No more aligning garbage cans under the leaks dripping from the roof at Cherokee Ridge Elementary School every time it rains.
Principal Lori Vann said she’ll be glad to finally see the school’s old roof replaced now that the Walker County school system is pursuing a contract for repairs.
The Walker County Board of Education on June 3 OK’d a $147,184 bid from Parris Roofing and Sheet Metal Co. for the work, records show.
Ms. Vann said the roof is aging and storm damage has accumulated over time to the point that the school’s interior and equipment could be jeopardized.
“We’ve come in and we’ve found some tile broken in the floor, but not any major damage to our equipment,” she said.
School officials have learned where the danger areas are and make sure no equipment is stored under leaky spots, she said, but “we always live with the fear that something’s going to be damaged.”
Getting a new roof will mean she and the school custodian won’t have to inspect the school building at odd hours every time it rains, she said.
Administrative Services Director Chris Jones said the roofing project will start in the next couple of weeks, “after all the necessary paperwork is complete.”
Mr. Jones said Cherokee Ridge is one of two roofing projects under way this summer.
“At the moment, one other roof project is on the horizon and this is Rossville Elementary School,” he said.
Other roofing work is in the planning stages, he said, but no decisions have been made, Mr. Jones said.