Roanoke approves new roof for museum

The Roanoke City Council unanimously agreed Monday to approve the contract for the replacement of the roof on the Randolph County Historical Museum building on Main Street in Roanoke.

Advantage Plus Roofing, which is based in Talladega, submitted the lowest bid for the project at $67,585.

Getting the roof replaced on the museum building has long been the most significant roadblock to further renovations of the building. Water damage and mold inside the building cannot be removed or repaired until the leaky roof is replaced.

The city recently paid to remove the magnolia trees adjacent to the building as a precursor for the needed roof repairs. Work on the new roof is expected to begin in early 2023.

Consultant hired

The council agreed to hire Scout Program Management, a consulting firm based out of Birmingham that helps public entities operate more efficiently when working through various projects.

Sloan Walker, a representative from Scout, was on hand at Monday’s meeting and offered insight into questions about the gym floor at the Roanoke Recreation Center, as well as the upcoming roofing project on the Randolph County Historical Museum.

Scout is hired on a per-project basis and charges an hourly rate, that is capped at a specific amount per project.

Scout also works with Roanoke City Schools, most recently on the construction of the STEM center at Handley Middle School.

Incentive pay

The council unanimously agreed to its annual holiday incentive pay for city employees. Full time employees and firefighters will receive $150 each, while part time employees and police reserves will receive $100 each.

Main Street striping

The city is still waiting for ALDOT to complete the striping on the recently re-paved Main Street. Mayor Jill Patterson Hicks said that ALDOT has received the bids for the striping project and is in the midst of awarding that bid so the project can move forward.