Lucerne Roofing put a new roof on the Hells Bend School in early November 2011. Photo by Phil Murphy.

FINLEY, Calif. – Another of Lake County's historic buildings has gotten some much-needed sprucing up.

Lucerne Roofing & Supply Inc. put a new roof on the Hells Bend School in Finley earlier this month.

The school building had been covered with a tarp for a year because of the poor state of the roof, according to Phil Murphy, who lives next door to the pioneer school.

Lake County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, a champion of the county’s historic buildings, set funds aside for the repairs in this year's budget.

On Oct. 4 the Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with the Kelseyville Unified School District – which owns the building – for a new roof, not to exceed $10,000. Lucerne Roofing subsequently did the work.

Murphy said the inside of the building is still a mess, with a collapsed ceiling and a lot of work that still needs to be done.

It’s unclear what plans, if any, the school district currently has for the building, or when additional repairs might be made.

Late last year the school board considered – but ultimately decided against – selling the building as part of a plan to address the district’s financial problems, as Lake County News has reported.

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The Hells Bend School before it got its new roof. It had been tarped for some time because of the roof's poor condition.