Council approves roof replacement, caps spending at $290,000 after low $285,000 bid

Mayor Dean Johnson presided as the council voted unanimously to move forward with a full roof replacement on the city’s main building, approving a contract that staff said will cover membrane repair, replacement of rotted sheathing and other work.

The action followed presentation of two bids: Skyline Roofing at $544,000 and Pitt Roofing at $285,000. A staff member presenting the bids said the low bidder’s price reflected scope and scheduling differences and noted the work ‘‘is gonna be a project’’ that will include replacement of sheathing and the roof membrane.

Council members pressed staff on warranty and manufacturer approval. A staff member urged the council to check the manufacturer warranty—discussing Carlisle as the known product used on portions of the roof—and said the manufacturer typically performs inspections and approves installation procedures. Finance and public-works questions focused on whether the budgeted line item could cover the work. Staff said the council had budgeted $290,000 for the project.

Council member (motion maker) moved to approve the contract with a not-to-exceed cap of $290,000 and to allow change orders that would require council notification if costs exceed that cushion. Mayor Dean Johnson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

The contract award directs staff to finalize the contract language (staff said several template references need correction from ‘‘county’’ and ‘‘sheriff’’ to ‘‘city’’ and ‘‘police chief’’) and to confirm warranty and manufacturer procedures before signatures. Council also approved a small built-in cushion so that limited decking replacement handled as a change order would not require repeated council action; staff said larger decking replacement would return to the council.