The architect hired to help the county apply for a permit to renovate the courthouse roof has discovered more than a dozen additional problems that may have to be addressed.

Larry Irsik, director of architecture planning firm Architexas, delivered a presentation Tuesday to the McLennan County Commissioners Court about newly discovered problems on the roof. He spent about an hour showing the court photos of rust, holes, stains and cracks in the various structural and decorative components of the roof.

Most of the items discussed would be in addition to the work covered in the $715,000 bid awarded to Johnson Roofing, again increasing the costs of the roof project.

A proposed scope of work includes critical repairs that would better shield the courthouse from water leaks and serious repairs related to structural elements.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald, file

Though Irsik did not have an estimate on how much the additional work will cost, he is expecting quotes from Johnson Roofing on Friday.

He plans to take those figures to the Texas Historical Commission, which oversees construction and repairs on historic courthouses in Texas, in hopes of obtaining state grants to cover some of the expenses.

“I suspect that the historical commission will not fund the balance (of the original bid and the new repairs), that’s not how they play,” Irsik told the court. “But I believe that once they see all of the work that’s involved, they may give a considerable amount.”

The court hired Architexas in September to prepare the scope of work for the roof repairs, as required by the historical commission.

The county has to obtain an antiquities permit from the historical commission before any major work can be done because the building is a registered state archeological landmark.

Critical work needed

Irsik outlined a proposed scope of work that included base repairs included in the bid, critical repairs that would better shield the courthouse from water leaks, serious repairs related to structural elements and optional work with no immediate impact on the roof’s structural integrity.

Irsik recommended the court consider at least making the 16 critical repairs outlined in his report now as the roof work gets underway.

“It’s very expensive to install scaffolding to get on the roof and the dome,” Irsik said. “So keep in mind once we get up there, we have these elements that we need to fix that are critical, so we may want to go ahead and address.”

Some of the work includes:

*  Repairing cracks in the mortar keeping the masonry in place.

*  Replacing and re-setting pieces of stone that are falling out near the base of the dome.

*  Replacing three damaged conductor heads that collect water, and the downspout they drain into.

*  Renovating two skylights on the dome and replacing damaged glass panes.

*  Replacing rotting wood and rusted sheet metal supporting cornices of the dome.

Irsik and Commissioner Joe Mashek will meet with historical commission staffers on Monday to seek emergency grant funds to pay for some of the roof repairs. The commission’s governing board will decide which construction projects across the state would qualify for grant funding next week during its quarterly meeting, Irsik said.

The costs of the roof work have steadily climbed since the bid was awarded.

The court has already approved an additional $105,579 to Johnson Roofing for structural repairs to the dome after damage from a previous courthouse fire was discovered.

The county also is paying $103,200 to Architexas for its services and $1,900 to Cross Winton Engineering for drafting and overseeing the structural dome repairs.

The 2011 fiscal year budget includes $715,000 for the roof repairs.

The county can pull some funds from a $2.7 million line item in the county’s permanent improvement fund for miscellaneous construction expenses to cover some roof costs.

Irsik told the court that the scope of work — and costs of repairs — will likely change again in the next month once he is able to climb to the top of the dome after the structural repairs are completed.

rdennis@wacotrib.com

757-5755

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