Infrared Scan to Be Completed on Walter T. Bergen Roof

The Bloomingdale school district has hired a roofing consultant to perform an infrared scan on the roof to determine whether all or just part of the roof is in need of repairs.

The voted on hiring the consultant Monday after Business Administrator George Hagl explained that if only parts of the roof need repairs, the district would be able to move forward with awarding a bid for a district-wide photovoltaic system.

In February, the board began discussing the energy initiative in hopes that the savings generated from installing solar panels on the roofs of the Walter T. Bergen School and and selling energy credits could help fund roof repair projects to the two schools. Originally, the board sought to completely replace the roof at the Walter T. Bergen School and recap the roof at Martha B. Day.

Hagl said Monday that the Walter T. Bergen School roof is beginning to leak, as well as the Martha B. Day School.

"The situation is only going to get worse," he said.

But after going out to bid on June 21, Hagl said that with the bidder who met the bid specifications best, GridPoint Services, LLC, the district would still fall approximately $150,000 short on the roofing projects.

"We cannot transfer any monies to assist at this point," Hagl said.

According to Hagl, while the district does have capital reserve funds available, in order to use the money toward the project, the district would have to first ask voters in a referendum to approve the project. Facing a Dec. 31 deadline for tax incentives for the photovoltaic system, Hagl said there is not enough time to go to referendum and begin the project.

Instead, Hagl said that by hiring the roof contractor, there is the possibility that they will discover that only part of the Walter T. Bergen School roof needs to be prepared, which would close the gap of the $150,000 the district is short.

"If this is the case, they feel that sections can be cut out and replaced," he said.

Board Member Thomas Kroncke asked Hagl if the district would be able to begin the project early so that it would not impact the school year, but Hagl said he would not advise that the district begin work until a contract is awarded, which could be as early as Aug. 1, depending on the results of the infrared scan.

Hagl said GridPoint has worked with similar contracts to that which the district is pursuing and that he thinks it will be negotiated fairly quickly.