Maple Hill roof project put on hold

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The roof on Maple Hill Elementary School won't be replaced until next summer.

NAUGATUCK — The roof on Maple Hill School will have to stand up to another winter.

A project to replace the 22-year-old roof was put on hold until next summer because there isn’t enough time to complete the project before the onslaught of winter, according to Board of Education Business Manager Wayne McAllister.

McAllister said a similar project at Andrew Avenue School took two months.

The board voted the delay the project at its Oct. 13 meeting.

The roof will be patched to survive the coming winter, according to board member James Scully.

The board voted to replace the roof, which was showing signs of deterioration, last June.

The project was expected to cost the borough $899,000 with the town receiving a $617,000 reimbursement from the state.

Richard Kirby of the architectural firm Kaestle Boos Associates, previously told the board that if the roof isn’t replaced, leaks could lead to mold problems as snow piles up and melts this winter.

“A winter like this would be catastrophic,” he said at the meeting in June.

Kirby said the slope of the roof would need to be changed from a quarter-inch slope to a half-inch slope to comply with current regulations. The new roof would be covered with a white reflective polyvinyl chloride membrane. Cracks in the school’s walls would also need to be patched before putting a new roof on the building. Kirby said the roof’s drains already satisfy existing codes and there is no asbestos to worry about.

The current rubber roof has patches that are lifting up as the rubber looses its natural oils over time.