Work on the Crookston School District bus garage has been progressing well over the last several months to the point if you drive by on Barrette Street, you can see the majority of the building’s frame. The secondary garage structure for the Crookston School District’s SUVs and other vehicles also recently started to get framed and will soon be ready for siding.
“Overall, we’re pretty close to where we’d projected to be,” said Contractor Dan Herrig with Sand Steele Building Company. “We’re still planning to turn everything over by the end of December to the district. Some areas we may be able to turn over sooner than others. We’ll just have to see how it progresses with the weather here through September and October. In the last few years, October hasn’t been a kind month to contractors, so hopefully, this year, we can avoid that. I know the farm community would sure like to avoid that as well.”
Large projects often come with changes as the project progresses, but Herrig said the construction has gone as planned. “As we were excavating, we ran into a lot of groundwater that was left from the rain last fall and that,” said Herrig. “We had to do some extra excavation for the foundations and some other prep work for that. That’s probably the most significant thing, but nothing that was outside what the contingencies were from the district. We just had to excavate a little deeper and use some rock to maintain the condition of the soil for the foundation to bear on. That was all directed by the soils engineer for the project.”
Herrig said crews will work to complete the bus garage. “Over the next three to four weeks, we’re focusing on the north end because of the other work, other trades that need to get into that area from the masons, carpenters, electricians, and that,” said Herrig. “The south end of the building is a more conventional metal building without as much trade work. So, we’re trying to make the best use of everybody’s time and focus on that north end right now.”
Herrig said they hope to hit some more milestones before it gets to cold. “The major milestones now are to get that north end enclosed and work our way south in the metal building,” said Herrig. “Getting the paving and parking lot areas done in early to mid-October because of when asphalt plants shut down, and that work can’t progress as you get into colder temperatures. Those are the two milestones we’re pushing over the next four to five weeks. Everything else can pretty well move along if it gets cold, or we get rain. It will slow work, but it won’t stop it.”
