Belknap County complex getting new roof

By ROGER AMSDEN, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — Work to replace the asphalt shingles on the roof of the 97,000-square-foot Belknap County Complex is nearly one-quarter complete, according to Dustin Muzzey, head of maintenance for the county.

Muzzey said contractors supervised by Bauen Construction of Meredith, construction manager for the recently completed Community Corrections Center, are doing the work.

He said the work is proceeding on a section-by-section basis so differences in the roof's original construction can be identified and dealt with, and the work will continue as long as weather conditions permit.

“They’re making good progress. As long as the weather holds and there’s no significant snow, they’re going to keep working,” said Muzzey.

The $540,000 project is being paid for with funds left over from the $8 million bond to build the center. The Belknap County Delegation last month approved using $605,000 from the bond issue to put a new roof on the Belknap County Complex and replace windows at the Belknap County Courthouse. The windows project will cost $65,000.

Architectural asphalt shingles, the same as used at the Community Corrections building, are being used for the new roof. Muzzey said the cost of a steel roof, which would have been built over the existing roof, was nearly double that of the shingled roof.

He said that, shortly after he assumed his position with the county in 2011, he was asked to see if the county could recover costs from the contractor who had installed the original roof, as it was evident that there was a problem. In 2012, the county received a $16,850 settlement of its claim, which Muzzey said amounted to pennies on the dollar.

Workers remove old shingles from the roof of the Belknap County complex.-The 97,000-square-foot building is getting a new shingled roof, a  $540,000  project that uses funds left over from the $8 million bond for a Community Corrections Center. (Roger Amsden/The Laconia Daily Sun)