When Eaton Rapids Public Schools (ERPS) started its semi-annual program of school roof inspection, our roofing company both did repairs and made suggestions on which portions of our roofs needed replacing. We had had leaks in buildings which also gave us an indication that we needed help.
As we repaired and replaced the roofs, there were a couple places where we still had water problems. That is when I learned about Exterior Insulation Finishing System (EIFS). There are places on our buildings, especially upper walls near the roof where there is a coating over a portion of the wall. The intersection of a roof and a wall is a prime location for water to find its way in.
This EIFS has layers of mesh, insulation board, and a base and finish coat over board which is attached to our brick. Large sections of this system had deteriorated and weathered which is logical given the age of the buildings. I refer to this naively as the building envelope.
We plan to re-coat this system at Lockwood Elementary, Greyhound Intermediate School (GIS), as well as our middle school and high school as part of our bond proposal on the November 3 ballot. This will also include soffit work and window replacements on our exterior walls. The cost of this is approximately $1,780,000.
Our buildings then will be watertight, damage free, and looking great. I have included a picture of what a building could look like in the article.
Bill DeFrance is the
superintendent of ERPS.
