District of North Vancouver taxpayers are out roughly $1.4 million after the roof on the 10-year-old Lynn Valley Village building began leaking.
District staff noticed the moisture problem during an annual inspection this year. Shoddy work by contractors is to blame, according to the district.
“The original roof was not installed correctly, they’ve discovered, which allowed the moisture to get in,” said Stephanie Smiley, district spokeswoman. “Over the course of its life, leaks have developed and a full replacement was necessary to prevent water damage, so they’re going to be replacing the roof membrane, insulation and flashings. They’re also going to be applying a waterproof coating to the perimeter.”
The funds will come out of the district’s asset management budget, which sets aside money every year to repair or replace aging infrastructure.
But district staff weren’t anticipating having to replace the building’s roof until about 2030.
“We expect a roof of that type to last about 20 to 25 years,” Smiley said.
The roof is no longer under its original warranty. And going after the original contractors in court would likely be more trouble than it’s worth, Smiley added.
“The district investigated recovering the costs but determined there were too many factors influencing the quality of the work and the integrity of the roof so they’ve come to the conclusion that the most cost-effective solution right now is to go ahead and replace it,” she said.
Contractors are currently removing the roof and installing a new one, a project that should take until mid-November.
In the meantime, the work should not impact library users, Smiley said, other than walking under some scaffolding near the entrance.
