GENTRY - Shared with school members via a dropbox folder were reports of ceiling penetration and signifi cant water penetration into the high school building last month, damaging ceiling tiles and possibly other items.
According to reports from Mike Spaeth, of Hight-Jackson Associates, the school district’s architectural firm in charge of a roofing project at the Gentry High School and of the construction of a new multi-purpose athletic facility, on-site observation on July 15, following a brief rain shower, revealed 50 percent of the contracted area of the roof covered with a membrane roofing material but only one roof drain retrofit had been completed in the reroofed area. The remaining roof drain areas had holes cut into new membrane.
Also, a table saw was reported to be setting on the new membrane without any kind of sheathing between the table legs and the roofing membrane. A number of patches to the roofing membrane were noted.
Also noted were several existing condensors placed back directly on the roofing membrane without the required blocks of wood and separator sheets.
On July 16, following heavy rainfall anda call from district superintendent Randy Barrett, Spaeth reported “rain infi ltration in three classrooms and two corridors below the south end of roof area ‘A,’ specifically rooms 105, 106, 122, and the main corridors accessing these rooms.”
According to Spaeth’s report, “Rain water appeared to be coming in at the same area as the existing roof drains. Ceiling tiles were saturated and damaged. Water was standing on the floors of the classrooms, and the school maintenance department was working on cleanup and mopping up the rain water. Bookcases were covered in Visqueen, and trash cans were set to collect the rain water.
“While on site, Craig Millsap stated a laborer with the roofing company was working above the ceiling over his desk and had accidently stepped through the ceiling tile over Craig’s chair. The ceiling tile was damaged, but nobody was hurt. The tile was replaced by the time I got there,” the report stated.
Randy Barrett, on Thursday, said the roofing issues were being addressed.
“The roofing company will be responsible for any damages - that were in their control, of course - caused during installation of the new roof,” Barrett wrote by email on Thursday. “Hight-Jackson is our agent in determining what items were or were not in Roberts-McNutt’s control. Roberts-McNutt is a reputable company and this is pretty standard procedure in these type matters.”
A bid contract of $519,387 with Roberts-McNutt was approved by the board in June to replace the high school roof (less the auditorium, which has a newer roof).
News, Pages 1 on 08/14/2013