The words wet insulation will send a chill down any homeowner’s back, but Ballston Spa has more than just a house to deal with, after a survey revealed five municipal buildings require extensive, if not emergency, repairs.
A specialty roof inspection company recently used a scanner with infrared detectors to determine how much moisture has leaked into roofs at Eagle Matt-Lee firehouse, Union Fire Company, the village’s police department, the department of public works building, and the village clerk’s office.
Trustees heard the report at their regular business meeting Monday night, Feb. 11.
At Union, of the 4,566 square feet of roofing, 20 percent has suffered insulation damage.
At Eagle Matt-Lee, of the 5,172 square feet, 30 percent of insulation is damp.
At the municipal office, of the 1,670 square feet, a full 95 percent of insulation is damaged.
At the DPW, just one percent of 9,690 square feet is damaged.
At the police department, of the 2,486 square feet, 6 percent is damaged.
Trustees had planned to use refunds in sales taxes from Saratoga County to replace the badly aging roofs, but following some political wrangling between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, funding for the village’s bicentennial celebrations in 2007 were pulled, leaving board members to scramble to make up the shortfall. Now, they must wrestle with ways to foot the bill to make piecemeal repairs to stop the leaks from wreaking further havoc.
`The real solution was to replace all the roofs,` said Mayor John Romano. `All we can do now is, as we begin the budget process for the coming year, try and put some funds aside to start these repairs. It’s a tough situation.`
In other business Monday night:
In anticipation of coming snow storms, trustees reminded home and business owners they are required to make sidewalks passable for pedestrians.
`People are walking in the streets because some sidewalks are not cleared at all,` said trustee Donna Thomas. `We need people to get out there and open them up as much as possible.`
Thomas was particularly concerned and said she has received complaints about sidewalks along Church Avenue and South Street. Romano said residents can report complaints to the DPW, and the supervisor will notify owners they must clear paths within 24 hours of snowfall.
Bids were approved for major construction of an elevator at the Ballston Spa Public Library. The library received a grant of $62,000 from the state Department of Education for the project, which will make the two-floor building more accessible to people with handicaps. The library board of trustees has also pitched in funds from its endowment. The project will cost the library $79,500 for construction and $70,400 for related electrical work.“