The makeover of a former Pottsville beauty school into offices for Schuylkill County's Children and Youth Services agency moved forward Wednesday when commissioners approved three change orders at a total of $5,645.

The work is to fix the problem of rainwater ponding on the building's new roof.They were for Bognet to install three roof drains for $3,393; and for Miller Bros. to cut in drains and flash according to the 30-year warranty for $690 and to replace deteriorated roof hatch for $1,562.Commissioner Gary J. Hess cast the sole opposing vote on the change orders.He said his dissent stemmed from the county acquiring the building, at 324 N. Centre St., through eminent domain in 2013."The agreement was that the seller was to have put a new roof on. I know until you rip the roof off you don't know some things, but back in July 2009, a rough cost was put together on the roof of about $86,000."We only received in the closing $44,000. Without negotiations in that purchasing, there's quite a difference," he said.Hess said the roof cost is now $99,300. The change orders bring that to $107,000.County engineer Lisa Mahall said that after the new roof was installed, "after a torrential rain, they noticed there was ponding on the roof."The problem, she said, probably resulted from the building settling because of a lack of a foundation where the garage doors were at the rear of the building.The changes will work, and will ensure the warranty would not be voided due to the ponding, Mahall said."This is our best fix at this time," she said.The problem was not due to error on the part of the roofer nor the project engineer, Mahall said."It was an unforeseen (situation)," she said.The change orders bring the construction costs of the project so far this year to $616,092.That includes $6,239 for the installation of a frost footer and foundation wall below the set of garage doors.Commissioners, with Hess opposing, acquired the 21,000-square-foot building, catty-corner from the courthouse, and two adjacent lots in May 2013 for $740,000 from brothers Dale and Franklin Schoeneman.Hess has said the cost of acquiring and renovating the former Empire beauty school was too expensive.In October 2012, commissioners floated a $21 million bond issue to fund building projects; $2.6 million of that was earmarked to buy and renovate the 324 N. Centre St. building.Commissioners George F. Halcovage Jr. and chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier have said the county will be reimbursed for $500,000 of the cost through a government grant.Once finished, the building will house the county's Children and Youth Services agency, which now occupies cramped space in a building across the street.Commissioners expect the work to be completed by the end of the year.