Commission eyes summer demolition of former Water Resources building on Capitol grounds

The former North Dakota Water Resources building on the Capitol grounds in Bismarck may be demolished by the end of summer.

During a meeting of the Capitol Grounds Planning Commission last week, John Boyle, director of facility management, said contractors discovered mold throughout the 70-year-old structure and members voted unanimously to use existing funds to cover the cost of its demolition.

Boyle said the contractor found mold in all four corners and all three floors behind vinyl coverings in the building.

“It’s very pungent,” Boyle said. “You can really tell there is mold in the building.”

He added four different state agencies have occupied the building over its 70-year history and, most recently, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture toured the facility to see if a renovation and mold removal was worth the trouble. After the tour, Boyle said, the state Ag Department decided to seek other options.

“They really didn’t want to be in the building either,” he said. “What happens is, once there is mold, there’s a perception that you never really get it all out of the building and that was what they were saying. You can’t guarantee 100% that it wouldn’t come back again, so they weren’t interested.”

The North Dakota Department of Water Resources moved out of the state office building in November 2022 and into their new offices at the Bank of North Dakota on Memorial Highway.

The old state office building had also been having water problems over its lifespan, Boyle said, because an underground river was discovered below the structure.

The building has gone through complete renovations in the 1990s and 2010s, but the water problems persisted, Boyle said.

“We’ve already invested money twice in trying to fix these water issues,” he said.

Vern Dosch, former CEO of National Information Solutions Cooperative and member of the commission, said safety for state employees and visitors should always be a concern for the commission.

Chris Hawley, an architect based in Fargo and member of the commission, said he also thinks the building has reached the end of its lifespan.

“I think it needs to go, for sure, but I do question where these funds come from,” Hawley said.

Price tag has grown for North Dakota Military Museum as plans progress

In coming weeks, Boyle said he plans to ask the state Legislature’s Emergency Commission and interim Budget Section to reallocate funds for the demolition from a project to improve direction signs approved by the Legislature in 2023. He also said he plans to use the commission’s biennial funding allotment to cover the remainder of the estimated $500,000 cost of the building removal. 

“We’re not asking for any more money,” Boyle said. 

Commissioners agreed the $500,000 signage project should wait until a new state laboratory is completed on the grounds and plans for a new military museum to be attached to the North Dakota Heritage Center are finalized.

Bill Peterson, director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, said part of the Heritage Center’s master plan after construction of the new military museum would be to relocate two off-site museum storage facilities near the building to be demolished. The Historical Society also would like to expand the North Dakota agricultural gallery, which would also encroach on the property area.

There also are plans for a connecting road from State Street to Boulevard Avenue, Boyle said, once construction is completed on the new military museum.

Boyle added, if there are no problems with the funds reallocation at the Emergency Commission and interim Budget Section in coming weeks, a request for proposals could be sent out in early spring with approval and demolition to take place in July or August.