JDA moves to take legal action over roof warranty

After months of attempting to negotiate with an area business to back the warranty on a nearly 10-year-old roof the Grady County Joint Development Authority has turned the matter over to its attorney.
The JDA Executive Director, Chadd Mathis, updated authority members Tuesday of his efforts not only to force Southern Urethane Roofing of Camilla to take action, but his communications with the manufacturer of the roofing product used by the Camilla firm on a large section of roof at the Heritage Industrial Complex, the former W.B. Roddenbery Co. plant.
According to Mathis, in 2005, the JDA paid Southern Urethane Roofing $380,000 to install a new roofing surface over an existing metal roof covering approximately 170,000 square feet of the industrial facility.
The roof is leaking and the 10-year warranty will expire next year. Mathis said there have been issues with the roof and he has been attempting to force the company to make repairs since he was hired in 2011.
Mathis told authority members this week he was finally able to speak on the telephone with the president of the company that manufactures the material used by Southern Urethane Roofing on the Heritage Industrial Complex roof.
“Supposedly, he is sending someone down to look at it. I’m not optimistic, so I have turned over all of my files on this to Mr. (Tom) Lehman (the JDA’s attorney),” Mathis said.
The JDA budgeted $80,000 for roof work in its current budget and Mathis said he is soliciting quotes from roofers to do work at the facility.