While fixing a leak on the roof where the town office and library buildings join together, it was discovered that the roof shingles were cracked in many places.

The shingles are 15 years old and were put on both parts of the building when the town office addition was added. Unfortunately, IKO,the manufacturer, produced a poor quality shingle, and the town is in the process of finding out if a refund for faulty material is available. Other people in town who have installed the same shingles are experiencing the same problem. Fortunately for the town, there is only one layer of shingle throughout, so we would not be required to have them removed in order to put a new roof on.

We are getting estimates for new 35 year shingles as well as metal roofing. A Warrant Article at this year’s Town Meeting will ask the town to vote to raise and appropriate $25,000 to replace the roof in 2016.

If the town decided to install solar panels at some point, it wouldn’t make a difference what the roofing material is. Solar panels have been successfully installed on asphalt shingles and metal roofing throughout the town this past year, during the Solarize Kearsarge Project.