Lake Superior School District seeks bids for Two Harbors waterproofing work

If the maintenance tunnel at Minnehaha Elementary keeps leaking, the risk is not just a damp corridor in Two Harbors. Water intrusion can undermine the building, drive up emergency repair costs and force taxpayers to pay more later if the district does not catch the problem before it spreads.

Lake Superior School District #381 is seeking sealed proposals for a maintenance tunnel waterproofing and drainage system at 421 7th Street in Two Harbors, the site the district identifies as Minnehaha Elementary. Proposals are due by 4 p.m. May 29, and the district is encouraging a pre-bid site visit before contractors submit their prices.

The project goes well beyond a simple patch. The scope calls for about 361 linear feet of sub-floor perimeter drainage, three dual sump pump systems with battery backup, interior and exterior discharge lines with freeze protection and a wall vapor barrier system covering about 360 linear feet. The contractor selected for the job will have to provide labor, materials, equipment, permits and debris removal, and must be licensed in Minnesota, properly insured and experienced in institutional waterproofing work.

Those details matter in a district that has already spent years planning building improvements. Lake Superior School District residents approved a $44.1 million referendum on Nov. 2, 2021, to improve infrastructure at William Kelley School and Minnehaha Elementary. District materials tied to that effort describe a project oversight committee and design-phase work, showing the district has been handling facilities planning as a long-term program rather than a one-time fix.

The tunnel project also underscores the pressure that North Shore weather puts on public buildings in Lake County. Freeze protection and battery backup are part of the bid package because water management in Two Harbors is not just about moving moisture out of a building. It is about keeping drainage working when temperatures drop and preventing a small leak from turning into structural damage, interior disruption and expensive emergency response.

District records also list 1640 Hwy 2 in Two Harbors as the district office and the Two Harbors High School location, placing the waterproofing work within the district’s core local footprint. For Lake Superior School District #381, the bid notice signals a practical choice: spend now on deferred maintenance, or risk paying much more later when hidden damage becomes impossible to ignore.