A School District’s Commitment

by Paul Deffenbaugh | 3 October 2022 12:00 am

Ray Murphy, facility director for the schools, asked the maintenance manager James Palmer to investigate possible long-term solutions to their growing flat roof problems. After Palmer researched the problem, he suggested the school district look at adding slope to the roofs with a light-gauge steel system and install a standing seam metal roof over that framing system.

This approach would direct the water that was ponding on the existing roofs to the edges to be collected with eave gutters and discharged onto the ground. In addition to preventing the roof from ponding, which allowed water to enter the interior of the schools, more insulation was be placed in the cavity created, increasing the insulating value by three to four times. Palmer suggested that the roofs, with a Galvalume coating over the steel roofs, would last well over 20 years, and the lack of maintenance and energy savings from the insulation would actually pay for the cost of the roof over time.

The school district agreed and the first project utilizing the metal retrofit roofing approach was at East Davidson High School, Thomasville, N.C. Now, 33 years later, that same roof is in place and functioning as it should. There have been no leaks and the 6 inches of fiberglass insulation placed in the roof cavity has significantly reduced the heating and cooling costs of the school over the years. The best thing, though, is that there is no immediate need for maintenance or replacement. The Galvalume coating on the roof panels has been field tested on similarly aged roofs, confirming that the coating itself should last well beyond 60 years.

Over this 33-year period, the school board and school administrators have been committed to continue to replace their flat roofs only with sloped metal roofs. They have required that these projects be properly designed with the actual construction monitored to ensure maximum value to the district. Currently, they are balancing the last three school roofs over two fiscal years to have all of their schools under metal roofs. They were convinced that this approach would be the best use of their taxpayers’ dollars and the most permanent roofing approach they could select.

Now, the facilities director (now titled executive director of operations) is Chris Johnston. Johnston was a teacher at one of the first schools using this metal roofing method and has worked through several other positions within the district. He has continued to recommend to the board that metal roofing is the system the district should continue to use until all schools are fitted with them.

The current maintenance director of the schools is Joe Tysinger, who was a senior at East Davidson High School the year the first roof was installed. Ray Murphy just turned 81 and is happily retired.

Many board members and superintendents have also been involved with maintaining the commitment that the administrators and board members made in 1989, which has been challenging through the ups and downs of public funding. But it has proven to be one of the best financial decisions they have made.

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing, the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Davidson County Schools were brave enough to do the right thing and chose the metal roof approach for its school roofs in 1989, instead of the next best thing, which was continuing to maintain and replace its flat roofs. And, this was definitely better than doing nothing and letting its buildings deteriorate over time. That commitment to doing the right thing has paid dividends over the past 33 years and will continue to do so well into the future.

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Chuck Howard, PE, Metal Roof Consultants[1], Cary, N.C., is a member of the Metal Construction Hall of Fame, a frequent contributor and speaker on metal roofing issues, and has been a leader in the metal roofing industry for more than 30 years.

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/articles/a-school-districts-commitment/

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