THOMASVILLE — The Thomasville City Scholars Academy is getting a new roof.

Thomasville City Board of Education unanimously approved a $69,987 bid from Sperry & Associates of Tallahassee, Fla., to replace it.

“The roof is more than 15 years old and the architect recommended replacing it rather than repairing it,” Superintendent Sabrina Boykins-Everett said. “It was already scheduled to be repaired in the system’s facilities plan, but then the storm happened and it was moved up on the list.”

The roof was damaged during Hurricane Fay last year, school officials said. There was some wind damage to the roof’s curb and flashing, which caused leaking.

“Cost estimates for repairing the roof were more than $20,000 and we could not get a warranty because the roof is so old,” Dusty Kornegay, assistant superintendent of administrative services, said Wednesday. “Because the repairs was such a large percentage and there would be no warranty, it made no sense to repair it when it would have to be replaced a year later. So, we asked the state if we could go ahead and replace it.”

The system sent a special request for funding to the Georgia Department of Education and it was approved.

The state is contributing $18,150 toward the cost of the project. The balance will be paid by the system using SPLOST funds.

Plans were developed and had to be approved by the state’s facilities division before the project could be let out for bid, Kornegay said.

The project was advertised for bids earlier this year and these were opened Feb. 10.

Seven bids were received from contractors in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. These ranged from $69,987 to $144,000.

Only one Thomasville business, Synergy Construction, submitted a bid and it was for $88,270 (the fourth lowest bid).

The low bidder, Sperry & Associates, had a figure of almost $10,000 less than the next lowest bid of $79,514.

Board member Darrell Allen asked if this company has done work for the system in the past.

School officials said no, but it has done work in Thomasville.

The main damage to the Scholars Academy building, located at 820 E. Washington St., was to one lab and around the perimeter of the building, Everett said.