New loos approved for Warsing Dam

Taking care of business at Warsing Dam will soon be more enjoyable than ever.

That’s right, county commissioners have moved forward with a plan to tear down and rebuild the bathrooms at the recreation area just east of Sheyenne.

At their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 4, commissioners reviewed the floor plan and cost estimate for the project, provided by local contractor Dave Chenze.

The plan is to tear down the two existing bathrooms, which have become old and unsightly, and replace them with brand new structures.

The new buildings will be 8-by-18 feet long, and just shy of 10 feet high. Each will have one boys bathroom and one girls bathroom, as well as a 12-inch overhang and windows for ventilation.

Perhaps most importantly, the structures will have tin sheeting on the exterior, which should greatly improve their protection from the elements and increase their longevity, thereby offering more comfortable bathroom breaks for those enjoying a day on the water.

The cost estimate submitted by Chenze lists a price tag of $6,390 per structure, though that number could change after commissioners decided not to move forward with sheetrock on the inside walls. Instead, they agreed that OSB (oriented strand board) would be a better option.

Chenze also noted that he inspected the existing concrete and determined new slabs are not necessary, considerably bringing down the project’s overall cost.

The labor quote Chenze handed to commissioners amounts to an additional $20,400, bringing the project’s overall cost to just above $30,000.

The total cost of the project will be covered by money from the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund. The county has already received and spent their first payment of $50,000 from the fund, and is expecting an additional $50,000 later this year, which will cover the cost of replacing the Warsing Dam bathrooms.

A motion was made and carried unanimously to move forward with the project, and commissioners were happy to know the old bathrooms will finally be getting replaced.

Commissioner Glenda Collier said she hopes the new bathrooms and other updates will provide a nice recreation area should this winter ever end.

“We haven’t done anything to those bathrooms. They really need to be updated and redone,” said Collier. “The Game and Fish Department put in a fishing dock out there, and there’s been numerous improvements. We want to keep that going so people are encouraged to camp out there and take the kids fishing and still have a nice area to do some outdoor activities.”

Later in the meeting, commissioners held a bid opening for the Sheyenne shop. However, the commission only opened one envelope and were disappointed to discover the bid inside wasn’t proper.

Commissioners then discussed next steps with Interstate Engineering, which may include a pre-engineered steel building. The representative from Interstate Engineering said he would gauge interest and report back to the commission.

In the meantime, the plan to build a new county shop in Sheyenne is on hold.

The next county commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, at 8:30 a.m. in the courthouse.