Washington County government center project cost triples after problems discovered

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A waterproofing fix at the Washington County Government Center campus has more than tripled in cost, county officials say.

Washington County Board members last week approved a contract amendment with ICF Construction for more than $138,000 to complete a waterproofing repairs project at the Stillwater government complex. That far outpaces the county’s initial $40,000 agreement for work to eliminate issues that have led to water leaking into a jury assembly area in the county courthouse.

“Every time it rains, or when the ground thaws, water comes in,” said Greg Wood, manager of Washington County’s Building Services Division.

The repair work — agreed to earlier this year as part of a package of repairs that was to complete fixes at the R.H. Stafford Branch Library and a county service center in Woodbury — was to excavate an area near an employee entrance, apply new waterproofing to the three-decade-old building’s foundation.

Work crews, however, encountered more problems than they had bargained, Wood said, including poor soil conditions, inadequate or no waterproofing and a collapsed drain tile system. The new work will waterproof a mechanical tunnel and adjacent walls, add a new drain tile system and in-fill with better-draining material.

Wood said the county had previously attempted a less expensive, shorter-term fix in 2005. Serious leaking began again in 2011.

“The solution, we feel, is going to be a long[-term] one,” he said.

The additional repair cost will come out of the county’s capital repair fund, Wood said.

County Commissioner Gary Kriesel, of Stillwater, said the additional repairs are the right move.

“Just like a homeowner, when you’ve got something that old and you start digging into it you run across things,” he said. “Certainly, what you’re doing is correct, to really get down and take care of the problem.”

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