WINDSOR – The roof of the Bertie County Office Building will soon be replaced.

Monday morning, the Bertie County Commissioners approved a contract with B&M Roofing Contractors not to exceed $80,399 to replace the roof on the 22-year-old building.

The action came amid several contract agreements between the two entities for repair work on county-owned buildings.

Bertie County Manager Zee Lamb and Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Anthony Rascoe made the presentation to the board. Lamb said the building, which opened in 1989, had leaked since the day it was first occupied

Looking to retired Bertie County Manager John Ed Whitehurst, Lamb asked if that was true.

“It didn’t rain that (first) day,” Whitehurst laughed.

Lamb and Rascoe pointed out the roof had been a major issue since the building was constructed. Rascoe said the new roof would add additional insulation to the structure as well as fixing the problem with leaks.

“We’ve talked about this for a long time,” Commissioner Norman M. Cherry Sr. said. “It’s time to either do it or not and I make a motion we proceed.”

Commissioner Charles L. Smith said he agreed that it had to be done and added a second to Cherry’s motion. Commission Chairman L.C. Hoggard III called for the vote and it was unanimous.

The board also approved several other projects, including repairs on the roof of the Bertie County Council on Aging. B&M will make repairs to the metal roof which was damaged by the wind. The cost for that project is $1,300.

In addition, the board approved a $350 bid from B&M to make repairs to the roof of the building which houses the Narcotics Division of the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office. The roof has a few missing shingle tabs and they will be replaced as needed.

The county leaders tabled a matter to replace the roof on the old Driver’s License building which currently houses the Good Shepherd Food Pantry. Rascoe received a bid for $6,441 to put a new shingle roof on the facility.

Commissioners asked about the possibility of replacing the roof with a metal one and Rascoe said he could find out a cost. He added that a local contractor had expressed an interest in doing the work to that building, but had not submitted a bid.

Hoggard asked Rascoe to go back and get more bids on the building, including the cost of a metal roof and report back to the board at its next meeting.

Rascoe also presented a bid from Danny’s Custom Cabinets and Home Improvement to replace 15 windows in the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office. The windows would be replaced with dual pane windows and the wood frame would be repainted for $4,032.

Cherry made a motion to approve the request with Commission Vice Chairman J. Wallace Perry offering a second. It also passed without objection.