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Windsor’s Town Council on April 20 again signed off on a draft memorandum of understanding with Isle of Wight County governing shared use and funding of the Windsor Town Center.

The council had approved an earlier draft of the agreement during a special called meeting April 5. The town had been anticipating final approval of the document at the county’s April 15 Board of Supervisors meeting, but instead of signing it, the supervisors sent the document back to the town with some last-minute requested changes.

Though County Attorney Bobby Jones had himself written the April 5 version Windsor previously signed, he admitted at the April 15 board meeting that he had sent the document to Town Council before board members had vetted it.

The April 5 version had stated any capital repairs or replacements over $5,000 would be shared by both parties on an equal basis, with the town carrying operational costs such as utilities, insurance, refuse and recycling, cleaning and minor repairs and maintenance. Several supervisors said they felt $5,000 was too low, and the revised agreement now specifies a minimum of $25,000 for cost sharing.

At the town’s request, the revised MOU now includes the word “routine” before “cleaning,” to ensure the county remains bound by the requirement of cleaning up after their use of the facility. Per the agreement, the county may use the facility free of charge for county-sponsored events serving the central and southern regions of the county, and for governmental meetings.

At the county’s request, the revised MOU also reinstates a provision requiring any such cost sharing for projects above that threshold to be agreed to by both parties via a separate agreement. Board of Supervisors Chairman Dick Grice had previously asked that this provision be taken out so that only one signed agreement be needed to authorize funding for the replacement of the Town Center’s roof.

But a separate agreement won’t once again be needed to move forward with that specific project, as County Administrator Randy Keaton — according to Windsor Town Manager William Saunders — has agreed these negotiations have already occurred over the past few months.

The board already signaled a willingness to work with the town to jointly fund the roof project Nov. 5 last year.

According to a report by Alpha Corporation, there are 2,000 square feet of wet insulation beneath the 70-year-old roof and large areas of repair where gravel has been swept away, leaving the underlying ply sheets exposed to the weather.

Windsor had been estimating a cost of $300,000 for the project, which will entail removing the existing roof and replacing it in its entirety. The town recently received bids back from five contractors ranging from $237,700 to $333,701. Adelphia Contracting Inc. is the lowest bidder.

The project’s total cost, including mold remediation, duct cleaning, architectural design, project management by Alpha Corporation and an 8% contingency fund, totals $358,663.

County officials have proposed funding the roof replacement upfront, with the town responsible for paying back half that cost at no interest.