Board approves JE Dunn final payments for CTE center, tables design-flaw compensation; directs EAPC payment excluding design-flaw dollars

The Williston Basin School District No. 7 board on Jan. 8 approved outstanding payments to JE Dunn for the Williston Basin Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center, agreed to table a separate compensation request tied to design-flaw remediation, and approved payments to EAPC with an explicit exclusion for additional design-flaw charges.

A district representative reported a final pay application of roughly $717,000 that does not include the culinary electrical work that became an identified issue; the district said the culinary electrical work and a recirculation pump added for hot-water circulation were not part of the original design contract. The culinary electrical circuits and panels have been installed and repaired, and the recirculation pump resolved the hot-water delivery problem, district staff said.

Board members moved to approve making outstanding payments to JE Dunn for the CTE work. Separately, the board voted to table agenda item 6e — compensation to JE Dunn for fixing design flaws at the high school — until invoices are received and thoroughly documented.

On agenda item 6f, the board voted to approve payments to EAPC for CTE work but explicitly excluded "any additional design flaw dollars," according to the motion and roll call. Board discussion included a request that any future invoices related to the design-flaw work be extremely thorough and accompanied by documentation of the scope and cost.

District counsel/staff indicated the culinary-electrical remediation costs and the pump purchase were outside the JE Dunn contract; the board asked administration to present any invoices in detail before approving payment for remediation work not included in original contracts.