CHESHIRE — After enduring years of leaky ceilings, Cheshire High School should be dry by September.

The Town Council approved a contract for a new roof Tuesday night. The long-awaited roof will be completed in less than 65 days next summer.

The Public Building Commission voted Nov. 16 to award the repair job to Allied Restoration Corp. of East Hartford for $844,828. The commission also recommended $50,000 be set aside as a contingency in case additional funding is needed to complete the project.

Cheshire voters approved $500,000 for the project in 2004 and an additional $400,000 during November's election. About $28,000 has been spent on design and up to $25,000 will be used to pay for inspections, according to Joseph Michelangelo, director of public works.

If needed, the additional $50,000 will come from Board of Education funds set aside for repairs of high school lockers and auditorium seating.

"We don't anticipate anything. We just have to account for a possibility that this would happen," Michelangelo said.

The project has been in the planning stages since the fall of 2004, when voters first allocated funds for the renovation.

But the commission postponed the work so it wouldn't be rushed.

Earlier this fall, the Energy Commission suggested the roof be pitched for conservation purposes.

But the commission decided it should remain a flat design to make it more compatible with a possible school expansion.

But after about 15 months of planning and discussion, the commission is confident the project will be completed by next fall.

"The project was put on hold last year. I think everybody thinks that was a good decision," Michelangelo said.

"This time we had the luxury of bidding it out in September, hearing the bids in October. We did it the way we were supposed to," he said.