Now that school is officially out, construction on a new roof at Essex Elementary School is underway and moving forward.

Work began on June 19 and is expected to run through the summer with an end date of mid August, finishing up prior to the 2015-2016 school year beginning.

“We are very happy to see this project underway. The roof has been in need of repair for several years. There are several leaks and this is a project that really needed to get done now,” said First Selectman Norm Needleman, who praised the work of the Capital Committee—Chair Bruce Glowac, Lee Rankin, and Kelly Sterner—for the aggressive timeline that has been laid out for the project.

“They have done a phenomenal job of getting the bids out, pulling all the information together, selecting the vendor, and moving the project forward,” said Needleman.

The contractor chosen for the project is Silktown Roofing, Inc., of Manchester. According to Sterner, it was the lowest qualified bidder, coming in at $1,738,000.

Funding for the project will come from the general obligation bond, which was authorized late last year as part of the larger bond authorization by referendum, as well as partial state funding for eligible construction costs, which is estimated at $300,000.

The Essex Elementary School roofing system consists of a variety of roofing materials. The ballasted roofs (which use gravel as a surface and to hold the structure in place) were installed in 1992 and have exceeded their life expectancy (but not without failures of the flashing and seams), and a portion of the membrane roofs, which were installed on the 2008 additions are in good condition with a few isolated exceptions.

The scope of the roof project currently underway includes replacement and removal of the existing ballast, membrane, and insulation. It will also include the installation of day lighting devices, new metal copings, flexible flashings, rigid insulation, new membranes, and repair of other roof flashing as necessary.

“This is something we have needed to address for several years so we are glad to see this work begin and expect the project will go smoothly with a finish date before the new school year begins in late August,” said Needleman.