Roofing consultant warns multiple Hardy County school roofs are failing; board to consider emergency funding for Watula and fifth-grade building

A roofing representative for Garland told the Hardy County School Board at a workshop that multiple district roofs are in seriously degraded condition and urged the district to act now to avoid much larger costs later.

Grant Gale, the Garland representative, said inspection results show “All of the blue that you see here is wet in your roof already,” and that Watula Elementary’s main roof currently tests about 21 percent wet. He warned that ‘‘at 25.1% you have to rip off all the insulation and do it brand new,’’ a step that he estimated could add roughly $600,000–$700,000 to replacement costs for that building.

Gale, who described Garland as a manufacturer offering turnkey inspections and extended warranties, presented bid results and recommended prioritizing work that allows the district to save existing insulation where the tests show moisture below the regulatory tear‑off threshold. He said the cooperative contract base bid for the main package came in at about $1,511,756 and that, if the board did every item discussed (excluding some separate structures), the transcript total presented was $2,396,573.

Why it matters: Gale and administrators told the board that acting before a midyear material-price increase and potential labor-market tightening could materially reduce project cost. Gale said the district could buy time on some roofs with targeted service work (he estimated roughly $100,000 could buy roughly one to two years of additional life on North Wula), while full replacements for heavily degraded roofs could take six to eight months and cost substantially more.

Board response and next steps: Board members pressed for more complete paperwork and a full districtwide binder of inspection reports before deciding on large appropriations. Several members expressed concern about committing large sums—one member said the shift in priority felt ‘‘bamboozling’’ in light of past plans—and asked for a sealed structural-engineer report for North Wula before major commitments.

Administrators reported about $2.0 million currently saved for roofing projects and said they would check the capital-outlay detail and confirm how much of that balance could be applied immediately. A board member proposed adding an emergency agenda item at the upcoming regular meeting to move forward with work on Watula Elementary’s main roof and the fifth-grade building; several members said they were amenable to that step. Administrators agreed to provide the board with the requested capital‑outlay sheet and to ask Gale whether the structural-assessment report could be completed in time to support an appropriations request due in early November.

Quotes and evidence: All direct quotes in this article are taken from the workshop transcript. Among them, Gale said, “We are the manufacturer...we give you an all-inclusive warranty on labor and materials,” and described the wet-test figure and the 25% tear-off threshold. Board members repeatedly asked for clarifying documents (capital-outlay detail, core test results and sealed engineer report) before approving any large appropriations.

What’s next: The board indicated willingness to place a last-minute action item on the next board meeting agenda to authorize work on Watula Elementary’s main roof and the fifth-grade building, subject to limits to be attached by administration and additional supporting documents. No formal vote was recorded during the workshop; formal action is pending on the board agenda.

Notes on uncertainty: Several dollar figures in discussion were estimates presented verbally; where the transcript did not provide a formal contract or signed bid, amounts are reported as the workshop figures or estimates provided by Gale or administrators.