By Dennis Volkert
Sturgis City Commission on Jan. 28 considered options for replacement of the roof at Doyle Community Center, and will assess funding options for the project.
At the commission’s meeting, Daniel Root, manager of facilities, outlined two proposals, and city staff presented preliminary approaches to pay for the project.
Staff requested direction from commissioners to ensure repair can take place this fiscal year.
Doyle Community Center was built in 1996, Root said. Within the past seven years, the facility has undergone numerous improvements, including addition of the Iron Mill weight room, installation of a new court and track surface, remodeling of the locker room and restroom facilities and installation of LED court lighting.
During winter 2013, there were several large snow events, followed by warm-ups, then deep freezes, that led to a significant amount of ice to accumulate on the lower sections of the roof, Root said.
A contractor was summoned to help remove ice from the roof. While doing so, steel panels were damaged, Root said. That caused leaks and led to emergency repair.
The lower sections of the roof were repaired by installing a thermoplastic polyolefin membrane over the damaged steel roof. Since then, Doyle has had issues with leaking at the transition from the steep slope steel roof and the TPO roof.
Repair of the entire roof is included in the current fiscal year capital improvement plan, in the amount of $325,000, Root said. Budget projection is based on initial discussions with contractors.
As part of advancing the project, city staff sought more details for a roof retrofit. Concern about deterioration of the TPO roof and inadequate flashing at the transitions were noted.
Option 1:
EPDM rubber or TPO plastic
Process includes removal of TPO material and base material, installation of polystyrene filler panels to match profile of existing metal roof panel to create a flat surface, installation of 1-inch R5.7 insulation panel, then adhering the rubber roof membrane or TPO material. A provision would need to be made to soften transition from steep slope to lower section of the roof. EPDM is short for ethylene propylene diene monomer.
Cost for TPO option is $9 per square foot, about $423,000.
Cost for EPDM is $12 per square foot, about $564,000.
For either, warranty duration is 20 years, with life expectancy of 30 years.
Option 2:
Metal retrofit
This process would include the removal of the TPO and base materials, installation of a new custom purlin system, R-19 insulation and a new concealed fastener, mechanical seam 24-gauge roof panels and specified flashing systems at roof slope transitions.
Cost is estimated at $15.19 per square foot, or about $696,000.
Warranty is a 40-year finish warranty. Material should not require replacement, Root said.
Primary concern is overall cost. Increased R-19 insulation is likely to double the amount of roof insulation, improving the overall efficiency of HVAC systems.
When presented to the Doyle board, a recommendation was made to request the metal roof retrofit, city staff said.
A structural engineer verified that the weight of the metal roof retrofit is acceptable and will not exceed the load carrying capacity of the building.
City commissioners made a consensus choice of metal retrofit, with almost no hesitation.
As for funding, city manager Andrew Kuk said he and city controller Sadie Griffin have explored several options.
One possibility is to establish a bond package, but Griffin said that could pose some challenges.
“Because of dollar amount being under $1 million, bonding is a little bit harder, if you’re just going out to bond for the roof. So it’s a possibility … but it would be for a shorter duration,” Griffin told commissioners. “We’d have to see the appetite of what local banks are willing to do. We could also see what other projects we have and lump it into a capital improvement bond. That gives you three years to spend the funds.”
Some money is available in capital reserve, but project cost would deplete that source, Griffin said.
Kuk said the city is not able to access a traditional bank loan. But there are ways to make the bond option viable.
“If we’re talking over the next three years, I can probably find several infrastructure projects we can lump into a bond,” Kuk said.
Commissioner Jeff Mullins suggested developing financing options to present for review, and Kuk agreed.
