Commissioners approve three new roofs
May 11—Three county buildings will soon receive new roofs. The Johnson County Commissioners Court, during their Monday meeting, approved hiring Prime Source Construction to install all three roofs.
Prime Source will install a new roof on the Johnson County Annex Building at a cost of $87,600; the Johnson County AgriLife building at a cost of $56,500; and the Johnson County Meals on Wheels building at a cost of $78,800.
"I'm glad we're finally addressing some of these older county buildings with this Duro Last roofing membrane system, which comes with I think a 25, 30 year guarantee," County Commissioner Kenny Howell said. "That should stop a lot of our problems."
County Commissioner Mike White agreed adding that installation of the same roofing system put an end to years of problems with leaks at his precinct building.
"We had the same problem at my precinct," Commissioner Larry Woolley said. "Seems like every election we always get a big rain and a leak would always be right over the election lady's table so I always dreaded election season but the new roof seems to have corrected those problems."
Commissioners recently authorized Prime Source to install of the same type roof on the Burleson Sub Courthouse.
The cost of repairs over time to those buildings, County Judge Roger Harmon said, exceeded the costs of installing new roofs.
Johnson County Public Works Manager Josh Green reported that work continues on the remodel of the Burleson Sub Courthouse, a project that is separate from the recent roof installation.
Commissioners earlier this year hired AUI Partners, a Fort Worth company, to oversee the renovations and at the same time voted to accept a guaranteed maximum price of $1,928,643 for the project.
The sub courthouse, one of the county's busiest facilities, houses the Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Court as well as several satellite county offices. Overcrowding over the years necessitated the renovation which, among other things, will expand work space and offices into the building's vacant second floor.
Commissioners also hired AUI to oversee renovation of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office which, like the Burleson Sub Courthouse, has grown cramped and overcrowded in recent years. Bid for that project should be available by the next commissioners court meeting, Green said.
That project earlier this year was projected at about $2 million. With materials and other construction costs having risen steeply in recent months commissioners are no longer so sure.
One possibility, Harmon suggested, is that the county pay for part of the renovation in the current budget year and the rest in the next.
Commissioners plan to pay for both projects out of county reserve funds rather than through bonds.
