(Posted May 3, 2017)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
The Madison County commissioners might soon embark on what is estimated to be a $317,000 roof replacement for one of the county-owned buildings in London.
The building lies along Lafayette Street and houses Tractor Supply Co., Madison County Public Health, Kearfott Eye Group, Fresenius Dialysis Services, and Advanced Drainage Systems. Soon, Com-munity Action and Project Woman also will be tenants.
The roofing over all but ADS is decades old and in need of replacement, said Rob Slane, county administrator. Leaks were a problem following heavy rainfall the weekend of April 29-30.
Slane obtained the $317,000 estimate from All State Exteriors, a London company currently doing renovation and repair work at the county courthouse. The company also is making repairs to the ADS side of the roof at the Lafayette building.
On May 1, Slane presented the estimate to the county commissioners and asked if they want to pursue it as an emergency situation. If the project were deemed an emergency, the commissioners could select a contractor without going through the sealed bid process, thus allowing the work to be done more quickly. Normally, all projects estimated to cost $50,000 or more must go out to bid.
Commissioner David Dhume asked Slane to have an expert take another look at the roof to determine the urgency needed. He noted, too, that the bidding process usually yields more competitive pricing.
Slane had All State do some repairs and patching on May 2. He said the repairs will buy the commissioners time to put the roof replacement project out to bid, a process that takes several weeks.
In other business, the commissioners accepted a ditch petition request from the Madison County Senior Center. The center is asking the county to provide maintenance for an existing open ditch located behind the West High Street facility. The center plans to pay 100 percent of the cost. The commissioners will hold a public hearing at 11 a.m. June 5.
