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The Marion Volunteer Fire Department won’t have to put up with a leaky roof much longer, and the town will have someone on staff to help coordinate future growth after the Marion Board of Aldermen took action on both issues in its meeting Tuesday morning.

 

For the fire department, Aldermen voted 4-0 to approve a bid from IADD LLC to replace the aged roof at a cost of $30,600. Ameder Ward, a government consultant and engineer, who assisted the town with the bidding process, said contractors were asked to provide quotes for a 24-gauge standing seam roof, a 26-gauge standing seam roof and an alternate. The town also asked for six inches of insulation and a warranty on materials and labor of at least 15 years.

 

After reviewing the bids, Ward recommended IADD LLC’s alternate bid for a PBR Panel roof, which was quoted with a 45-year warranty. The recommendation was not the lowest bid, however, which was an alternate from Strength Roofing and Siding for an R-panel roof at a cost of $19,382.20.

 

Although lower, Ward said Strength Roofing and Siding’s bid raised some questions about what all was included in the cost. It is not clear if the bid included the four 26-gauge downspouts, fasteners or flashing that meets the proper standard, she said. The bid includes a 10-year workmanship warranty but falls short of the 15-year mark the town was looking for, and just three inches of insulation.

 

Ward said she reached out to the company to try to answer some of the questions but had not heard back. Without more information, she said she can’t recommend the Board of Aldermen go with Strength’s bid.

 

“I’d like to say I could recommend Strength in terms of their option, but there are too many questions I had,” she said. “I don’t even know if he included the $2,000 contingency.”

 

IADD LLC provided a more complete bid, but there is a question of experience, Ward said. As a brand new company, the leadership has the expertise in engineering, but it’s not clear who is providing the labor for the project.

 

“I think that’s going to be the better option if you can be comfortable with his experience,” she said.

 

Alderman Norman Coleman said the 45-year warranty is enough to alleviate his concerns about the company’s experience.

 

“Because of the warranty, I wouldn’t have a problem going with IADD,” he said.

 

Community Development

In other business, the Board of Aldermen approved the mayor’s recommendation to hire Joseph Norwood to fill the newly created Community Development Director position for the town of Marion. Norwood is a former Meridian City Councilman representing Ward 3, ending a four-year term on the council June 30.

Mayor Larry Gill said the town is growing, and the goal of the community development position will be to help facilitate and shape that growth. Enforcing the town’s ordinances and codes will make sure the town grows in a way that benefits everyone

 

“We’re growing so much, and we need somebody that’s dedicated to looking at the ordinances and making sure that people are following the codes that are adopted by the town and the ordinances and making sure that we’re actively planning for the growth that we have coming to Marion,” he said.

 

As a former Meridian official, Norwood has the experience in drafting ordinances and codes,” Gill said. He was a key part of bringing new businesses to the area and has the experience needed to help Marion boom, he said.

 

“He’s dedicated a lot of hours to working on ordinances and plans for the city of Meridian, and I think it’ll be great to have that expertise and the knowledge, the institutional knowledge as well,” he said.

 

Norwood said Marion is already seeing significant growth, and he plans to help that continue. In planning for the future of the town, he said his role is to facilitate and guide that growth in the right direction.

 

“With growth you’ve got to look at how do you want to grow. Do you want to grow like a weed, or do you want to grow like a garden,” he said. “So you want someone that’s going to be there that can make sure the people stand up to the codes and build up to the codes, and just giving the overall town a good look.”