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Town manager: insurer will cover two-thirds of North Falmouth Elementary roof repairs; special town meeting request removed
Summary
Town officials learned an insurer-contracted engineer found storm and snow-load damage to two-thirds of North Falmouth Elementary's roof trusses, meaning insurance will cover roughly two-thirds of an estimated $1.9 million repair. The manager withdrew a previously planned special town meeting to appropriate funds pending further insurance determinations.
The town manager told the Select Board on June 1 that North Falmouth Elementary School sustained structural damage to roof trusses discovered in April. Based on engineering work presented to town staff, the initial repair estimate was about $1.9 million.
"[The insurer's engineer] made the determination that the damage to two‑thirds of the roof ... was a covered peril," the town manager reported, adding that insurance is expected to cover two‑thirds of the cost. The town manager said the insurer is still evaluating the remaining third of the roof and that the town should have more information within about a week.
Because of the insurer’s initial determination, the town manager withdrew a request for a special town meeting that had been on the agenda to seek appropriations to pay the full cost. "When we learned on Friday morning that insurance was going to cover a significant portion of those costs, I made the decision to remove the select board’s consideration for the called special town meeting from the agenda," the manager said.
During public comment, residents asked for greater project oversight and for structural documentation to be provided publicly. One commenter said oversight and inspection records should be presented to the public, and another warned that prior reinforcement work had shifted load to adjacent trusses.
The manager also briefed the board on next steps: continuing coordination with school department staff and the insurer’s engineer, monitoring whether the remaining roof portion will be covered, and sharing updates with the board when available.
Action: Board received the report; no appropriation vote occurred because the request for a special town meeting was withdrawn pending final insurer determinations.
