PORT TOWNSEND — Mountain View Commons’ new roof is expected to be finished by Thursday.
The $700,000 project is replacing 32,000 square feet of roof.
That the roof replacement at Mountain View Commons used a local subcontractor has benefits beyond structural enhancement, said Jordan Eades, who with her husband, Zach Eades, owns Hope Roofing & Construction, which has a branch in Port Townsend.
“A lot of times with projects of this size, cities bring in a large firm or someone from out of town,” Jordan Eades said.
“The city made the decision to use a local subcontractor, which keeps the money in the local economy as it helps us to sharpen our skills and connect to other jobs.”
Honeywell of Kansas City, Mo., is the contractor.
The firm subcontracted with Hope to construct the roof and with Performance Abatement Services of Seattle to remove on-site asbestos.
The two companies are working concurrent 10-hour shifts. Hope builds the roof in the daytime, while Performance Abatement removes the asbestos at night.
This has resulted in some noise complaints, according to Tim Lester, Honeywell’s project manager.
Completion of the entire job is slated for Thursday, according to Keith Caldara, who is managing the project for Hope.
After the removal of the old roof, Hope installed two new levels of insulation before adding the final layer of rubber which Caldara said “is more reflective and energy-efficient than tar.”
Hope will get more than half of the total contract, which Eades said “is one of the largest commercial contracts in our history.”
The project employed 15 people for 1,200 hours at $44.64 per hour, which Eades calls a prevailing wage.
The work led to another job replacing the roof at three Naval bases in Kitsap County, Eades said.
“We got that job because we developed a good working relationship with the other subcontractor,” she said.
“We made an important business connection which will help us in the future.”
The Mountain View site is leased by the city of Port Townsend from the Port Townsend School District.
Voters overwhelmingly approved on Feb. 10 the sale of up to $3.6 million in bonds to go toward the estimated $4.1 million needed to complete repairs at the aging complex at 1919 Blaine St.
Property owners will pay for only part of the cost of repairs, with a property tax increase of no more than 13 cents per $1,000 of valuation for 15 years.
The bond will fund installation of a new heating system, roof repairs, city pool maintenance and will address other structural issues as they occur in the 50-year-old complex, officials have said.
Tenants at the former elementary school include the Port Townsend Police Department, the Port Townsend Food Bank, Jefferson County YMCA, the ReCyclery, the KPTZ 91.9 FM radio station, Working Image, the Olympic Peninsula chapter of the American Red Cross and the only public pool in Jefferson County.
The Jefferson County YMCA has proposed building a facility on the campus that would likely not open before 2020.
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
