NATCHEZ — Four city buildings will soon finally be getting their leaky roofs replaced at no cost to the city.

The roofs will be replaced on the Natchez Police Department, Natchez Fire Station No. 2, Natchez Senior Citizens Center and the Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro-American Culture Museum through a $562,884 grant.

The city was awarded the grant for the roof project, which requires no matching funds, in 2010. The Mississippi Development Authority administers the grant, which is funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program.

The grant covers 100 percent of the roof project, including the grant administration, architect and construction fees.

Amelia Salmon, the architect for the project, said the project will replace the asphalt-based roofs on the buildings. The project will also replace the senior center’s missing metal cornice, a portion of the green tile roof on the NAPAC building and damaged window panels on the fire station.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen awarded a $425,850 construction contract for the project to Jackson-based E. Cornell Malone Corporation in November.

Salmon said the contracts for the work have been signed and will soon be given to the contractor, Jackson-based E. Cornell Malone Corporation.

A pre-construction conference with the company, Salmon said, will be in January, at which a construction schedule will be made for the repairs.

The grant stipulates the work must be done six months after the construction company receives a notice to proceed, which Salmon said is usually given at the pre-construction conference.

In addition to new roofs, the buildings could also be getting some extra work.

The grant has an approximately $86,000 contingency. The extra funds, Salmon said, can be used for unforeseen repairs that might be found once the current roofs are torn off the buildings.

Salmon said the funds could also be used to repair interior damage to the buildings that was caused by the leaky roofs.