DCHS Roof Project Adds $1.38 Million for Deteriorated Decking

DICKSON — The Dickson County School Board moved forward Oct. 22 with an additional $1,380,628.60 in work at Dickson County High School after officials outlined the need to replace deteriorated decking beneath portions of the roof.

The additional expense comes on top of the existing roofing contract. The work would address the underlying roof deck, rather than simply replacing the outer roofing materials.

Officials told board members that the affected decking is in poor condition and presented an itemized breakdown of the proposed repairs. A similar section of decking was replaced approximately three or four years ago.

The board approved moving forward with the additional work through a change order to the existing contract.

Officials said they hope the identified repairs account for the worst of the decking problems. However, a roof section over the gym locker rooms remains another potentially questionable area. Other roof sections have different construction, they explained.

Work in the affected area is expected to begin around May 10 and continue through the summer. Officials said they have worked with the school’s principal to arrange access as early as possible.

Although construction is several months away, the contractor needs advance notice to order decking and schedule the work. That prompted board members to address the additional expense now rather than wait for another meeting.

The itemized estimate also includes an allowance for restoring areas affected by construction. Officials explained that moving equipment around steep slopes and beneath canopies could damage grass or concrete, requiring repairs afterward. Any unused portion of that allowance would not be spent, according to the discussion.

Despite the added cost, officials said the contractor’s original bid was approximately $500,000 below the project estimate. They expressed hope that favorable bids on the remaining phases could help with the overall project budget.

Officials praised the contractor’s performance so far and said school leadership had been pleased with the work.

Two additional roofing phases are expected to go out for bids in February. The meeting discussion did not establish a revised total cost for the entire roofing project, including the newly approved decking repairs and the remaining phases. Pasted text(5)