Street‑shop employees urge action after repeated leaks; council to reissue roof bid

Street department workers told the council the city shop’s roof is leaking repeatedly, causing water to pour from light fixtures and HVAC vents, damaging interiors and affecting morale.

"This past winter when we had the snow and ice and the thaw, water was running everywhere, actively out of light fixtures, out of the HVAC system ports... it's terrible," said Zach Maester, who identified himself as an employee of the street department. Maester said staff have been using bowls to catch leaks in the breakroom and that mold testing has occurred; he urged the council to prioritize a fix.

Council members said earlier bid cycles produced prices they were reluctant to accept and that prior bids had been rejected as incomplete or too costly. One council member said the first round returned bids in the high hundreds of thousands and the board did not feel those bids would address the problem fully. Staff said they plan to reissue the roof replacement bid in April and will broaden options to attract contractors, including offering multiple material options (metal or membrane) and clearer scope so bidders can propose complete solutions.

Council and staff estimated that interior repairs could run tens of thousands of dollars (one estimate cited $50,000–$100,000) and agreed the city should seek comprehensive bids that will not require repeated follow‑up work.

Next steps: staff will reissue a revised solicitation in spring with expanded options and clearer specifications; council asked staff to try to attract contractors able to perform complete tear‑offs and full replacements where appropriate.