Georgia passes 200,000 coronavirus cases

125455338_web1_Pedri1cmyk.jpeg

Pedri, Salavantis weigh in on inmate video release

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Another step in the proposed renovation and restoration of the Irem Temple is complete as bids to renovate the roof of the iconic structure were unsealed on Wednesday afternoon at the Westmoreland Club.
				Dunmore Roofing was chosen to undertake the project with the lowest bid out of three prospective firms, clocking in with a base bid of $651,500.
				The sound of that low figure was music to the ears of Christian Wielage, chairman of the Irem Temple Restoration Project (ITRP).
				&ldquo;I was so excited to hear that number,&rdquo; Wielage said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s great news for us as we try to get this going.&rdquo;
				Wielage was on hand at the Westmoreland Club, just down Franklin Street from the Irem Temple, along with representatives from Sobeck Roof Consulting, the firm tasked with overseeing the project.
				Mark Sobeck, the president of Sobeck Roof Consulting, unsealed the bids and read the numbers aloud to his partners, Mike and Rich Sobeck, as well as the project manager, Justin Piontkowski.
				Bids of $1,391,000 from C&D Waterproofing in Bloomsburg and $1,253,180 from Eastern Roofing in Jessup were also submitted to the group, with Dunmore Roofing&rsquo;s base bid coming in lowest by a wide margin.
				The state awarded a $1 million grant to the ITRP last year, and the non-profit organization also received $400,000 in Local Share Access and Keystone Historic Preservation grants.
				With the bidding phase complete and a roofing company selected, renovations on the roof could now begin as soon as the end of the month, according to Mark Sobeck.
				The majority of the base bid money from Dunmore Roofing will go toward repairing the paneling of the roof, which has started to chip and peel away as the Temple has fallen into disrepair over the years before the ITRP purchased the building with the intent of fixing it up and turning it into a public venue.
				&ldquo;Weather permitting, we&rsquo;d like to be completed with the roof around Thanksgiving,&rdquo; Sobeck said.

Bids opened for Irem Temple roof work