Jeff school roof to be replaced

Historic building designation to determine materials

By FRITZ MAYER

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — When construction began on the Jeffersonville Central School building, workers used some of the best materials available at the time, and for the roof that meant slate shingles. But the shingles and the roof are now 70 years old and need to be replaced.

The Sullivan West school district’s consulting engineer, Arnie Bertsche, reported to the board facilities committee on September 18 that the roof had deteriorated, and a few of the shingles had come loose and fallen into the building’s copper gutters. No tiles had fallen to the ground and were not likely to. But because the possibility existed, school officials took steps to protect the safety of the students and faculty. Areas under the eves were cordoned off with yellow caution tape and school personnel began preparing protective scaffolds.

A second consultant confirmed Bertche’s opinion that the 25,000-square-foot roof needs to be replaced. The cost is estimated to be more than $3 million.

According to superintendent Kenneth Hilton, replacing the old slate roof with a new slate roof may be the ultimate solution. Hilton said that while new synthetic materials that look like slate are available, they would probably not last as long as slate, and therefore when one considers the long-term costs of the roof, real slate shingles might be the most cost-effective solution.

Moreover, the building is on the national registry of historic places and, Hilton said, the committee that oversees renovations on such buildings might not allow the roof to be replaced with anything other than slate. He also said that by choosing material that is the same quality as the original, the school might be able to take advantage of significant grant funding that might be as much as $500,000.

But, he said, the process has just begun and the board has not yet made any decisions about the roof.

In a press release, the district nodded to the school’s special place in the community. “We’re sorry that our precautionary action will mar the beauty of our stately and proud old school. Yellow tape cordon lines, snow fences and scaffolds will probably have to remain in place for months until the roofing job can be done. But the Sullivan West community can be assured that the board and administration are committed to replacing the roof and restoring this historic school to its original, excellent condition.”