LaFAYETTE — Chambers County is replacing the roof and columns outside of the county engineer’s office.

Last week, the commission approved the bid to David Howard Homebuilding, Inc., for $35,040 to replace the roof and columns. The roof portion of the job was the majority of the price at $27,440, and the columns will cost the county $7,600.

Chambers County Engineer Josh Harvill said there was only one bidder.

According to the bid documents, the contract will be required to complete all work by Sept. 30, unless Harvill approves an extension.

Chambers County Chairman David Eastridge said this is a project that is a necessity.

“The roof is in bad shape and has to be done for sure,” he said.

Harvill said the office was built in 1993.

The job requires removing all existing roofing and replacing up to 100 square feet of roof decking. The bid documents say all repairs beyond 100 square feet need to be addressed with Harvill. Documents also say the contract will be replacing all vents and new shingles.

For the columns, the contractor will remove existing wooden columns and install new 16-inch structural, architectural fiberglass columns. The bid documents say the columns will be painted to match existing white trim of the building.

Also last week, Commissioner Sam Bradford announced he would be the representative on the Census County Committee in Chambers County. The committee is designed to keep an accurate count of the county’s population going into the 2020 U.S. Census.

Bradford said he would be reaching out to city officials and churches to get started soon.

The state is making a big push for the 2020 Census because a low count could result in Alabama losing federal funds relating to health care, education and roads and transportation, rural development and community programs, according to state officials earlier this year.

A low count could also result in Alabama losing a Congressional seat to another state.

In April, Bradford said paper ballots for the census will be mailed in March, but the goal is to have high online participate for this census.

“The goal is to have 55 percent of people nationwide to complete the census online,” he said.

The commission also announced that Chambers County Courthouse will be closed on July 4 and July 5 due to the holiday.