POULSBO — Knowing what he knows about Vinland Elementary’s roof, David Dyess does not want to wait any longer to replace it.
Dyess, the North Kitsap School District director of facility maintenance and capital programs, especially does not want the roof to be in the shape it’s in come winter.
“The last thing I want to explain is why our roof is leaking in 13 classrooms,” Dyess said during the July 11 school board meeting.
Following a presentation with Dyess, the North Kitsap School Board voted 3-1 to replace the roof. Director Scott Henden voted against. Director Ken Ames was absent.
The project has a budget of $447,782.55.
The roof has leaked for the past five years, according to Dyess. During that time, repairs to try and prevent further leaking have been done. Dyess could not say why the roof was not recommended to be replaced earlier. Dyess recently took over as department director following the retirement of David Dumpert earlier in the 2012-13 school year.
According to information from Dyess and Paul Cassidy of Tremco, roofing nails — believed to have been of improper length — began working their way out of the roof because of age and temperature and punctured holes in the shingles. It’s a problem all over the 70,000-square-foot roof.
Because water got under the shingles, wood decking has been compromised. Shingles have since weathered and become brittle, according to Dyess.
As a result, water has leaked in 13 classrooms, Dyess said. “It’s quite a distraction to the learning environment,” he said.
Though there wasn’t much protest from the school board of the need to replace the roof, Henden and Webb both wanted to see a bidding process done. Henden said he would like to see local contractors get the chance to bid.
However, the district received a cost proposal through the King County Directors Association, a purchasing cooperative owned by Washington’s public school districts. The association helps ensure districts save money and fulfil bid law requirements. Superintendent Patty Page said if the district can ever do projects through the association, that’s the first choice.
Weatherproofing Technologies Inc., the general contracting division of Tremco, has done several projects for the district and more than $35 million worth of roofing projects in the state.
The new roof is expected to have a 40-year manufacturer’s guarantee. It will cost about $60 per square foot to install. The roof will have an underlayment of waterproofing membrane to protect from ice and water, instead of valleys and perimeter edging.
The problem doesn’t stop with a roof replacement. Another issue that needs to be addressed is safety anchors on the roof — there are none. Safety anchors are used by anyone on the roof to secure themselves in the case of a fall. Because of Labor & Industry rules, the district must have a method of fall protection installed, Dyess said.
Out of the Vinland roof budget, $2,500 is budgeted to install about 30 safety anchors.
The majority of roofs in the district do not have anchors. Dyess said he plans to have district employees learn how to install the anchors during the Vinland project, and them install them on roofs across the district.
Roofing repairs are needed at other schools as well. Gordon Elementary, for example, a portion of roof is protected by a tarp. Dyess said the Gordon roof is not in the same condition as Vinland’s and can be “managed” for a couple years.
