Senior Staff Writer

It appears the Williston Community Library roof was not completely covered.

Williston City Commissioners considered Tuesday if changes in the size of material meant they must rebid the job or simply do a change order. In the end, they went with a change order.

The board awarded Thiel Brothers Roofing of Sidney the contract to repair the roof for $110,000 at its Aug. 12 meeting.

“Shortly after we awarded the bid, the roofer flew in from Sidney and wanted to talk to us about our spec(ifications),” said City Auditor John Kautzman. “There were a couple of things that were different in our specs. One area referred to a 75-mil fabric. We had another area referred to 60-mil fabric.” Architect Dennis Deutsch of Williston said that all who bid on the roof had submitted proprosals for 60-mil thickness.

However, a supplier has informed him the 60 mil was not in supply right away.

Deutsch said the 75-mil product is able to withstand golf ball-sized hail. The roof currently has a 30-Mmil fabric thickness.

Deutsch said the supplier can obtain the 60-mil product, but there is a delay until mid-October.

Deutsch said they must remove the gravel ballast from the roof for the project.

He added another issue that was recently discovered is when rubber membrane roofs are removed, the foam is shrunk slightly and there are insulation gaps.

He said there is one small area that had issues with the drainage on the 25-year-old roof.

Commissioners were reminded that even with the thicker material, the Thiel bid remains the low bid.

“The bid that was accepted was for the 60-mil. If they went ahead of that, they don’t have that on stock,” said librarian Debbie Slais.

She wanted the roof work done this fall after a recent rainstorm caused tiles to fall in one area of the library.

Slais said she wanted the process to be right and to be legal. She said going with the 60-mill as the bid pushes the project back two months.

“If we go with what they have now, it only raises it $3,300 for the material and they can get started right away,” she said.

She also feared the contractor awarded the bid would simply start another project with the delay of materials or rebidding.

“I would like to get started before too much time goes on. I certainly do not want to wait until next spring,” Slais said.

“I don’t have a problem with a change order once you get into it. But to change it before you start it, I’m having trouble going into that,” Williston City Commission President Ward Koeser said.

“To me, you’re making a change before you start the process so it can’t be a change order in my mind,” he added

After reviewing the matter, City Attorney Pete Furuseth said the one change order to the thicker, more durable material still makes Theil Construction the low bidder.

“The 75 is less expensive than the 60?” Furuseth asked. “We are going under the assumption that if the others had bid 75, theirs would have been higher also? We are still under at 75.”

“It’s still lower than the next bidder,” Deutsch answered.

Meanwhile, Williston Public Works Director Monte Meiers’ request to advertise bids for a landfill cell was accepted. The bids are to be opened at 3 p.m. on Sept. 18 at City Hall.

At Williston Police Captain Tom Ladwig’s request, the board also approved a $4,400 public safety grant award from the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services Division of Homeland Security.

The city’s match of the grant is $880.

Ladwig said the money was already in the police budget and is to be used for two hand-held radios that will conform with the hand-held devices the department already uses.

The radios are to be purchased from Kotana Communications in Williston.

Koeser abstained from the vote as he is owner of Kotana Communications.