ANDOVER — Leaks spring up during rainstorms and when rooftop snow melts.
Maintenance workers at Wood Hill Middle and High Plain Elementary schools combat the problem by placing buckets below trouble spots, and by regularly replacing ceiling tiles damaged by water.
The faulty roof is worsening as it ages, and the leaks are growing in number.
"They pop up everywhere," said Andover Plant and Facilities Director Joe Piantedosi. "The last batch (after the first snowfall of the year), there was a dozen of them."
Piantedosi said problems with the roof began soon after High Plain and Wood Hill opened in 2002. The two schools are connected. Now, he said seams on the PVC roof membrane are failing at an alarming rate.
In December, the town sued manufacturer GenFlex Roofing Systems, demanding that the Indianapolis-based company install a new roof or pay the town $1.3 million.
But Piantedosi said the town can't wait for a legal decision to replace the roof.
His $975,000 request for a roof replacement, a late addition to next year's capital improvement program, earned initial approval from the Board of Selectmen last month.
"At this point," said Piantedosi, "I told the selectmen that this roof has to be addressed this summer or we risk a more serious problem."
Andover first notified GenFlex of the leaks in January 2007. Two months later, more than 100 leaks caused by "improper welding" of the seams were discovered, according to court documents.
While GenFlex agreed to make a series of temporary repairs, a town-hired consultant recommended a full roof replacement in August 2008.
Piantedosi said the roof is covered under a 15-year warranty that expires in 2017.
"To date, GenFlex has been either unable or unwilling to fully repair the defective roof membrane, thereby rendering GenFlex's warranty to repair useless to the town," wrote a lawyer representing the town in an Aug. 24 letter to GenFlex.
The town filed a lawsuit against GenFlex in late December. In addition to $1.3 million, Andover also is seeking money to cover attorney fees, interest and arbitration costs.
Money for Piantedosi's roof replacement request must be approved at Town Meeting, which is scheduled to start April 28.
Ideally, Piantedosi said the project will go out to bid in the spring and be completed by the end of the summer.
The $975,000 also would cover initial design costs.
