Continuing to work through the damages sustained from the May 29 storm, South Plains College (SPC) has awarded roofing replacement bids with the hope of completing said repairs before summer’s end.
Executive Director of Administrative Services, Nick Castillo presented roofing bids for the SPC Board of Regents to consider during their May regular meeting.
Beginning the presentation with the library roofing, Castillo explained to the Regents the library roof was not a part of the overall bid package. He added that the college was aware the library roof was needing to be replaced prior to the May storm in 2024 which means the bid could not be rolled into the FEMA reimbursement costs as part of that project.
Separate from the RFP (Request for Proposal) that was put together recently, the college had already budgeted the library roof for a total of $340,000 in the SPC Capital Improvements account for this year. The actual bid received was $319,800.
For the roof replacements needed due to the May 2024 storm, 11 buildings were included in the RFP. The college held a public bid opening for their RFP on May 5. Eight vendors submitted proposals, and three contractors were recommended to the Regents for the 11 buildings.
Castillo noted that every vendor had the option to bid on each of the 11 buildings during the RFP phase to avoid one vendor taking on 11 buildings and being unable to finish the project within the college’s deadline.
The first two vendors recommended were the lowest bidder. Alto Vista Roofing Company was recommended for the Texan Dome and Technology Center roof replacements. ABF Roofing and Foam was recommended for Tubb Hall, Gerstenberger Hall, Metals Technology building, Baker Center, Visitor Center and the Smallwood Apartments.
Castillo noted that the large size of Gentry Square required a third recommendation with Tecta America which was the second lowest bid. The Gentry Square complex consists of Cosmetology; Allied Health and the physical plant storage located along Clubview Drive.
We talked in depth with our roofing consultant [KWA Engineering] and they said nobody expected one company to get six of these buildings and if we tack on these three…especially this monster of a building over at Clubview they are not going to finish,” said Castillo. “That’s putting too much on them, and they won’t have the capacity to do that.”
Going this route, Castillo feels that spreading the work out amongst the three firms will allow SPC to meet their FEMA deadline and try to get as many of the buildings completed during the summer months so there is minimal disruption to students and employees The bids bring the total work to $3,598,774 in damages for the 11 buildings that need total roof repair. Castillo added that there are some smaller damages throughout campus like flashings, but this RFP was for total roof repair.
Of the approximate $3.6 million, some of those damages to those particular buildings meet the deductibles for insurance coverage and some do not. Rather than claiming those on insurance, the college will pay for the total of repairs. However, SPC does have insurance to cover a sum of that.
The insurance is expected to pay SPC $1,419,430.42. That brings SPC to $2,179,343.58 out of pocket before any FEMA assistance. FEMA will pay 75% of that cost making FEMA’s portion of that $1,634,507.69. The college’s expected loss for the 11 buildings needing total roof repairs is $544,835.90.
“That is what we are expecting to be out of pocket once all of our assistance from FEMA and the insurance has been delivered,” said Castillo. “I’m expecting $351,640.23 of that to come out of FY25 and $193,195.67 to come out of the next fiscal year because we do expect some of those projects to go a little bit into September.
“We will try our best to pull those back but just by nature of construction and the lead times that we have that’s what we’re expecting.”
With graduation completed for the college and high school who utilize the Texan Dome, work will begin. A projected completion date is set for September 9 with a majority of the roofs being completed before September 1. The one roof expected to be extended is Gentry Square.
Castillo added that the FEMA deadline for this project is November 17. Also, Castillo informed the Regents that he has been receiving payment from FEMA in a timely manner.
“I meet with FEMA every week and we proceed through the process on anything that has been completed and we have received checks within a week from me submitting closing documents,” said Castillo.
Concluding his presentation, the Regents unanimously approved the library roofing bid along with the three recommended roofing companies for the additional 11 roofs needing replacement.