full roof replacement) intended to keep stations weather-tight until a new fire station can be built. Council members repeatedly emphasized the need for explicit contract language rather than trusting an oral warranty.

Next steps: Administration will finalize the contract language to reflect the council—s requested warranty conditions, circulate the final contract to council members before work begins, and return the contract to council for approval if the contractor objects to the required terms.