Hawthorne Elementary School is scheduled to receive roof repair in July as part of a maintenance schedule. Every summer the schools in the Albert Lea School District have maintenance so they are kept in the best shape possible.

“It’s restoration of the roof to extend the life,” Eric Hudspith said.

Hudspith is the director of facilities with the district. He said Hawthorne’s roof project is the largest project in the district this summer, though all the schools will need maintenance.

“It’s a large project that requires some heavy equipment, but there’s no disruption to the inside of the building,” Hudspith said.

There isn’t a finalized contract yet, but workers will take off layers of the roof and repair the membrane if there is damage. Then they will put a new flood coat and new gravel on the roof.

“It’s a cost-effective way to extend the life of the roof,” Hudspith said.

The flat roof on all the schools is called a built up. It’s one part of the schools that is always paid attention to.

“We have so many acres of roofs that it’s something they keep a very close eye on,” school board chairman Bill Leland said.

The school board has a five-year plan to plan out appropriate updates to roofs, parking lots and elevators as well as all the smaller projects. All the school roofs will be looked at soon to make sure they’re in good shape.

“We want to stay ahead of it because the minute you get behind it’s a very costly repair,” Leland said.

Hudspith said that with the winter we had it’s important to check the roof of the buildings to make sure there’s no damage.

“With the heavy snow and the quick melt we’ve had almost no problems with all of the roofs in the district,” Hudspith said. “That’s an indicator that the maintenance is effective.”

Though there was no damage to the roof, Hudspith wants to make sure they know the status of the roof.

“It’s not because of any damage,” Hudspith said. “It’s a scheduled proactive update.”