Crews work to rehaul the Sampson County Courthouse roof, the final bid for which was approved earlier this month.
Chris Berendt|Sampson Independent
Roof replacement project approved, ongoing
The Sampson County Courthouse is the site of a roof replacement, with heavy machinery and materials disposal boxes obstructing the building while the project is ongoing.
Chris Berendt|Sampson Independent
The Sampson County Courthouse is getting a revamp in the form of a new roof that is expected to last for the next half century. Motorists and visitors to the Clinton courthouse have seen heavy machinery around the structure for the past week as the makeover, which received final approval last week, is ongoing.
Sampson County Public Works received three bids for the replacement of the roof of the main courthouse. Following a presentation at the July 27 meeting, the Sampson County Board of Commissioners awarded the bid, selecting a composite roof compatible with the existing roof.
The bid for the roof project was awarded to Henry Faircloth and Generations Construction, Inc. The contractual amount, according to county officials, is in the amount of $295,600 for the DaVinci Slate composite material to be installed. That amount was a decrease of $30,000 from the original amount following some negotiations.
County Manager Ed Causey previously signed the contract based upon the board’s bid award on July 27, and county administration at a meeting last week requested the ratification of the execution of the contract, which again received the unanimous nod from commissioners.
The low bidder, Britton Contracting, proposed using a metal roof and the other two proposed using a composite roof that was compatible with the existing roof. Public Works previously presented the three bids, as well as samples of the materials to the board.
“It’s got a 50-year life,” Public Works Director Lin Reynolds stated at the July meeting of what would be the new roof.
Reynolds asked for direction at that meeting, noting that the money was already set aside in the budget. At the time, the Public Works director noted that Generations had built schools and government buildings.
The board members, at the recommendation of Reynolds, chose what was deemed the most compatible material with the existing roof and awarded the contract to Generations Construction Inc., identified as the “lowest responsive, responsible bidder at a cost of $325,000.” The Public Works Department started the wheels moving at that time.
Following approval at the end of July, Public Works Department officials began negotiations with the contractor. County attorney Joel Starling and contractor completed the agreed-upon contract about a month later, leading to the matter being broached at the Board of Commissioners’ Sept. 13 meeting.
“If you will recall, there was a bid for a metal roofing material and it was determined that would not have been suitable for a structure like the courthouse,” said county attorney Joel Starling at the recent meeting. “So, this was the low bid for the composite material.”
The Board of Commissioners officially green-lit the roof replacement at a reduced cost of $295,600.