Repairs to Scott County Courthouse roof underway

BENTON, Mo. -- The Scott County Courthouse will have fewer holes once the current roof repair project is finished.

The first step in making repairs to the roof over the courthouse's north wing -- tearing up the roof to see what needs to be replaced -- began Monday, county commissioners said during their regular meeting Tuesday.

"We have some termite and water damage in the substructure," Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger said.

The work, which is being done by the Drury Co. of Cape Girardeau, will include removing all the old vents and chimneys.

"We're taking those off because they serve no purpose: Air doesn't move through them any more," Burger said. "Our roof will be cleaner and there will be less chance for leaks."

Commissioner Donnie Kiefer said they will need to replace the four to six feet around the edge of the roof at the very least, but they won't really know if that is all until they finish pulling up the existing roof.

On the previous roofing project, the roof on the courthouse's top floor, contractors had to go eight feet in from the edges to replace all the damaged parts, commissioners said.

"We are aggressively pursuing termite treatments as the roof is peeled back," Burger said.

Commissioners said they hope any maintenance a future commission has to do on the roof 20 years from now will be considerably less than they have had to do in recent years.

Pertinent address:

131 S. Winchester St., Benton, Mo.