Half of West Fargo High School roof will be replaced this summer

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

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WEST FARGO — A little more than half of the West Fargo High School roof will be replaced this summer as part of a larger plan for renovations and additions.

This week, the West Fargo School Board authorized administrators to solicit bids for the re-roofing project.

Jeff Goebel, building and grounds director, said the roof is the top priority because leaks have become more frequent, and other common needs throughout the district — like heating and cooling — are fairly up to date.

The district spends about the same amount of money every year on repairs as part of the normal budgeting process, Goebel said. The roof project cost won't be finalized until a project bid is accepted.

It's the first of multiple bids expected for 2027 summer projects at the high school, including a multi-purpose room addition, single-stall restroom renovations and more security doors.

"We're trying to roll all of that work into a single summer," Goebel said.

There will be minimal disruption that way, with the majority of work fully completed outside of the school year. Summer school students will attend Sheyenne High School.

From June 1 to Aug. 20, there will be 58 working days before the 2027-2028 school year begins.

Architects designed the roofing project and staff spoke with several roofing contractors and considered how the recent Fargo South High School roof project went. They decided roughly 97,000 square feet is a reasonable amount of roof to fully redo within 58 days, Goebel said.

Roofing companies tear out a small area of roof and put it back within the same day, so nothing is exposed for a significant amount of time.

The school building itself is 273,000 square feet, but has 171,000 square feet of roof split into 36 individual sections. The general plan at this point is to replace any parts of the roof that predate 2000.

The school was originally built in 1986, though a major addition in 1991 doubled its size. There have been smaller additions and significant repairs over the years in perimeter areas. A roofing project like this is rarely a clean, 100% re-roofing, Goebel said.

West Fargo High is the second-oldest high school in West Fargo, after the Lodoen Community Center, which now houses the district's alternative high school and other programs, as well as the West Fargo Public Library.

Leaks at West Fargo High School have been identified, though not all of them come from the roof. Some, like a recent leak in the gymnasium, are caused by piping issues.

Though the roof is due for repair, it's not unsafe, Goebel said. The district could continue patching leaks using rubber membrane, but that's a substantial expense each year that doesn't solve the overall problem.

The lifetime of a roof depends on its material, he said.

The majority of the West Fargo High roof is made of ballasted rubber, which includes rocks that have to be shoveled out of the way to find leaks — creating a risk of causing more leaks in the process.

"We're trying to get everything to fully adhered rubber roofs, so you could just walk up and see the rubber and see the hole," Goebel said.

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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

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• Sav Kelly

Sav Kelly joined The Forum in June 2026. She reports on West Fargo, Horace and Harwood, as well as West Fargo Public Schools.

Readers can reach Kelly at (701) 241-5530 or [email protected].

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