By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The Crawford County commissioners are no strangers to the discussion of a leaky roof, but this time the topic focused on the Youth Building at the county fairgrounds.
County commissioners Doug Weisenauer, Steve Reinhard, and Jenny Vermillion met with members of the Crawford County Senior Fair Board Thursday morning to discuss a new roof for the 42-year-old building. Fair board president Blaine Rowlinson presented three quotes for the new roof, all from nearby companies.
J&F Construction of Bucyrus and Clouse Construction of New Riegel both presented quotes that would put a new roof over the existing one. Both are companies that work with Butler buildings, which the Youth Building is. Essentially, a riser would be installed between the old roof and the new roof with the edges being cut back on the old one. The gain of new insulation would also help reduce the heating bill. The vents, which are no longer needed, would be removed, along with the gutters, though those will go back up once the new roof is installed. The skylights, which the fair board’s members conceded served very little purpose, would also be taken away.
“One of the biggest pains in the butt has been the leaking of that roof,” stated fair board treasurer Don Frombaugh. “They know that the problem is there and they know how to fix the problem.”
Though the fair board members in attendance admitted the project would cost a bit, they also felt the Youth Building was a number one priority due to the fact that it was the most-used building year-round.
J&F submitted the lowest quote at $37,531 while Clouse came in at $44,500.
Cosam Contracting of Tiro also submitted a $37,630 quote for a rubber roof, though Weisenauer was not keen on the idea of that particular type of roof.
A new roof may be number one on the fair board’s wish list, but they would also like to spruce up the inside of the building, which would mainly consist of redoing the restrooms.
“We feel it will just help the appeal of the building,” Rowlinson said.
Fair board secretary Rebecca Starner added that the restrooms were one of the biggest complaints of the building.
The board hopes to put in new stools and wallboard along with other improvements, but plans on avoiding any major plumbing or demolition. The quote for that project came in at $14,063.
New flooring would cost $25,180.
The last significant work done to the Youth Building was completed roughly two years ago when the heat exchangers were replaced at a cost of over $8,000. The fair board also plans on replacing the air conditioning in the near future.