Minot State, Dakota College ask appropriations panel for tunnel repairs, campus renovations and regional health training center

Minot State University and its affiliated Dakota College at Bottineau told the Appropriations - Education and Environment Division that several capital projects will require additional state funding to proceed and to protect campus utilities.

Steve Shirley, president of Minot State University, told the committee the most urgent need is additional money to finish demolition-related work at Dakota Hall and shore the steam and utility tunnels that run under the building. He said the university received $765,000 in the previous session but now expects the total package to be about $1.4 million after engineering reviews and asbestos abatement. "The structural integrity of the tunnels will not support the overfill," Shirley said, describing the century‑old tunnels and the need to shore them so they continue serving adjacent buildings.

The Minot State presentation also covered three related capital priorities: an $8,132,000…