The Worcester County Commissioners have approved plans for a $4.9 million roof replacement at Snow Hill Middle School/Cedar Chapel Special School.
Snow Hill Middle School students are pictured in a classroom on the first day of the 2023-24 academic year.
Photo courtesy Worcester County Public Schools
Worcester commissioners voted to spend $4.9M on replacement
By Charlene Sharpe, Associate Editor
The Worcester County Commissioners have approved plans for a $4.9 million roof replacement at Snow Hill Middle School/Cedar Chapel Special School.
The plans, first submitted by the Worcester County Board of Education for $3.7 million in March, were updated and resubmitted April 2 to include demolition of the old roof so it’s not left in place under the new one.
Superintendent Lou Taylor said last month that the school system had received bids for the $3.7 million project, and wanted to proceed through the Garland/DBS turnkey project delivery method. He said the school system would buy the roof material directly from Garland, resulting in savings through an elimination of contractor overhead and elimination of sales tax on the materials.
The commissioners, however, questioned that the old roof wasn’t set to be demolished.
“You’ll lose the new roof quicker that way,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic, a builder, said at the time.
As a result of the commissioners’ comments, school system administration went back to the Worcester County Board of Education. The school board on March 19 approved a base bid of $4.9 million for demolition of the existing roof and construction of the new roof. The commissioners went on to approve the $4.9 million roof replacement unanimously this Tuesday.
School officials said the higher price tag means there will be about a $875,641 deficit from the cost estimate in the capital improvement program. To cover it, some of the funding allocated for rooftop HVAC units at Pocomoke Elementary School will be used. The school system has also contacted the Interagency Commission on School Construction for an additional $472,000 in state funding.