Residents of Mount Prospect may have noticed a flurry of activity in the past few weeks surrounding the Mount Prospect Historical Society’s downtown museum campus. With the help of cranes, cherry-pickers, forklifts and semi trucks, Peterson Roofing, Inc. has constructed a new roof for the 1896 Central School at the Mount Prospect Historical Society.  “This is really a watershed moment for Phase II of the project,” said Greg Peerbolte, executive director of the Historical Society.  “The great work that Jim Peterson and his company have done here is a huge step toward getting this wonderful building restored and getting it restored quickly.”

Peerbolte noted that timing of the roof work coincided with the first anniversary of the Central School move, which occurred on May 28, 2008.

Workers from Peterson had to carefully remove three previous roofs from the top of the building:  The original cedar shake, an asphalt shingle roof likely placed in the late 1930s after the building’s first move to Wille and Thayer Streets, and still another asphalt shingle roof placed circa 1970.  It was a difficult job given the steep pitch and unique angles of the roof and the roofers used ladders, scaffoldings and safety harnesses to accomplish this challenging job.   

Peerbolte expressed the Society’s gratitude to Peterson Roofing for donating this major undertaking free of charge.  Peterson installed the new roof, ice and water shield, and a state-of-the-art ventilation system.  “It’s a top-notch job,” said Peerbolte.

James W. Peterson, president of Peterson Roofing, expressed his willingness to contribute to the important job.  “It feels good to give back to the community whose residents have supported our company for over thirty years.  It was a simple decision to help out the Mount Prospect Historical Society with this project,” said Peterson. 

Peerbolte also thanked Lowe’s of Arlington Heights for the important role they played in the project, providing plywood and nails at a generous discount that helped the Society to get the ball rolling on this job.  “Lowe’s has been very supportive of this project and we hope to continue a relationship with them.

“Overall, this project has shown that businesses throughout the area place an importance on community.  Our organization is grateful that these and so many other businesses, citizens and village agencies have rallied around this project,” Peerbolte stated.