ARNOLD – It was long, hot, dirty work, but a special tile crew out of Scottsbluff had the paper and temporary shingles covering the Finch Memorial Library roof on by the time it rained on July 9. In Phase I of the project, the workers removed the old clay tiles – some dating back 100 years – stacked and lowered them to the ground, where Ryan Tullis of Weathercraft Roofing counted and sorted good from bad under a tree near the building.
One-hundred-year-old dirt blew through the neighborhood as the crew swept off the sheeting, where some unexpected damage was found. Finally, paper went on and temporary, mismatched shingles were installed. The shingles, left over from other Weathercraft jobs, were sold to the library “dirt cheap,” saving a lot of money.
For an extended period of time – estimated at about six months – the temporary shingles will protect the roof until tiles are manufactured to replace those that were chipped or broken.
In only two months of fundraising, the library is getting closer to its goal of $14,270.00 for the project. A generous $5,000.00 donation was received from the Arnold Community Foundation Fund and many individuals have purchased tiles. The total of tiles sold as of July 14 is 807. Because of the structural damage found and the fact that the lawn will need to be addressed after heavy equipment has been driven on it, more money will be needed.
Tiles may be purchased for $15.00 each by dropping a check off at the library, or mail to: Finch Memorial Library, PO Box 247, Arnold NE 69120. If mailed, please memo the check “tile purchase.”
