Replacing the roof of the Powell Aquatic Center will cost the city less than half of what it expected.

On Monday, the Powell City Council accepted a $93,000 proposal from 4 Elements LLC of Casper to do the job. The city had budgeted $200,000 and was poised to pay $179,800 to a Cheyenne contractor until 4 Elements owner Tyler Jones personally asked the council to reconsider in February.

The city’s initial call for bids required contractors to install a new thermoplastic olefin (TPO) roof, which basically involves placing a plastic cover over the roof. However, Jones, who lives in Cowley, made the case that his fluid applied system is both cheaper and better. Jones said his company replaces the bad spots, reuses the good parts and then puts a siliconized plastic on top.

Intrigued by the $86,800 in savings, council members unanimously agreed to reject the 10 bids they’d received in February and rebid the project; the second time around, they allowed contractors to pitch either fluid applied or TPO systems.

Jones’ 4 Elements again bid $93,000 with a 20-year warranty to win the job. That beat out Gem City Roofing’s bid of $103,225 with a fluid applied system and a TPO system offered by Arapahoe Roofing for $428,190.

If the city wanted additional coverage, 4 Elements offered a 30-year warranty for a total price of $138,000. The extra decade of coverage “sounds tantalizing,” City Administrator Zack Thorington said, but he advised the council not to go that route. The city didn’t request a three decade warranty in its specifications, Thorington noted, “and I think 30 years is a little long, because you don’t know if somebody’s going to be around even 15 [years later].”

Jones and 4 Elements must have the pool’s new roof in place by June 30.