Provided the request makes its way through two committees and the Select Board in time for inclusion on this fall’s Special Town Meeting warrant, voters will be asked to approve spending for a new roof on the old library, whose front entrance is already scheduled for a major upgrade in October.
Last winter, the building was plagued by leaks, and when Town Administrator Tim Bragan asked Charles Curran of roofer Paul E. Dutelle and Company Inc. in May to determine their source, Curran concluded that the waterproofing under the slate is “no longer viable,” that the roofing felt had turned to dust, and the flashings around the roof joints had deteriorated.
On Monday, Bragan told members of the Capital Planning and Investment Committee (CPIC) that based on Curran’s analysis, he had concluded that repairing the 131-year-old slate roof, installed in 1887 when the library was built, is not an option. Unless existing roof tiles, felts, flashings, and other structural materials are replaced, Bragan quoted Curran as saying, “The failures we are seeing now will continue in other areas.” Repair “would be a waste of money for the town,” Curran wrote to Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro in May. A totally new slate roof, however, would last another 100 years before it would have to be replaced again, Bragan told CPIC members.
Dutelle has estimated a new slate roof will cost the town approximately $405,000—the amount requested by Bragan—and could take up to four months to complete. The town is seeking a second bid, so the Dutelle estimate is not final. CPIC members have also asked that the use of artificial slate be considered.
To reduce the net cost to taxpayers, Bragan proposes to seek $100,000 from the Community Preservation Committee, leaving the remaining $305,000 to be borrowed. Because the building is in the Harvard Common Historic District and is one of the oldest public buildings in town, Harvard’s Community Preservation Fund can be used to help pay for it, Bragan told the committee.
Meantime, the capital committee voted Monday to recommend that Town Meeting rescind its earlier authorization to borrow up to $382,000 for construction of the new front entrance. The money is no longer needed because Harvard received a $192,000 grant in May from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund to help pay for the project. After a brief discussion, CPIC members voted to recommend that the $190,000 balance be withdrawn from the town’s Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund, which if approved by the Town Meeting would eliminate the need to borrow entirely. The unencumbered balance in the CSIF is $3.1 million. Both votes, however, are recommendations only and must be approved at Special Town Meeting Oct. 22.
Paper compactor
The request for roof money was the first of two applications for immediate funding the capital committee heard this week. DPW Director Tim Kilhart presented a second for $36,428 to purchase a new paper compactor for the Transfer Station. The volume of cardboard and paper is increasing due to online shopping, he said, leaving the existing compactor nearly full Wednesday afternoon and without enough capacity to get through Saturday. Sometimes the existing compactor has to be shut down on a dump day because it is full. The cost of shipping compacted paper is $275 per load. A second compactor would help DPW better manage its costs, he said, and help prepare for further increases in volume should a pay-per-bag trash policy be enacted. Finance Director David Nalchajian said in an email that the cost of a new compactor would most likely be paid with capital fund money, though that decision is CPIC’s to recommend.
The capital committee is reviewing both the roof and compactor proposals. They must vote to recommend for or against each request by Sept. 24, in time to be included in the warrant for Special Town Meeting.
