The New Mexico Cibola County District Attorney’s and county manager’s office is having a problem with the roof leaking. Recent snow storms have left a large amount of water on the roof and it is draining into the offices.
13th District Attorney Lemeul Martinez recently removed all the furniture and electronics out of his office due to the water problems. Some of the staff has been temporarily relocated to offices in Sandoval and Valencia Counties.
Canales Not Draining Properly
The problem seems to be that the canales (drain spouts protruding through the parapet, or low wall) on the roof are freezing at night preventing water from draining off the roof properly. The water is backing up and pooling on the roof and finding ways to leak into the building.
Approximately 5 years ago the roof received a major renovation that cost taxpayers $300,000. The company that installed the roof gave a 3-5 year warranty on workmanship and labor. The roofing products have a 10 year warranty.
Only Part of the Warranty Viable
Since the original roofers are no longer required by their warranty to repair the problems, Cibola County Manager Scott Vinson is hoping to get an area contractor to access the roof problems. Firestone manufactured the roofing material, a rubber membrane that stretches with the heat and cold. An Albuquerque firm, National Roofing will be performing the warranty work on the material.
Vinson said “The damage to the building is not significant, most of the damage is to the sheetrock, ceiling tiles and carpet in the interior of the building that will be repaired by the in-house work crew and we will make sure that the manufacturer is held accountable for the costs of that work.”
