AUBURN — A “spongy” roof over the law library at the Androscoggin County Courthouse likely will need replacing before the new HVAC system for the new courtroom can be installed.

County commissioners unanimously authorized county Clerk Pat Fournier and facilities director Dave Cote to work with SRL Architects to draft plans to replace the roof and report to commissioners after bids are received to determine the cost.

“Do we have any idea what costs we’re talking about?” Commissioner Elaine Makas asked. “$5,000? $10,000? $50,000? It sounds expensive. Not that we shouldn’t do it, but . . .”

Cote did not want to speculate how much the project would cost.

Cote said he, the architect and a roofing contractor discovered the problem during a recent walk-through before the start of construction. Because of leaks, the rubber roof on top of the 2-inch fiberboard insulator lacked firmness.

“Throughout the years there’s been many leaks that were unknown to us and made that 2-inch board very spongy,” Cote said. “Kind of like cotton. So when you walk on it, it flexes a lot. You can feel all the nails that were used to hold down the board.”

The weight of the snowpack during the winter could force the roof down onto the boards, pushing the nails and screws through the roof to create even more leaks, Cote said.

The contractor was worried that the need to penetrate the roof to install duct work and the HVAC system would exacerbate the situation. Cote said the contractor would not guarantee the work because he was uncertain if the seals would hold.

The state started Wednesday renovating the second-floor courtroom. While the judicial system is paying for the renovation, the state did not feel it should replace the roof because the county is responsible for building maintenance and repairs, Fournier said.

But the state is willing to help facilitate the repairs by offering the services of its architect to design the fix and prepare the documents for bidding. Fournier estimated the county would save approximately $3,000.

The streamlined process could take three to four weeks.

“They want to start first thing in the morning to draft this,” Cote said. “This project, if you OK it, will be done in the next month, completed.”

To fix the roof, the contractors would need to remove the rubber surface and expose the original rock and asphalt roof before adding new boards and a new rubber roof.

Commissioner Randall Greenwood asked if a less expensive alternative existed, but Cote said the rubber roof was the most economical way for a flat roof.

The courtroom renovation is scheduled to be finished in September.

Earlier in the meeting, commissioners met in executive session for more than an hour, presumably to negotiate the terms of a lease for the proposed consolidation of the district attorney’s office to a new location on Lisbon Street. District Attorney Andrew Robinson, Realtor Kevin Fletcher and county Treasurer Robert Poulin were all in attendance during that executive session.

Commissioners did not release details on what transpired behind closed doors.

Commissioners met in another executive session at the end of the meeting for contemplated litigation.

[email protected]