Roof at top of council's agenda Monday

Libby City Council could be hitting the roof come next week.

Council is scheduled to make a decision about a replacement roof for the Libby Fire Department’s old fire hall, which was built in 1962, at its Oct. 3 meeting.

Mike Fraser, an engineering consultant based out of Kalispell, said he presented flat and pitched roof options before the council in August.

Fraser said he is recommending the flat roof option because of cost. Both designs are estimated to last 25 to 30 years.

A flat roof will cost between $120,000 and $125,000, he said, and include a “hot mopped” roof system.

A pitched roof will cost around $200,000. It will include trusses and either asphalt shingles or a seamless metal roof.

Installing a new flat roof would include removing the current flat roof, patching rotted areas, and installing a sloped insulating board that will drain water to the building’s four corners, Fraser said.

The top of the roof will consist of asphalt modified with rubberized membranes to make it weather-resistant.

Fire Chief Tom Wood said he’s happy the council is finally looking at replacing the roof on the circa-1962 building. He’s disappointed that it has taken so long, but he understands it has been a money issue.

Wood said he has notified the council about the problem roof every year for the past seven years. The roof was recoated in 1980, he said.

Brian Zimmerman, who has been on city council since January and previously served as a volunteer firefighter for 15 years, said there are two rotted areas in the roof that are beyond repair.

During rainy periods, water can be seen dripping from one of the rotted areas onto a pipe and then onto some electrical boxes.

The fire department’s newer building, which was built in 1980, got a new roof this summer.