Bethlehem Township taps roofing consultant for Housenick Park mansion

The Georgian Colonial-style mansion that is the centerpiece of Bethlehem Township's Housenick Park may get a new roof next year.

Township commissioners agreed Monday to have a roofing consultant evaluate the 90-year-old structure.

The consultant would be Wilkes-Barre-based Mark Sobek Roofing Consulting, which would develop specifications for installation of a new slate roof and provide the commissioners with all the materials necessary to put the job out for bids.

Sobek came recommended by township resident and former Commissioner Bill Berry, who said the company was used for restoration of the 20,000-square-foot roof on the 19th century Sullivan County Courthouse in LaPorte.

Commissioner Tom Nolan said the consultant will examine the mansion's roof and then submit the cost of providing a prepared bid package with all necessary construction specifications.

"If we want to move forward with this, we need to contact these people,'' Nolan said.

Commissioner Mike Hudak said one of the main points of hiring a consultant is to get a professional structural evaluation of the roof.

"That's what we're looking for. We want to cover all our bases,'' he said.

After the meeting, Nolan said if the process moves at a nominal pace, installation of the new roof could start in spring 2014.

But he said a lot depends on the cost and how it will be paid, meaning whether money would be used from the $2 million trust fund left to the township by the Housenick estate or through fundraising.

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Bethlehem Township taps roofing consultant for Housenick Park mansion