A leaky roof that was in dire condition at the historic College Point Little League building is no longer a problem after a Queens contracting company stepped in to lend a helping hand, offering a reduced cost for repairs.
For more than two decades, A Real Advantage Inc., a family-owned and operated business, has been New York’s premier exterior home improvement solution offering all types of repairs, renovations, roofing, siding, cement work and more.
After reading a QNS article about the College Point League’s calls on the community to help cover the costs of the roof replacement, Michael Wesley, president of the company, reached out to the organization.
“I was raised in College Point and I did play Little League when I was young, and I have an aunt that goes to the senior center over there,” Wesley said. “I said, ‘You know what, let me do something that’s going to help the situation and the community.’”
The old leaky cedar roof has been replaced with a new golden pledge roof that came with a warranty from the manufacturer, Wesley said.
Rafael Rivera, president of the College Point League League, which serves the youth of College Point, Flushing and Whitestone, had initiated a fundraiser last year to cover the costs of removing and replacing the shingle roof and the wood underneath, and leak-proofing the Yankee gutters around the building.
The lowest estimate the organization had received to fix the roof was $23,100 — an amount that they could not afford.
According to Wesley, the College Point Little League organization ran into some difficulties with another contracting company that charged an additional $20,000 to replace the wood deck.
“Sometimes these contractors do a bait-and-switch and next thing you know they’re switching things around you,” Michael said. “I asked CPLL what their budget was and I told them I’ll do it. We went in there and stripped the roof down, and there’s still some exterior work — such as changing the windows and capping — that needs to be done to bring the building up to date.”
Rivera said he’s grateful for the help they received from A Real Advantage Inc.
“We had discussed what would be manageable and I was very happy,” Rivera said. “It was almost $16,000 less than the lowest number we found while we were looking.”
The league owns the historic building that was constructed in 1906 for the Fireman’s Benevolent Association as a meeting place for local volunteer firemen and other community groups. It is also a registered New York state historical national landmark and continues to be a meeting place for the community. The Angelo Petromelis Senior Center meets in the building, where seniors partake in activities and become involved in their communities.
Rivera said there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done on the building, and they hope to receive funding for the additional repairs.
“There’s water damage from when the roof leaked and there are boarded up windows,” Rivera said. “I’m hopeful the work will be done though because our senior center operates at that building, but obviously not now due to COVID-19.”
