By: Duke on 6/20/09
Good to get references from people. I know my parents some time ago hired a shoddy group. They did a poor job, which had to be redone as they did not do the job and my parents had to go though leaky roof, and bats as well, too darn many wanting to make an easy buck. The old saying goes,"buyer beware".

By: NoteTaker on 6/20/09

Now THIS is an excellent article. It was well written, very timely and provided a real service to local residents.

Kudos to the OPP's Clare Kennedy and the OPP itself, Mr. & Mrs. Yoder, Mr. Ringhofer and the scores of eagle-eyed residents who were suspicious and cautious when approached.

Last but not least, thanks to the OPD for being ready and willing to step in as needed.

By: harleyboy on 6/20/09
know how to catch them, let them up on your roof and remove the ladder, call the police and wait.

By: NoteTaker on 6/20/09

I'd be concerned that some of them might be unscrupulous enough to go onto the roof and then "fall off," suing the homeowner.

By: centuryfarm on 6/20/09
According to the local storm watchers, you NEVER refer to hail as "marble sized" since marbles come in many sizes. Always measure it with a ruler and refer to it with a measurment such as 1/2" or 5/8" hail.

By: OwatonnaAds.com on 6/20/09
I agree with NoteTaker. Well written article offering relevant content. I have not see any of these people in our neighborhood, but will certainly not let them on our roof if I do!

By: ksanh68 on 6/20/09
Oh good, now I not only have to worry about immigrants, drugs, taxes, people's sexual orientation and going to hell, but ROOFERS too. (I'm being sarcastic!)

Seriously, the article is a fine example of the OPP providing the community with valuable information.

By: harleyboy on 6/20/09
I am not so sure they would fall off voluntarily---I fell off accidently and that was not fun.

It is not the fall that hurts, just the sudden stop.

By: JaneDoe on 6/21/09
Excellent article with valuable information that informs the public. Good Job!

By: Huskies05 on 6/21/09
The biggest scam here is that we have a building offical that thinks 1 1/2" hail can't hurt a roof.

By: Ok on 6/21/09

Depending on the age and condition of the roof 1/1/2" hail can damage a roof (it would most likely need to be older shingle in not so good condition along with other variables) - ... that's usually the threshold ... any thing smaller is probably not going to cause sufficient damage to the point of repair or replacement.

Having said that ... you can have some larger hail stones mixed in with smaller hail ... to get to the 1 3/4" size (golf ball- which is usually the starting point for hail damage to a roof) and above to have some potential for roof damage ... and you can have pea size hail in one area and hail golf ball size a block away.

The larger the hail stone … the faster the speed that it comes to earth … the greater the potential for a damaging impact … yet - you can have larger hail … but if it’s relatively soft … it usually doesn’t cause as much damage … it’s the larger – dense – jagged -wind driven stones that cause the major damage.

The reason for all of the extra "contractor influx" is that the hail reports ... had Owatonna getting 2" hail ... Blooming Prairie getting 3" hail ... obviously if that was the case it was in very limited area ... but the people reading those reports don't know that.

Oh, and unless it has changed recently ... pea - marble - quarter - half dollar – golf ball - hen egg (yes that is correct - hen egg) - baseball - etc. are (at least were) official classifications for the size of hail stones.

By: slundber on 6/22/09
In his earlier years, David Letterman was fired as a TV weathercaster for reporting "hail the size of canned hams". Must be because local storm watchers know that, just like marbles, canned hams come in various sizes, eh? ;-)

By: NLC21 on 6/24/09
This article is in fact well written but in an unfair and uneducated way. First,
-Soliciting-
The United States Supreme Court ruled on June 17, 2002

That a Stratton, Ohio ordinance,
which requires those going door-to-door to obtain a permit and to
identify themselves prior to and during petitioning, violates the
right of anonymity inherent in the First Amendment freedom of speech.

The Court determined 8-1 that free speech includes the right to take a
message or idea directly to someone's door, and that this right cannot
be limited by a requirement to pre-register by name. The Court stated:

It is offensive, not only to the values protected by the
First Amendment, but to the very notion of a free society,
that in the context of everyday public discourse a citizen
must first inform the government of her desire to speak to
her neighbors and then obtain a permit to do so.

