The Reynoldsburg Senior Center will have to wait for a new roof.
Jason Shamblin, Reynoldsburg’s director of parks, told city council the two companies that bid on the project wanted too much money and the existing roof should last through Spring.
The roof has not been replaced in the 21 years since the facility opened. Patches have held for the most part.
"Honestly, only when it rains really, really hard do we have to get the pans out (to catch the drips) and that’s not very often," said Judy Doran, assistant director at the senior center.
Originally, four companies bid for the opportunity to replace the roof and repair the dormers. Of those four companies, one charged too much and the other three failed to complete the bid paperwork, officials said.
The city again solicited bids for the project, but in the meantime a windstorm swept through central Ohio. The demand for roof contractors drove the cost higher than Reynoldsburg prepared to pay.
Engineers hired by the city estimated the cost of the project to run $22,000 and the city could accept bids as high as 10 percent above the estimate. However, the two new bids topped $30,000.
"It’s supply and demand," Doran said.
After the new year, when demand has dropped, the council plans to bid the project again.
In other business, the council will hold a special finance committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 24 to discuss the city budget.
