(Spirit Lake)– There’s a new wrinkle in plans to dispose of the former Ferguson Manufacturing buildings Dickinson county now owns.
It was reported at Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting that tests on the buildings turned up some asbestos. Supervisor Paul Johnson says the cancer-causing substance is present in some paint or joint tape on the roof of one of the buildings. While the amount is very small, Johnson says it surpasses the state’s one percent threshold for abatement. As a result, the county must hire a firm to properly remove and dispose of the material. The supervisors Tuesday decided to contact some removal firms to get some cost estimates.
The county wants to dispose of the buildings to make room for additional courthouse parking. One of the three former Ferguson Manufacturing buildings will remain in place temporarily for storage of construction materials.
Meanwhile, it was reported Tuesday crews are making good progress in erecting steel framing for the second phase of the courthouse project. The supervisors authorized Roger Gilbert, the county’s owner-representative on the courthouse project, to obtain changeorders to include terrazel medalions on the floors of the new courthouse…estimated at 52-thousand dollars; snow guards for the roof of phase one at an estimated cost of slightly more than two thousand dollars; for plywood to serve as insulation between the roof and roofing membrane on phase two estimated at 35-thousand dollars; and for an electrical hookup for an exhaust fan in a break room…estimated at slightly more than three hundred dollars.
Even with those changes factored in, supervisors say they should still be able to complete the courthouse project on budget.
