Company tears off wrong roof

Krissa Kirby was in for a big surprise when she arrived at her home on the 800 Block of 6th Ave. after work Tuesday afternoon.

The roofing of her home was torn off, the lawn was strewn with roof material and marks were left on her lawn and her freshly painted deck.

That was odd because her roof on her home - unlike others in the area - sustained no damage in the July 4 hail and wind storm. She knew nothing of people repairing her roof.

She called Havre police, who soon arrived to investigate.

Then she heard a pounding sound one block away, whereworkers from Ridgeway Construction LLC were working on the roof one block away on 5th Ave.

The workers had gone to the wrong home and removed the wrong roof. They read instructions wrong. They thought they were to go to 813 6th Ave.

"I was astounded," said Kirby, a doctor of psychology at Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation.

"I came home and my roof was off, and my lawn was a mess," she said.

She said while police were at her home Julie Ridgeway, the company's owner, arrived at the scene.

Kirby said Ridgeway told her that her company would put a new roof on the home with a 40-year guarantee and would mow the grass but denied she was to blame for other problems on the lawn - grass driven on, the deck damaged or other difficulties.

"She was hardly apologetic, " Kirby said. "She said she would mow the grass, but nothing else."

Ridgeway gave a different version.

She said as soon as she realized that her staff was working at the wrong house, she called them off the job and sent them to the right house.

Ridgeway said she called police and city officials, told them about the "honest mistake" and asked if they could help find Kirby so she would be told of the problem. Cell service is not always very good at the reservation, and no contact was made. Kirby said they called the wrong number anyway.

Ridgeway said she would have her staff back Wednesday morning to put on a new roof, and the yard would be returned to the same condition it was before the incident occurred.

"I told her my staff would be there at 6 a.m. and the project would be done by 2 p.m.," she said.

Ridgeway said Kirby rejected the offer and slandered her, her company and her staff, and police had to stand between them as words were exchanged.

Ridgeway said her company is licensed and had a permit for the work at 803 5th Ave. City Public Works Director Dave Peterson confirmed that the company had a permit, but went to the wrong house.

"We are not storm chasers," Ridgeway said. "I want to emphasize that."

She said her company did work in the Stanford area when she had a job there. After she was transferred to Havre this spring, her company started doing more work here.

Ridgeway said she obtained a protective order from Havre City Judge Virginia Siegel banning Kirby from "harassing" or "slandering" her employees and from talking to reporters about the incident.

Kirby had already talked to the Havre Daily News about the mistake.

Kirby said this morning she had not been served with any such papers.

Kirby said she is concerned about having a company that made such a big mistake back on her property and is still upset about the whole situation.

"I don't know whether to laugh, cry or drink whiskey," she said.