DEL MAR — City Council authorized an agreement at the March 2 meeting allowing the county to replace the library’s shake-shingle roof. The move could potentially save the city nearly $100,000 and bring it into compliance with its own fire codes about four years early.
The county, which is currently enclosing the patio area on the southwest corner of the library, made an “attractive” offer to replace the roof concurrently, Public Works Director David Scherer said.
Last June, the city amended its fire codes and adopted an ordinance requiring that all wood shake-shingle roofs be replaced with fire-resistant shingles by 2013, making the library project inevitable. City Council agreed to budget $80,000 annually for three years to pay for the reroofing.
The city received two bids for the job, both of which exceeded $200,000. The county estimate came in at $144,830. That cost was reduced by a $25,000 grant from County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price. The county also agreed to waive $8,100 in project management fees, bringing the final estimate to $111,730.
“I’m very comfortable that it’s a good price for the city,” Scherer said. “It’s a good contract.”
Thanks to a last-minute donation of $10,000 from Farmers Market, use of the capital reserve funds was limited to $34,560.
“We love the library and we are glad to help,” Jacqueline Winterer from Farmers Market said.
Scherer said it will take about three weeks to process the paperwork and another month to complete the project, with construction taking place Monday through Saturday.
“This is not a question of whether or not we’re going to replace the roof,” Councilman Richard Earnest said. “It’s going to get replaced. So we either do it now or we do it then and it’s a heck of a lot less expensive now.”
“I think it’s appropriate to move forward because it literally could save the city maybe $100,000 in the future,” said Councilman Mark Filanc, president of J.R. Filanc Construction.
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