By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The City of Great Bend took the next step Tuesday to make repairs from last July’s hailstorm. The city council approved a contract with Roofmasters Roofing as the general contractor, in partnership with Brentwood Builders, to repair city property.
The city’s insurance company hired JS Held, a building consultant, to scope and price the loss. Roomasters President Luke Haines assisted with the estimated $9 million in damage.
"There were close to 200 locations that we scoped for JS Held," said Haines. "They came out as a building consultant, but they wanted to know what needed to be done. We walked through every single project. We looked at all the roofs, walls, EIFS, block, paint and everything to scope those."
The storm, which included straight-line winds up to 80 miles per hour, triggered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to declare the damage a designated disaster last October. The disaster declaration will allow Great Bend to receive reimbursement for part of their insurance deductible.
"You deductible was 1%," said Haines. "It was $669,000. Let's call it $700,000. So you're spending $700,000, but you're getting roofs on everything. Ultimately, that's a great investment if you think about it in terms of money and how it's spent and what you actually get."
In order to get the FEMA assistance, repairs need to be completed 18 months following the declaration, giving Great Bend until April 2025.