Court roof guilty of failure, to be replaced

Inclement Whidbey Island weather has exacted a toll on the Island County District Courthouse, necessitating the replacement of a roof that has been gradually deteriorating for more than 15 years.

The Board of Island County Commissioners approved the roof replacement at a recent meeting.

“Every time the wind blows we lose some more,” said County Facility Director Dan Sherk of the composition roof. “We’ve had it repaired so many times.”

Mother Nature sealed the deal with her barrage of storms this winter. In one case, the owner of a vehicle alleged that a piece of the roof flew off and damaged his vehicle, although the county was not deemed liable. The current roof, or the sections that have not been bandaged over time, has been there since the building was erected in 1990.

When the county went out for bids, only O.K. Roofing in Arlington responded. The approximately $45,000 project will be undertaken by the contractor once the commissioners are given the final paperwork to sign, most likely at the Sept. 10 meeting.

This time around the courthouse roof will be better prepared to fend off wind and other adverse weather conditions. A 50- to 60-year metal roof will be installed in place of the old one.

“That was what we wanted so we don’t have all the wind damage there,” Sherk said.

The timeline for construction will be weather dependent and planned around the court docket to minimize noise disruptions.

“We’re going to be pretty lenient with the contractor,” the facility director said.

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