Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Plastic wading pools filled with water are shown atop Martinsville High School's roof. They are among 32 pools used to secure existing roofing materials until new ones can be installed on two buildings. |
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Martinsville High School students need not show up for school in swimsuits.
The 32 plastic wading pools atop the school are not intended to turn MHS into party central or even to be a place for students to cool off on any hot days remaining before the end of summer.
Rather, the pools — each holding about 70 pounds of water — are securing existing roofing material until new roofs can be installed on two buildings, according to Allan Cornett of Carolina Roofing Inc., the project’s contractor.
The roof areas being replaced have leaked, said city school Superintendent Scott Kizner. Other roof areas at MHS are in better shape, he said.
Pools were filled by hoses, but recent heavy rains added to the water and that has helped deter evaporation, Cornett said.
The current rubber roofs were installed in 1986. Until recently, they were covered with “ballast stones,” each 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches in diameter, to hold them in place, said Cornett. He estimated there were 10 pounds to 15 pounds of rocks per 100 square feet of roof.
Jerry Epling, facilities and maintenance director for the city schools, said he thinks there probably were “several tons of rock sitting on top of” the roofs.
Stones were removed from the roofs with a vacuum before the school year began to make sure none fell onto students or staff while the roofs are being replaced, Cornett said. He emphasized that the stones are large enough to hurt if they fall onto a person.
Epling said school officials also were concerned that removing the stones during a school day would be too noisy for classes.
The new roofs will be “screwed to the existing roof deck,” Cornett said.
Because no stones will be needed, the roofs will be easier to inspect and maintain, he said. For example, if a roof leaks, crews will not need to move rocks to find the leak.
Basically, the longer that crews have to stay on a roof, the costlier the repairs, he added.
And, the less weight that is on a roof, the less stress the roof undergoes and the longer it will last, Epling said.
There are three ways in which a roof can be installed, according to Cornett. It can be glued on, which is the most expensive option; it can be screwed on, which he said is “middle of the road” in terms of cost; or it can be ballasted, which is least expensive.
The new MHS roofs will cost the Martinsville schools $111,246, Epling said.
While the option chosen was not the cheapest, Cornett said it should prove to be the safest and most cost-effective option in the long run because school staff will not have to worry about rocks falling onto people, and the school system likely will not pay as much for maintenance and repairs.
In addition, the new roofs could make the buildings cooler, he indicated. He said that rocks — particularly dark-colored ones — atop roofs in the summer sun can heat up to as much as 140 degrees whereas without rocks, roofs typically get only about 5 degrees warmer than the air temperature.
Barring no further weather-related delays, Cornett said the new roofs should be fully installed by Oct. 15. Recent rains, as well as storms in the forecast this week, have affected the construction schedule, he said. |
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