Springfield schools to spend almost $1 million to replace Glendale High’s leaky roof over cafeteria, library – News-Leader

After years of patching a large, leaky section of roof at Glendale High School, the district will spend nearly $1 million to rip off and replace the covering.

Travis Shaw, executive director of operations, said the 40,000-square-foot area over the cafeteria, library and boiler room has been problematic and a thorough investigation showed patching that portion of the roof is no longer advisable.

He said while a "tear off" roof project is rare in the district, it is the best course of action in this situation.

"We've had leaks for a significant number of years and so we've been able to fix those," he said. "But then we just continued to see some problems."

Pressed by the school board Tuesday, Shaw said the district had used the same roofing company to repeatedly repair the large section. But a company with different expertise was brought in to find the source of the issue.

More: Springfield school district expects to wrap up bond projects in 2022, then decide what comes next

"We went through a thorough investigation with the roof and found that we have what is called phenolic foam insulation, which is over the metal decking," he explained. "And when this insulation gets wet, it creates a lot of acidic compounds and has a corrosive effect on the metal deck over long periods of time."

He said, at a minimum, the company hired for the project, Reynold's Construction, will need to do "rust mitigation" for the entire metal deck in this large section.

"And then we've got several hundred square feet that are going to be replaced, or at least reinforced, as part of this complete tear off," he said.

Shaw said the district can typically avoid tearing off aging roofs and fix any issue with an overlay. But that is not an option here.

"This is a situation, in this area, that has become quite a problem," he said.

The work is expected to be done this summer but Shaw said he brought it to the school board now due to rising costs for some materials and pandemic-related supply chain delays.

The school board voted 7-0 to spend $984,563 on the project, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the $1.5 million the district allocates for roof repairs each year. The amountwill come out of next year's capital projects fund.

More: Springfield's former Boyd Elementary, built in 1911, declared a 'surplus property'

Shaw said phenolic foam insulation, used years ago in other school roofs as well,only becomes an issue when it gets wet.

"When you have problems with leaks, it tends to create this extensive issue that requires a tear off and then more construction than usually would happen," he said.

Asked if the district will have enough money available if roof repairs at other schools are needed, Shaw said yes.

He said between work associated with the 2019 bond issue and funds allocated from the annual capital projects budget, the district has been able to address many of the most pressing roofing needs.

Shaw said the district hasnot always have a good plan in place for the timely repair and replacement of roofs but the capital projects team cataloged the age and condition of all roofs and came up with a priority list.

"We have a plan in place now for future leaders down the road that we are being able to replace all our roofs once the warranty reaches its end life," he said. "We're not dealing with 40-year-old roofs but 25-year-old roofs."

Claudette Riley is the educationreporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.

Original post:
Springfield schools to spend almost $1 million to replace Glendale High's leaky roof over cafeteria, library - News-Leader