Artist rendering of the Withdrawal Management/Detoxification building, which is scheduled to be completed September 1.

Dan Haglund

Dan Kleist of Gehrtz Construction updated the Clay County Board of Commissioners on the Withdrawal Management/Detoxification and Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday morning in Moorhead.
These two multimillion-dollar facilities are under construction on 15th Avenue North, just west of 34th Street which serves as the border between Moorhead and Dilworth.
Kleist, principal construction manager for Gehrtz, began by updating the group on the Withdrawal Management building, which broke ground last May 5. He said it is now fully enclosed, and the interior work is in progress. The exteriors masonry work is on hold for a few days while the crews await materials. He also said the work depends on weather conditions warming up a bit as well.
Kleist said Northland Glass and Glazing has completed window installation around the exterior. Kleist said they are also awaiting materials to arrive to complete the main entrance area.
Inside, all of the wall framing is done, and the electrical, mechanical and plumbing work is in progress now. Sheetrocking, taping and mudding is also ongoing, with varying levels of completion in different parts of the building. Some areas are already being painted as well, he said.
“The project in and all has gone really well,” Kleist said. “The (unseasonably warm) weather has been a huge factor in that for us. We have had a few setbacks with rain showers and snow storms, but all in all we’ve had a very gentle winter.”
Commissioner Kevin Campbell, Dist. 4, commented on photos shown to the board from November, and that “quite a bit of work had been done by then.”
“If you recall, the original plan wasn’t even to move forward with the (construction) bids until around that date,” Campbell said.
Kleist said not much progress can be seen from the road right now, but that there are between 30 and 50 guys working on the building’s interior.
Clay County administrator Stephen Larson asked Kleist about the expected completion date, and Kleist ballparked it between Sept. 1 and Oct. 1. Commissioner Paul Krabbenhoft, Dist. 1, recalled the end date as Sept. 1, so Kleist said that must be correct.
As far as the new DMV building, Kleist said this project is well ahead of schedule also. The decision, he said, to begin construction last fall instead of this spring in hopes of a mild winter turned out to be a good call.
Kleist said Magnum Contracting has completed all the structural steel work, the drywall work is completed, and ledge stone-work has been completed as well. Roofing of the facility began this week, and exterior walls are being sheeted as well. Very little work has been done with mechanical or electrical, Kleist said, and once the building is fully enclosed those additions can get started.
“Timing will work out great when spring hits,” Kleist said. “We’ll be able to put coatings on the outside of the building, and then put on the veneers and exterior skin.”
Commissioner David Ebinger, Dist. 5, inquired about a completion date on this building also, and Kleist said it is planned for late fall.
Kleist said another issue is to get parking lots started and completed, as the dirt ground used for parking at present has become a bit muddy.