Carbon County is solving two courthouse issues at once an inspection of its slate roof and installing bat deterrents.

This week the commissioners voted to approve a proposal with Joseph Jenkins Inc. of Grove City to survey the existing roof on the courthouse and determine its current condition, as well as the condition of the associated flashings, skylights and chimney. The cost for the services is $4,000.Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said the reason for the survey is because the county is having a slight issue with the skylights leaking."It's preventive maintenance," he said.The slate roof on the courthouse was installed in 2008 by C&D Waterproofing Corp. of Bloomsburg at a cost of just under $250,000. At the time, Joseph Jenkins Inc. had completed the study of the roof and wrote the project specifications.While crews are up on the roof, they will also install a cone inside the chimney that will deter bat ingress, which has been a problem over the lastyear.Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said that when he spoke with bat experts last year, he was told the county should be happy that they have a bat problem because millions of bats have died as a result of white nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease that affects bats.Bats are good for the environment as they help keep down insect populations, Gerhard said.Nothstein said that the bat cone could not be installed by the county maintenance crew so it was decided the inspection crew would install it.The county has taken other measures to keep bats out of its belfry, including screening in the bell tower so bats could not enter.