Relief for Newsouth Marine Construction Inc. has been long anticipated and even more difficult to come by since its site of operations sustained significant damage, particularly in its roof.
Newsouth has been the lessee of the Washington County-owned building for several years, but several critical leaks in the roof that have only been exacerbated by inclement weather have not seen permanent repair work in large parts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monday, a unanimous decision was made by the Washington County Board of Supervisors authorizing the county engineer to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to do temporary work on the roof not exceeding the amount of $45,000.
County engineer Lorenzo Anderson informed the BOS of the status on the project after discussions with the contractor regarding a repair work schedule.
“Due to pandemic manufacturing, it’s taking a long time to get any kind of materials,” Anderson said. “I know the lessee for the building has been having some issues and the problems have really gotten worse and in the contract, we also had a square foot to replace for critical areas.”
With that, Anderson recommended possibly determining the Newsouth roofing project as an emergency in order to expedite temporary repair work until the contractor can begin the permanent repairs.
In response to an inquiry about the estimated amount of time it may take for materials to arrive, Anderson said he was told it may take as long as three months.
Attorney Willie Griffin recommended the BOS authorize a RFP as the Newsouth Marine roof may not have met the necessary criteria to be declared an emergency.
“This may be beyond the scope of what they’re capable of. This is an issue because of the lack of materials and the availability of it and it’s creating a situation where people can no longer work,” BOS president Carl McGee said.
A motion was then made to authorize the county engineer to issue a RFP to do temporary repair or patchwork on the Newsouth Marine Construction Inc. roof not exceeding the amount of $45,000.
In addition, the board agreed to recess for seven days from Monday with the hope of having RFP submittals to consider and decide on.
