Work is expected to start immediately on a new roof for Grey Gables, the county-owned long-term care facility in Markdale.
Allen-Hastings of Miller Lake was awarded a tender on Tuesday at county council to do the work, having submitted the lowest bid of 1.3 million dollars.
The vast majority of the project will be paid for by a 20-year debenture.
Provincial funding worth 300 thousand dollars and 50 thousand from County reserves will also go toward the project.
But Southgate Deputy-Mayor Brian Milne — the Chair of Grey’s Social Services Committee — says the new roof is expected to last 40 years, twice the time required to pay for it.
The social services committee was unanimous in its acceptance of the recommendation, and county council approved the committee minutes with no discussion.
Milne says work will start immediately on the roof. It’s expected to be finished by the end of August.
The existing shingled roof at Grey Gables is failing on two of the facility’s three wings as well as in half of the core.
If it’s not replaced, the rest of the core and the third wing is expected to fail within two years.