Summer means roof repair for Troy city, Libby school

After a heavy snow season last winter reminded people of the dangers of unstable structures, organizations around Lincoln County are using the summer months for some much needed roof repair and building maintenance.

Discussion after a Troy city council meeting on Wednesday, July 12 was focused on planning for the future of Troy city hall, a building council member Dallas Carr said used to be a car dealership and was not built to be used for the long term.

“It was an abandoned building when the city took it over in the early 1970s,” Mayor Darren Coldwell said.

City Clerk Tracey Rebo said that over the winter she came in to “what looked like a pot of coffee spilled over my desk” due to a leaking roof.

Other large leaks appeared in a wall of the council chambers and were repaired in the spring.

Carr suggested re-roofing part of the building and demolishing part of it as a solution because “to put a whole new roof onto something 100 years old doesn’t make sense with the overall condition of the building being so poor.”

Rebo agreed to follow up with an engineer to get a quote for roof repair or a complete redesign and rebuild.

The question would be where to house the many city employees who work under the roof while work was being completed.

Also in the throes of necessary repair work is Libby school district, which began work to replace the high school roof this month.

“It was much worse than we expected,” said superintendent Craig Barringer. “The workers went up there initially with crowbars and they ended up using their hands and pitchforks to lift up rotting wood.”