The state historical commission advised county officials to hire a professional consultant before issuing a request for proposals to repair the historic county courthouse roof.

In a letter to the county Monday, Stan Graves, director of the Texas Historical Commission’s Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, criticized the bid process for repairs to the 108-year-old McLennan County Courthouse.

The letter states the historical commission recommended hiring an architect to develop specifications and drawings for the project in order to receive a permit to proceed with the roof work.

Graves said in the letter that the county was specifically advised that a permit to allow work on the historically recognized courthouse would be difficult to obtain without drawings and specifications showing the scope of work to be done. But Graves said the historical commission received no further communication on the project until the county’s contractor called the historical commission on July 29.

But County Purchaser Ken Bass said the recommendation came after the county already received proposals from three companies for the project.

Bass told the commissioners court Tuesday he did not believe the county would need an antiquities permit from the commission to proceed with the roof work.

“The main mission was to coat and stabilize the roof,” Bass said, adding that repairs to the statuary on the building were included as additional options to the roof repair.

In awarding the bid for repairing and waterproofing the roof to Johnson Roofing on June 15, the commissioners court approved repairing the statues, ledges, and other metal artwork on the building.

“When we did the walk through with (historical commission architect) Bess Graham, I told her that if the decorative metal stuff was going to be a problem, we could take that out and move along with the roof repair, because the whole mission was to keep water out,” Bass said.

The Antiquities Code of Texas states that a work permit is not required for work that would not potentially cause “removal, damage or alteration to the integrity, form or appearance of the materials, features or landform of the historic structure and its site.”

But Graves’ letter states the commission believes the scope of work on the roof project does have the potential to change the historical nature of the courthouse and is subject to approval by the historical commission.

The letter outlines seven main areas of concern on the roof project, including the type of detergent and water pressure to be used in cleaning the building and the strength and thickness of the coating to be applied to the roof.

The letter also lists concerns about reproducing and repairing the statuary and metal ornaments on the building.

The letter recommends using sheet metal compatible to the zinc-coated steel from which the ornaments were made, and enlisting a metal sculpture conservator to repair or reproduce damaged statues.

Johnson Roofing intended to use epoxy to mend the statues and mold ornament replicas. The work suggested by the historical commission would be more expensive, particularly if some of the statuary work is subcontracted to another vendor.

The project is at a standstill as the county seeks a compromise with the historical commission.

“The bottom line is can we comply?” said County Commissioner Lester Gibson. “There’s a whole lot of questions we need to get resolved, and we need to get to them quick.”

The county is currently working with Johnson Roofing to prepare an antiquities permit application. Once the county applies for the permit, the historical commission has up to 60 days to review the application.

Delays or changes in the roof work could push the project back and drive up costs.

The current budget includes $1.5 million for the courthouse roof repairs. But that money can only be used for any construction expenses incurred before Sept. 30.

Any work done on or after Oct. 1 will have to come out of the 2011 fiscal year budget. The preliminary 2011 budget includes $715,000 for the project.

Commissioner Joe Mashek said the county could revise the scope of the project to just roof repairs. While that work would not address leaks through holes in the statuary, it also could mean fewer restrictions placed on the county from the historical commission.

County Judge Jim Lewis disagreed, saying such a move could put the courthouse at risk of losing its historical designation. He recommended that the court increase the 2011 budget for the project to at least $1 million to cover any extra costs.

“They’re going to say ‘If you touch anything up there, you got to do it right; you got to do it our way,’” Lewis said. “We can’t hide from that fact. The people coming, in my opinion, are not looking at dollars, they’re looking at (preserving) history.”

rdennis@wacotrib.com

757-5755

RELATED SEARCHES

• McLennan County Courthouse statue repair could be more costly
• McLennan County Courthouse's justice goddess to receive new sword
• Historical commission may sue McLennan County over courthouse
• Courthouse dome work to require additional $105,000
• Architect finds more costly problems with McLennan County Courthouse