Discussions ‘building’ regarding Houlton’s Court House roof

Natalie Bazinet, Special to The County
14 years ago

FORT KENT, Maine  — While it’s certainly no news to the Aroostook County Commissioners, the mansard roof of the County Courthouse in Houlton is leaking and the repair costs are looking to be quite significant because the repair isn’t a simple matter of replacing a couple of shingles, as discussed by the commissioners during their last meeting on Jan. 19.
    According to Aroostook County Administrator Douglas Beaulieu, the roof was built in the late 1800s by soldering uniquely shaped pieces of metal together; the initial construction undoubtedly took considerable craftsmanship, but a century’s worth of weathering has compromised the metal roof’s seems and caused leaks.
The commissioners have turned to architect Robert Kervin of Hodgdon to develop a plan of action and a cost estimate for the repairs, which could be done by replacing the compromised portion of the roof with asphalt shingles.
While the repairs remain too extensive for a “quick fix,” being aware of the problem for some time has allowed the commissioners to budget accordingly for the project and have a decent portion of funding set-aside for the project and Beaulieu anticipated the commissioners will be speaking about it frequently before the repairs, estimated to be done later this year, come to fruition.
The next meeting of the Aroostook County Commissioners will be held tonight at 5:30 p.m. in Caribou.