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Artillery shed roof on the warrent

LYNDEBOROUGH – The Lafayette Artillery Company shed will get a new roof. The proposal will be a warrant article for the town meeting, but the costs, and just who will do the work, have not yet been determined.

Company Captain Walter Holland and local contractor Walter Holt met with the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday to discuss the project.

He last replaced the roof in 1997-1998, Holt said, and the work was done by volunteers. The shingles were donated by Milford Lumber. At that time, there were no problems with the roof boards, and he didn’t think there were any now.

The roof is leaking a little, Holland said, and some of the wallboard has gotten damp and are getting moldy.

“The south side definitely needs to be replaced,” Holland said, but the north side “could wait another year.”

Selectman Fred Douglas said he would much rather “see it all done at once,” since that would look better.

Holt said the new roof would match that on the Town Hall.

“The building really isn’t in that bad shape,” he added. It was built for the Highway Department in 1937.

Replacing the whole roof, Holt said, “would take about 16 squares of shingles,” which would cost about $1,600. Contracting the work would require several thousand dollars.

Following an article in The Cabinet last week, Holt said he had received “an anonymous donation of $500.”

Holland said he had “at least a half dozen volunteers willing to do the work.” He envisions a work weekend with a barbecue for the workers.

If the whole roof is done, it would require two weekends, Holt said. Use of a town truck to haul the old shingles to the recycling center would be a help. The center accepts municipal debris without charge.

The biggest remaining question is insurance coverage. Douglas said the town’s carrier was skeptical of using volunteer help and could require waivers.

Holland said the Artillery is fully covered for any authorized activity.

“Because of firing the cannon, we have to have a million dollars,” he said.

The selectmen agreed to put the project on the warrant. Wording will be finalized after the insurance issue is settled with both the town and the Artillery Company’s carriers.

Since they had received one donation, Holt said, “Maybe we can get some more.”

Selectmen tentatively decided to put $1,500 in the warrant article to cover materials. That figure will be revised if volunteer labor would not be covered.