The Daily Dispatch

Gast Construction, founded in Wahpeton, was awarded late Tuesday the bid for general contractor on the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) Horton Hall renovations expected to proceed through summer of 2010.

The bid opening for the estimated $5.7 million project was held Friday, June 19. Mike Ellingson, NDSCS physical plant director, said Gast Construction came in more than $1 million under the original estimate.

"We also gotta understand there's other things, architectural fees, some asbestos abatement done by other contractors and then we gotta have some contingency," Ellingson said. "We're right on budget, maybe a little better than budget."

Corporate Vice President Tim Gast said the company is pleased to have been awarded the project, considering its family ties to the building.

"It needs a makeover. We walked through it to bid it, it was pretty unchanged since I went to school there," Tim said.

Tim's grandfather, Herb, now deceased, was part of a crew that took part in the original construction of Horton Hall in 1927. He was only 17 years old at the time.

According to Tim, the Fargo company that spearheaded general contracting in 1927 recruited laborers for the project while hauling boulders to the site from Chahinkapa Park. Herb agreed to join the crew despite his young age.

"He was the last laborer to leave the job," Tim said. "My grandpa was a pretty hard worker."

Less than 20 years later, Herb began the family construction company, now run by fourth generation Gasts.

In 1954, Darrell Gast, father to Tim and Jim Gast, and son to Herb, took sheet metal classes in the 27-year-old Horton Hall. Upon passing the company off to his own sons, Darrell sent both Tim and Jim to NDSCS for architectural drafting and estimating. Tim graduated with a two-year degree in 1981 with Jim following suit in 1985.

"Personally, I had a lot of great memories going to school in that building," Tim said. "Jim and I both learned a lot there and now we're running a business."

Tim expects demolition to commence Wednesday or Thursday next week.

Manning Mechanical, Fargo, was awarded the bid for mechanical contracting and RBB Electrical, West Fargo, was awarded the bid for the electrical portion of the contracting.

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