Teddy to travel this summer

Jill Schramm/MDN
Felix, left, and Leon Rivera of Minot Air Force Base enjoy playing near the Theodore Roosevelt statue in Roosevelt Park Wednesday. The statue will be moving this summer from its foundation in the center of the park plaza to a new foundation in a new location south of the veterans memorial.

The Theodore Roosevelt monument in Roosevelt Park will be on the move this summer.

Ryan Ackerman, administrator for the Souris River Joint Board, told the Minot Park Board Tuesday the foundation design is being delivered to Mattson Construction, which will build the supporting structure for the statue in a new, permanent location. Once completed, the statue will be relocated.

The statue will be situated south of the veterans memorial. It will be installed on the island of green space in the parking area near the zoo’s visitor center, where it will be visible to motorists on Burdick Expressway.

The move is made necessary by elements of construction on the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project that will impact Roosevelt Park.

Bids on the portion of the flood project in MI-6B, extending from the swimming pool west to Main Street, came in 40% above the estimate in May, and the joint board is reviewing its options, Ackerman said. The utilities portion of MI-7, from the pool through Roosevelt Park and the zoo, brought bids 50% higher than estimates. Ackerman said the bids were rejected and the project will be rebid.

“The intent of the rebid is trying to solicit more interest by pushing the schedule back. The feedback that we’ve gotten from the marketplace is that the schedule is too aggressive, and basically, the labor that is in the market right now is not sufficient to be able to complete the project on the schedule that we were hoping,” he said.

The joint board also will bid the relocation of some zoo and park structures in July. Ackerman said another bid package will follow for zoo exhibits to be located in a portion of what now is the Roosevelt Park area, which also is the result of reconfiguration due to the flood project.

The rebidding could delay completion of the flood project through the park and zoo, Ackerman said. The initial plan was to work in the park this year and in the zoo next year, with a third year for cleanup. It appears now that construction will take three seasons, with a fourth season for cleanup, he said.

Parks Director Elly DesLauriers added that because of agreements from years ago, the park district must account for land being taken in Roosevelt Park for the flood project. To compensate for the loss, the district is considering acquiring 80 acres in southwest Minot that could be leased for agricultural use until developed.

“We don’t have any immediate plans for it, but I think it is a good opportunity for us,” DesLauriers said.