SANDPOINT — During a recent Tuesday business meeting, Commissioner Asia Williams provided clarity on long-standing discussions surrounding repairs to the Bonner County jail’s leaking roof.  

At a time set aside for commissioner discussion, Williams shared an update on the county jail’s leaking roof and the efforts to resolve the issue under an existing roof warranty.  

The update stems from information originally shared at a March 17 business meeting, where the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office sought approval to accept a roof repair proposal for $6,5000.  

Commissioners raised concerns about approving the proposal, as the jail roof was still under warranty from installation efforts by Renegade Roofing in 2016. Williams expressed concern that using a separate company for repairs could void the warranty and result in an unnecessary expense if the damage is covered. 

“I have a hard time understanding an opinion that would say the county would be better to pay $6,500 to see if a repair would work, where you’re asking a company that is not the company that put the roof on,” Williams said. 

BCSO Undersheriff Ror Lakewood said the issues were unrelated to the 2016 installation, adding that the damage was caused by the weathering of materials. He said he was advised by prosecuting attorney Bill Wilson to proceed with the $6,500 repairs and that further discussions should occur in executive session due to potential litigation concerns, although the specific reasoning for an executive session was not specified.  

Providing background on the original installation, Williams said the county purchased materials from Garland, noting the product may not have been the best fit for the building. The product was installed by Renegade, a company that is no longer in operation. Fisher Roofing Services oversaw the installation and recently reviewed the roof with Commissioner Ron Korn, identifying 15 areas of concern that Fisher would take responsibility for. 

Williams noted other elements of the roof that are outside of a warranty, such as downspouts, which are believed to have been worked on by a separate entity entirely.  

“Christian and I are going to track down that company to see what they did, because there’s a question that ‘did they do the right thing?’ So, they [Fisher] are going to expedite a full and complete report to us by tomorrow of what needs to be done on that route,” Williams said. “I am very focused on ‘what are we currently insured on, in terms of warranty for whoever touched that roof’ before we spend our county money on that roof.” 

At the time of publication, commissioners are working to determine which contractor completed the portions of work not covered under warranty, in addition to investigating active insurance with Renegade, despite its closure.