County reroofing project faces delays

An extension was also approved for the reroofing and reinforcing of the front/entry HSB roof to Feb. 28, 2023, from the original date of Nov. 18.

Additionally, gutters and downspouts on two sides of the low front office roof will be included instead of “standard rake edge metal to address unforeseen conditions of the low roof sloping in multiple directions,” officials said.

Adams County Solicitor Molly Mudd said all three motions with contractor D.A. Nolt Inc., based in New Jersey, resulted in “no net change to the contract price.”

In July, commissioners approved a $265,000 change order that expanded the scope of the project to incorporate additional reinforcing and curb infills on the southern portion of the roof, raising the total cost of the proposal to $1.8 million.

This was noted as the most significant change order for the project to date, according to County Manager Steve Nevada.

The scope of the work started with the solar component and then looked at potential roof work, according to Nevada.

“It’s going to be an initiative where the county is leading the way for energy efficiency and doing it in a manner where we aren’t using any agricultural land,” Adams County Commissioner Chair Randy Phiel said. “We are putting it on a roof and hopefully, it sets an example for the rest of the county.”

The county opted to have the whole roof incorporated into the proposal, which led to the significant increase, he said.

For the human services building reroofing project, the county received two bids, including D.A. Nolt Inc., with a $1,579,000 bid, and Mid-State Roofing and Coating Inc., with a $1,766,000 bid, according to July 14, 2021, meeting minutes. The difference of the bids was $187,000.

Commissioners awarded the approximately $1.6 million structural reinforcement and reroofing contract to D.A. Nolt Inc., at the July 28, 2021, meeting, and a month later, a lease with Kenyon Energy of Florida was approved to install a roof-mounted solar array atop the 525 Boyds School Road property.

The commissioners previously said the project is cost-neutral with a goal of “substantially reducing the building’s carbon footprint.”

In May, commissioners signed a letter of intent with Adams County Solar LLC, a special purpose entity incorporated in Delaware by Kenyon Energy LLC and OnSwitch Inc., created to manage the solar array to sit atop the roof of the human services building.

Following a $24,000 installation fee, the county will purchase energy for 9.25 cents per kWh, with a 2 percent annual escalator, for 25 years, according to the purchase power agreement.

Commissioner Marty Qually was absent from the meeting.