By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE – The Millstone Township K-8 School District Board of Education has awarded an initial contract for a project that will replace the roof on two of the district’s three schools.
On May 8, board members approved a bid totaling $1.37 million from Two Brothers Contracting Inc. for work at the Millstone Township Elementary School and the Millstone Township Primary School.
The $1.37 million bid covers the base project, according to district administrators.
According to the meeting agenda, Two Brothers Contracting’s primary bid was $1.3 million and it included two alternate bids adding $16,900 and $66,525 to the cost. The alternate bids are for a thicker material on the roofs, according to district administrators.
Official said there are allowances within the contract for the replacement of wood and metal decking, which will be required. The replacement of the decking will be billed at a price per square foot.
District administrators believe that 10 to 15 percent of the roof will require work in this area.
Bids were also received from Barrett Roofs Inc., $2.5 million; Integrity Roofing Inc., $1.5 million; JDS Industrial Roofing Contractor, $1.5 million; Jottan, $2 million; MTB LLC, $2 million; Noble Roofing & Sheet Metal, $2 million; Northeast Roof Maintenance, $1.8 million; Premier Roofing Services LLC, $1.5 million; Premier Roofing, $2.5 million; Roof Management Inc., $2.3 million; Safeway, $2 million; and USA General Contractors Corp., $2.1 million.
District administrators estimate that based on the contract awarded to Two Brothers Contracting, the total hard costs of the project will range from $1.8 million to $1.9 million.
There are also soft costs that are estimated to cost $250,000 and include bid specifications, design, legal review, bond issuance and oversight.
The cost of the project will be covered by $2.6 million in bonds and the appropriation of $338,442 from capital reserve, according to district administrators. The project to replace the roofs was approved by voters in a special election held in December.
After working with professionals for two years, district administrators determined new roofs were necessary because the existing roofs are outdated and are leaking into the schools.
Most of the primary school’s roof is from 1994 and has exceeded its 20-year life expectancy, according to district administrators. The top layer of the roof’s membrane has decomposed due to rain and ultraviolet light and the joints of the roof have become vulnerable to decay over time.
The elementary school’s roof was built in stages during the 1950s, 1980s and 1990s. The top layer of the roof has decayed and exposed the underlying membrane to weather, according to district administrators.