Business center in need of new roof

Building A of the Watertown Center for Business and Industry needs a new roof.

Staff for the Watertown Industrial Center Local Development Corp. have repaired about 70 percent of the leaks in the center's four buildings in the past month. But Billy J. Soluri, site manager, told the corporation's board Tuesday morning that the fixes they've made are a stop-gap measure, especially on Building A.

"The rubber's life is gone," he said. "This gives the board time to make a decision on what to do with the roof."

He said there were about 10 more leaks in Buildings A and B that can be repaired. All four of the center's buildingson Starbuck Avenue have had leaks recently, but Mr. Soluri said Building A had the most and the greatest severity of leaks.

The staff members have laid about 1,000 square feet of rubber to repair the roof on Building A so far. The building, the center's largest and most populated, has about 82,000 square feet of roof. Mr. Soluri said the roof is about 12 years old, and has had consistent leaking problems.

Architect Patrick J. Currier of Aubertine & Currier, Watertown, said his firm had spent about an hour examining the roof.

"At first glance, there are several areas where water is pooling," he said. The freezing of pooled water would damage roof seams. "It'll be a constant battle."

Mr. Currier estimated the cost of roof installation at $656,000, not including budgeting for contingencies or engineering fees.

"It's a really rough number at this point," he said. He estimated about $700,000 with a contingency amount.

He recommended looking for a 30-year warranty on either ethylene propylene diene monomer, a synthetic rubber compound, or metal roofing. He said a metal roof would be 30 percent to 40 percent more expensive.

Board members agreed they should look for grants and outside funding.

"We should have a white paper showing the impact of having to finance this," board member Robert S. Juravich said.

The board asked Mr. Soluri to gather information on other needed renovations, the effects on insurance, heating costs, usefulness of the space and the cost of other options, such as a new building.

In other business, the board denied a request from the tenant Junction Boyz to move part of the company's business to Building C. The decision was a split vote of 2-2. Junction Boyz, which currently rents in Building A, installs car audio equipment and does custom body work and paint jobs.

Edward J. Sampson, the company owner, said since the request, he found there would be more space available in Building A.

"They're very accommodating," he said. "With another tenant relocating, we can get the additional space we need and have another garage entrance, so we can pull in from both sides."