The first phase of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County GovernmentComplex roofing project was completed Thursday, the site supervisorsaid.

Jason Hughes, of Malone Roofing in Jackson, said the roof isessentially complete except for some cosmetic work and other minordetails. He will not be overseeing that phase of the project andcould not say when it would to begin.

Hughes said his crew arrived on site about four days beforeHurricane Katrina but was called to the Gulf Coast for emergencywork until two weeks ago. In the last two weeks, the crew rippedout the old roof, added insulation and applied a Firestone modifiedbitumen roof to the government complex.

Although the roof still appears at first glance to be flat, hesaid, it actually slopes at a rate of one-quarter inch per foot toassist with water runoff. It also carries a 20-year warranty.

The old roof was flat, and standing water began to take a tollon the roof in only a few years, causing leaks to develop thatcaused some damage to the interior of the government complex.

The next phase of the project, Hughes said, is the “metaltrim-out.” Metal stripping is used to tack down the edges of theroof and improve its appearance.

The metal trim-out should complete the roofing project exceptfor some minor adjustments that may need to be made followinginspections by the county officials, building inspector andothers.

“They still have four to five inspections before the project canactually be said to be complete,” Hughes said.