Second, the stuff that hail knocks off shingles is not called "grit" it is called "granules". These "granules", once hit by hail might take a year or more to come off/out of the shingles. In most cases it takes several rains if not a winter of snow and ice to remove these damaged "granules". The reason is that once hail hits the shingles, it drives the granules down into the "mat" of the shingle leaving a "bruise", if you will in the shingle. These "bruises" will hold and collect water that would normally run right off your roof. Once this water is puddled on the shingle the sun will literally "bake" the shingle and eventually "pre-maturely" wear a hole into the shingle.

And, as far as hail leaving "dents" in vinyl siding...That is a load of BS! I have never seen a hail stone leave anything other than a missing chunk or a crack in vinyl siding. Metal "dents" Vinyl does not, it breaks or cracks. The spotting on siding, which is probably what this inspector is referring to is actually oxidation/discolored by the hail hitting it.

There are a lot of "out-of towners" that present themselves as "local" I am part of a company from St. Paul. We travel all over the state of Minnesota doing work and have for the last 12 years. A Minnesota company, no matter what city it's based out of, is considered a "local" contractor in any city or part of Minnesota. We are all Minnesotans. If anyone is to blame it is the politicians’ & the "Labor & Industry of Minnesota" for allowing anyone and everyone that travels to this state qualify for a Minnesota contractors/builders license. Our state officials are the ones to blame for the rapid increase of "scam artists", "storm chasers", "non-local contractors", & "companies/people with no moral values". All companies that actually originate from Minnesota suffer because of this more than our civilian or non-company owners. My wife is in fact from Grand Meadow and I intend to travel there this weekend for "Meadow Fest" and to sell a few jobs to some of my local Minnesotans.

Tips for finding a great, trust worthy, legitimate contractor:
1. do your homework
2. find out when & where they originated from
3. find out if there are any "out-of-state"/sister companies
4. Check with your local Better Business Bureau-(651)699-1111 & Department of Labor & Industry-(651)284-5065
5. Ask for references
6. Never write a check for anything until you have materials "on-site" or delivered to your home
7. Only make that first "material check" out for the material amount
8. Ask for a w-9 for to be filled out
9. Ask for a Tax I.D./EIN #
10. Ask for a copy of their Liability & Work Comp Insurance
11. Never pay for an estimate

By: mnRoofer on 6/27/09
First off, it amazes me that the article reads, “Most of the hail that hit Owatonna was relatively small: Marble sized at the biggest.”… when the featured photo, with ruler, clearly shows 1” to 1 ¼” Hail Stones… interesting.

In general, this article was a disservice to Owatonna residents. Pigeonholing all roofing contractors both local, and from out of town as criminals, and let’s be real, the Twin Cities is hardly “out-of-town”.

When storms such as the one last Wednesday, blow through an area they are bound to create some level of damage. That said, one can rest assured that even the biggest storms, will not have a homeowner’s insurance company calling them to recommend that they have roof checked out. Therefore it is safe to say that at a minimum roofing contractors specializing in storm damage repair, help to raise awareness of the extent of damage done.

In addition, even if a homeowner chooses to work with a roofing contractor, it is not up to the contractor to decide whether or not a roof is approved regardless of his/her opinion. The insurance adjuster and insurance company make the final call on any and all roof replacements. Furthermore, adjusters are well trained and paid to tell the difference between actual storm damage, wear and tear, and “created” damage, so it is not in the best interests of any contractor to even go down that road.

In conclusion, it wouldn’t be fair for one to say that all journalists are liars and spinsters, just because one journalist writes an ill researched and unfair article. As it isn’t justified to say that all roofing contractors are scam artists and criminals because of one bad contractor. The unfortunate truth of life is that there are less than reputable characters in every business from journalists and roofers to doctors, accountants, realtors, and city officials.

If the Owatonna People’s Press wanted to provide something actually valuable to residents, as opposed to assumptive hearsay, they could do some real reporting, research contractors that have applied for the Solicitor’s Permit, and put together a list of reputable Minnesota contractors.