Update, June 13, 2012
Revelstoke city council has approved a staff recommendation to apply a rubber coating to the Revelstoke Courthouse roof in an effort to stave off flood damage and seal the roof for a few more decades.
Council heard the contractor could provide colour options to help match it with the existing copper colour.
Public Works operations manager Darren Komonoski said repairs needed to happen this year. His fear was the roof would fail in the winter when nothing could be done, causing damage to the inside of the heritage building.
Coun. Chris Johnston asked about the lifespan of the rubber membrane option versus building a replacement copper roof. Planning director John Guenther said the rubber membrane would likely last beyond the 20-year guarantee, and he doubted a replacement roof would last another 100 years, given that repairs to the existing roof are ongoing.
Council unanimously opted for the rubber (or elastomer) roof at their June 12 meeting.
Original story from June 11:
The city’s planning department is recommending short-term rubber roof repair for the Revelstoke Courthouse, saying replacing the copper dome roof would be too expensive.
Last summer city staff proposed the idea, but reaction from the community at large and the heritage community paused the plans in favour of further review. Specifically, many urged doing the job right once instead of just deferring the issue for another few decades.
The roof replacement was sent out for estimates. Contractors said putting the rubber-like membrane on the building would be much cheaper – in the $125,000 to $150,000 range. A planning department report said the estimated cost of replacing the copper roof was not consistent, ranging from $313,000 to $650,000.
City staff are once again recommending the rubber option to council.
The Revelstoke Heritage Commission last year called for exploration of outside grant funding for the copper option. To date the Columbia Basin Trust has agreed to grant $50,000 for the project – but that amount looks like it will be applied to the rubber roof repair instead.
At a May meeting, the Heritage Commission begrudgingly accepted the rubber option, but insisted they be consulted on the colour.
Council was scheduled to weigh in on the issue at its June 12 meeting.