Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff Crescent City is turning to Red Sky Roofing to fix the seagull problem at the Fred Endert Municipal Pool. Four month after Public Works Director Dave Yeager told them that the birds had poked hundreds of pinholes in the roof, councilors unanimously approved a contract with the Crescent City-based business to replace it. According to Yeager, Red Sky will replace the asphalt roof that was installed about a decade ago with a steel seam roof “so we don’t have this problem in 10 years.” “Hopefully it should last 30 to 50 years,” Yeager told councilors on Monday. “It’s the same material that’s on the Cultural Center [and] it’s the same on the wastewater treatment plant.” Yeager said that the pool roof will also be the same weathered copper hue that’s on top of the Cultural Center. Councilors also gave City Manager Eric Wier the authority to sign change orders of up to $25,000 total. The pool will be closed for about 16 days between August and September for the contractor to work on the project, Yeager said. Red Sky Roofing will also demolish and replace the facility’s existing gutters and downspouts, Yeager said. Yeager brought the problem to the Council’s attention in March just before the pool reopened after the city completed replacing its HVAC system and flooring. That project, which included installing a new dehumidification system, showed city staff that actual rain was getting inside of the building. On March 3, Wier said water dripping from the ceiling into the pool had been written off as condensation. At that meeting, Yeager showed councilors a picture of the roof dotted with seagull droppings and said the droppings had been eating away at the membrane that holds the gravel on the shingles in place. Rain washes the gravel away leaving behind bare patches, he said. On Monday, Yeager said one unknown about the project is whether the plywood layer underneath the roof membrane is rotted. He said staff included that potential when it was seeking contractors. There’s also a section of the roof that sags, he said. In looking at the four contractors that submitted bids for the project, Councilor Jason Greenough noted that there was a spread in the costs of their proposals. This includes a difference of about $100,000 between Red Sky Roofing and the next highest bidder, Sustainable Living Builders Inc., of Sebastopol. Yeager said three of the four bidders are from out of the area. The Golden Gate Building Exchange advertises projects to everyone in California, he said. The third bidder, for example, is from the Los Angeles area and is asking for $362,138 to do the project, Yeager said. “We talked to them at length and they seem very engaged,” Yeager said. However, city staff set the project’s maximum budget at $240,000, he said. “Red Sky’s local,” he said. “They don’t have to move equipment. They don’t have to bring stuff up from LA.” According to Wier, moving forward Crescent City will work with Red Sky Roofing to come up with a project start date and will communicate dates for the pool closure with its patrons. Annual passes will also be extended to account for the closure, he said. Meanwhile, Councilwoman Candace Tinkler had a question about the seagulls, who continue to do their best Hitchcock impression atop the swimming pool roof. “Having just gone to the pool today and seeing the row of seagulls up at the top rim, is there going to be a seagull deterrent put in or will that not be necessary with the metal roof?” She asked. Yeager didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know what to do about the seagulls,” he said. “I think we let them do the droppings and wash it off every winter.”