NEW SCOTLAND — Between roof and siding change orders, the town of New Scotland’s signature project, restoration of the 125-year-old Hilton Barn, has incurred over $210,000 in additional charges. 

The latest changes, approximately $150,000 in total, were approved by the town board during its Dec. 13 meeting; in November 2021, board members approved a $61,000 roof change order. 

But New Scotland taxpayers won’t be on the hook for overages, according to Councilman William Hennessy. 

“We have a dedicated parks fund,” Hennessy told The Enterprise this week, “and we have ARPA funds, the American Rescue Plan Act fund.” The town’s parks fund is subsidized by developers. 

Hennessy added that the town is also “still investigating the ability to petition the state for increased grant funding. I don’t think that is necessarily eligible, but we certainly will look into that, too.”

New Scotland is responsible for about one-third of the project’s approximately $1.2 million cost, Hennessy said. In 2019, the town received $412,000 from the state for the project, which it has to match. Hennessy said, “There’s also grants coming from Assemblywoman [Patricia] Fahy’s office, from the state.” 

In May 2021, Mid-State Industries of Schenectady, with a low bid of $444,411, was awarded the job to install a new slate roof in addition to repairing damages to the timber-frame structure. In November that year, the town board approved an approximately $61,000 change order for the roof. 

Hennessy said at the time, “This change order was generally anticipated in as much as the original design plans were prepared three some-odd years ago,” according to meeting minutes. “We knew that there would be subsequent deterioration of the structure over those years because of the shape the old slate roof was in.”

In May of this year, the board approved a $529,200 contract with Sanz Construction of Staten Island to:

— Remove, retain, and replace the barn’s existing siding;

— Install new wood double-hung windows, wood doors, and a storefront entry system; 

— Install bathrooms;

— Reinforce areas of the concrete floor; 

— Perform associated electrical and mechanical work; and 

— $65,000 in add-ons: $23,000 for reinforced concrete floors in areas surrounding restrooms; $7,200 for additional power and lighting; and $35,000 for exterior barn doors, both sliding and fixed.

Hennessy said this week the siding on the upper levels of the barn had encountered significant deterioration, including issues with the siding’s fasteners, which are not adhered properly to the existing framing. 

“The other thing is there are significant holes in the siding, ranging from pinhole sizes to baseball sizes, that we would have to repair, which would take more effort also, but can be done,” he said. “But the pinhole size and small holes, there are too many of them to repair, and it would allow further weathering of the siding.”

Hennessy also said all the holes would allow the outdoors “into the barn, wind-driven rains, wind-driven elements, and we’re going to have finished space in there. So that’s not desired.”

Asked if Sanz had alerted the town to any potential future issues with the structure, Hennessy said no significant concerns have been identified beyond the siding repair. However, there may be a need for additional internal repairs and framing improvements, which will be assessed once the upper level siding is removed.