Eunice Elementary repairs held up by roof issues

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By Harlan Kirgan
Editor
OPELOUSAS — Pending change orders to roof replacements at Eunice Elementary are holding up fire and flood damage repairs at the campus.
In series of bad luck for the Eunice school, Claudia Blanchard, school system director of operations, told the parish School Board’s Building, Lands and Sites Committee on Monday that two change orders are needed to the $1,099,000 already allocated for roof replacement approved in August.
The first change order adds $171,757 to the roof repairs because of the need for additional structure support for a pitched roof at three buildings.
A second change order adds another $255,295 because it was discovered that three roofs need to be removed from the administration building, she said.
“We’ve done nothing in 2019,” Blanchard said of repair work at the campus.
The $1,099,000 approved on Aug. 2 by the School Board was for roof replacement at Eunice Elementary and Eunice Junior High School.
That plan suffered its first setback when a fire on Aug. 14 destroyed much of the interior of a classroom building on the campus.
Temporary buildings were moved onto the campus to accommodate the students displaced by the fire.
On Dec. 27, the administration building was flooded.
The administration building included office space, a library, computer lab, restrooms and a classroom used for music.
Again, another temporary building was moved to the campus to replace the damaged administration building.
Insurance is paying for much of the repairs to the fire-damaged building.
In January, the School Board approved a $364,300 bid from Martin Insulations and Coatings, LLC, for renovation of one of the building on the Eunice Elementary campus.
The school system has a $25,000 deductible on its insurance policy with Dupre, Carrier Godchaux Insurance.
At Monday’s meeting it was uncertain when School Board members would take up the roof change orders. The committee wants architect Irvin Kohler of Washington and Southeast Engineers Baton Rouge at the meeting to explain why the change orders came about.
Blanchard said, “We cannot proceed without doing this.”
Southeast Engineers was called into to examine the call for the change orders because of the amount it may be questioned in an audit, she said.
“I have not gotten an official report in writing yet, but I did speak to him,” she said.
The engineer and the Board’s attorney agreed that the changer orders are appropriate, she said.
Board member Anthony Standberry said when putting on a new roof how it was to be anchored should have been examined.
Blanchard said bar joists and angle iron need to be added to support the pitch roof. The roofs were previously flat and about 60 years old.
The bids were solicited based on the original design plans, which do not match what was constructed, she said.
The architect said the variance could not be found until the roof was opened up, he said.
Board member Myron Guillory said it should have been known the pitch roof was going to need more bracing and cost more.