Mt. Diablo: Aging school roofs spur unease, as remaining bond funds dwindle – East Bay Times

CONCORD Before retiring last month as the Mt. Diablo school districts sole roofer, David Tomason said he often felt like a one-legged man in a kicking contest each rainy season as he raced around the 56-campus district trying to plug leaks.

Tomason estimated that at least 50 percent of the roofs at district schools are in need of replacement and many are near or at the end of their life cycle.

His comments underscore an ongoingdebate over school maintenance and money management in one of Contra Costa Countys largest school districts:Despite vowing to repair and replace leaking roofs when it asked voters in 2010 to approve a $348 million construction bond measure, the district has spent only a sliver of the money from Measure C on those needs, and it is now down to the last$38.5 million.

The district hasnt beenlistening, said Tomason, who spoke out after retiring last month after 14 years with the district. A lot of that Measure C money was spent on peoples wants rather than needs.

In the past few years, Tomason said, he was forced to respond to countless roofing leaks, including those in cafeteria serving lines, which could cause potential health hazards, and classrooms with expensive computer equipment that could be damaged by water.

Jim Walsh, vice chairman of the Measure C oversight committee, argues that the decision to skip roofing work shows that the district seems more interested in using Measure C to pay for flashy projectsor those that benefit affluent communities pointing to amassive $78.3 million solar energy project and $7.5 million for Northgate High Schools Aquatic Park than those that take care of basic needs. He believes that topay for them, the district plans to pass another bond measure in a few years, although district officials say otherwise.

But district officialshave said roofing replacement is not as urgent as critics are calling it, and that they plan to pay for itthrough the districts maintenance and operations budget as well as Measure A Mello Roos parcel tax revenue.

The district has created a 10-year timeline which consists of replacing approximately five roofs per year, district spokeswoman Ursula Leimbach said last month, adding that many of the roofs vary widely in age and repair needs.The district has spent less than $4,000 from Measure C annually on roofs, she said.

Leimbach also said the district had not had a higher-than-usual number of calls regarding roofs this year, and no significant damage from roof leaks had been reported during the winter storms.

But district documents obtained through a public records request showedthat the districts roofer was asked to respond to nearly twice as many roof leaks, at least 59, from February to March as in the same period last year.

The districts director of maintenance operations, Rob Greathouse,said those numbers were inaccurate, and that some of those problems were not from roofs but could have beenthe result of gutters or downspouts with problems.

Tomason, the district roofer, independently estimated that he was called to repair twice as many leaks this year as last year.Hesaid he believes that the districts decision to use $63 million in Measure C money to install new air conditioning equipment on schools already aging roofs led to further weakening, causing even more leaks.

District officials announced earlier this month thatthey planto kickstart much-needed roofing replacement in the next few months at two of its most urgent sites, Bay Points Shore Acres Elementary and Concords Oak Grove Middle School, as well as the Concord High and Foothill Middle school gymnasiums. Estimated to cost about $2 million, the work for this first set of roofs will be contracted through a federal government cooperative purchasing programrather than the typical open bidding process, which some have expressed concerns will cost more money, said Mt. Diablo school board member Brian Lawrence.

The district also is still weighing whether it will use Measure C money to pay for the initial $2 million, or tap other sources.

According to a consultants reportin April 2015, about $4.7 million was needed to repair roofs at nine schools. They included College Park, Concord, Mt. Diablo and Ygnacio Valley high schools, as well as Oak Groveand Riverview middle schools, which were estimated to have one to two years of life left. But Leimbach said a district specialist reviewed the roofs and did not agree with the consultants findings, and found very few instances of reported leaks.

If water leaks into the schools, it could threaten the millions of Measure C dollars invested, not just for the schools air conditioning but wireless infrastructure and interior paint improvements, Walsh argued.

John Ferrante, the Measure C bond oversight chairman, also said hebelieves that the districts roofing needsshouldnot be delayed further. He also questioned the districts plan to instead use other funding sources, saying it would not be enough to cover the districts long-term roofing needs.

But he defended how Measure C bond money has been spent so far, pointing to upgraded science buildings; a solar panel project that has saved the district money on electricity bills; much-needed heating and air conditioning units for all schools; and installation of security systems and a wireless access system, which is required for state academic testing.

The money was well-spent and properly spent, he said. It just was not enough.

Despite district claims that another bond measure wont be needed to fund roof repairs, he says another onewill definitely be needed for roofs and other school improvements.

Theres more work to be done, he said.

View original post here:
Mt. Diablo: Aging school roofs spur unease, as remaining bond funds dwindle - East Bay Times