The Fox C-6 School District has scheduled two more capital improvement projects for this summer.
Fox Board of Education members voted unanimously Feb. 20 to pay Bartch Roofing Co. in Bridgeton $600,767 to replace sections of some roofs at Clyde Hamrick and Meramec Heights elementary schools.
Six of 11 sections of roof at Clyde Hamrick, 4525 E. Four Ridge Road, in Imperial and one of seven sections of roof at Meramec Heights, 1340 W. Outer 21 Road, west of Arnold will be replaced.
Kevin Piel, director of maintenance, said work will begin shortly after this school year ends, and the projects are expected to take a few weeks to complete.
The last day of school for Fox C-6 is May 24.
“The sections are out of warranty and are starting to leak in spots and are 20-plus years old,” Piel said.
The district received eight bids for the project, and Bartch submitted the second lowest bid at $828,771.98. However, the district will purchase the materials itself, reducing Bartch’s price by $228,004.98, Piel said.
D.E. Martin Roofing of Mascoutah, Ill., submitted the lowest bid at $779,548.00. However, that company planned to use a Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roof system. Piel told the board Bartch will use a modified roof system and recommended using that kind because it has proven to be more durable.
He said a modified roof system combines asphalt with a polymerized rubber or plastic that is reinforced by fiberglass to create a thicker roof that better withstands debris falling on it and people walking on it, such as technicians working on the building’s HVAC system.
Piel said a TPO roof system is a single-ply white membrane that reflects heat, making a building easier to cool. However, he said that type of roof is thinner and not as durable.
When installed properly, and with preventative maintenance, a modified roof system may last for 45-plus years, he said.
Piel told the board the district had 80 roof repairs in the past year, and 22 of the repairs were on TPO system roofs that were less than 10 years old.
“The initial cost of the TPO roof system versus the modified roof system is less,” Piel told the board. “However, when you look at the money we have spent as a district and will continue to spend on repairs and upkeep for these less expensive roofs, it adds up. If you look at the cost associated with both roof systems over the course of the next 20 to 30 years, the modified roof systems will cost the district less.”
Piel said the district has 30 TPO roofs, 21 modified roofs and a few metal and shingle roofs on buildings.
“My goal is to replace necessary future roofs with the modified system,” he said.
Those roof projects are among a total of $2,467,209 improvements to be completed over the summer.
The district will pay $863,966 to replace the HVAC system at Seckman Middle School, $832,000 to replace asphalt at the Seckman school campus in Imperial and Rickman Auditorium in Arnold and $170,476 to install an HVAC control system at Lone Dell Elementary.