Jill Schramm/MDN A retaining wall constructed between the Minot Municipal Auditorium in the background and Minot City Hall is in place, but decorative panels, as shown at left, remain to be added.

Following a pandemic-related delay, Minot’s wall project finally got off the ground this past spring — only to hit another wall.

Work on the retaining wall near the Minot Municipal Auditorium and Minot City Hall was scheduled to wrap up Nov. 18. Now the city is hoping for next June.

“There’s been quite a few issues over the course of the summer that our consulting engineers made the contractor aware of. Some items they’ve been slower to fix than others. Some things are fabrication issues that have had to be worked through,” City Engineer Lance Meyer told the Minot City Council Monday. “Some of the piles that have been installed are out of tolerance and because of that we’ve had to do some calculations to make sure that it still meets the design intent, which it does. However, the way that the panels — the concrete panels — are connected to those piles needs to change. So the contractor had to hire a consulting engineer that’s separate from ours to help them redesign the connections.”

The decorative concrete panels are ready for installation once it is determined how they must be attached to the wall, Meyer said. The existing structure of steel piles, steel cable and wood boarding provides the retaining feature. The panels will be added for aesthetics.

Meyer said installation of panels might begin yet this winter or wait until spring.

There also is a need to replace a cast iron water main and redo the more than 50-year-old parking lot around the auditorium.

“At this point, with all that work left remaining, we’re anticipating that this project probably goes into June,” Meyer said.

Jason Sanders, president of Rolac Contracting, the prime contractor on the project, said the work is highly specialized so his firm hired a large, reputable subcontractor with that specialty. Problems have been related to the subcontractor’s performance, and while frustrating, Rolac has been working with the city, its engineers and the subcontractor to address the issues, he said.

Rolac currently faces liquidated damages of more than $170,000 for failing to meet timelines for completing certain aspects of the project. Liquidated damages are $2,100 a day. Collection of damages will cover costs associated with the construction issues that otherwise would be incurred by the taxpayers, Meyer said.

The council approved a request for an additional $157,245 to cover the cost of extra work by the city’s engineering consultant, KLJ,  in bringing issues to the attention of the contractor, documenting the issues and engineering solutions.

The council had awarded the construction to Rolac for just over $5 million. With engineering and other costs, Meyer estimated the total project cost at around $5.8 million. The city had accepted a $4.8 million construction bid from Strata in 2020, but financial concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic led to the project’s postponement and rebidding in 2021.

In addressing another cost overrun, the council approved a budget amendment to cover costs of animal pound services through the end of the year. According to Police Chief John Klug, the trending volume of animals handled each month will require an estimated $25,000 beyond the $34,480 budgeted for 2022 to meet expenses for the rest of the year.

Klug said he has no clear explanation for the increase in demand for services. He said animal licensing fees for pet owners are under review for an increase but noted the pound can’t be supported on licensing fees alone. 

Council member Carrie Evans opposed the budget amendment, saying the city needs more shelter services rather than more pound services.

“I will continue voting against things that involve our pound until we can move toward a more humane and compassionate way to deal with the animals that the city has in its control,” she said.

Minot Veterinary Clinic has been providing pound services. The city and clinic recently signed a new one-year agreement for animal pound services that began Nov. 1. 

Grant sought for Union Silos project

The Minot City Council agreed Monday to provide a letter of support for a state Main Street Initiative Vibrancy Grant for the Union Silos public art project. 

The community group that is seeking the grant is working with artist Guido van Helton on the North Dakota piece of his 50-state monument art project. He will be creating art on the former grain elevator located downtown on the east side of Third Street near the bridge. The elevator is owned by the Pretty Lights decorative lighting company.

The $350,000 art project is to be funded using grants and corporate, civic, private and in-kind donations. No city funds are being sought.