Tag: News

New England awarded $5M in funding for water infrastructure

NEW ENGLAND — The city of New England has received $5 million in funding to help get its water infrastructure project in the ground.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that it is giving a $2.7 million loan and awarding a $2.2 million grant to the city of about 750 to help improve and replace its water infrastructure. The water pipes and sewer system New England uses now were installed in 1947.

“It’s a tremendous undertaking for the city of New England,” said Mayor Marty Opdahl.

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Beach considers rezoning for grain co-op rail spur

BEACH — A proposed rail spur that could determine the future of Beach’s only grain elevator has spurred debate.

The Beach Grain Cooperative, struggling to stay relevant against larger competition, has asked the city to rezone about 156 acres on the east side of Beach from agricultural to commercial so it can build a $7 million railroad track expansion to help load 110-unit train cars.

“There’s a lot of interest,” said Al Begger, chair of Beach’s zoning board. “A lot of farmers are concerned. There are some of the people who live in houses that are going to be close to this.”

Residents who own property near where the proposed spurt say they understand Beach Grain’s need, but don’t want to see it put in their backyard — literally.

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August rains could be good for late crops

Early August rainfall could be a blessing for crops that were planted later than usual, area farmers and agronomists said this week.

The first week of August in southwest North Dakota — typically hot and dry — was defined by heavy rains, daily showers, early-morning fog and below-normal temperatures.

It’s not exactly the type of weather farmers like to see — at least in a normal year. But this has not been a normal growing year.

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IN DEVELOPMENT: Dickinson Hills, West Ridge face hurdles while moving forward

For about three years, Brian Hymel has split his time between Dickinson and Salt Lake City. His wife doesn’t really like it, and neither do his children. It’s tough to say goodbye to them every couple weeks when he returns to North Dakota for work, he said.

But unlike many of the people drawn to western North Dakota over the past five years, Hymel isn’t directly connected to oil. Instead, he and his partners are in the process of building areas to serve the people coming to Dickinson because of work related to the Oil Patch.

Their latest project, the 98-acre Dickinson Hills Shopping Center mixed-use development along Interstate 94, is aimed at attracting both new and longtime residents.

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NO SPRINKLERS: Record-setting water usage leads Dickinson to ban use of outdoor

There will be no running through the sprinklers to cool off in Dickinson this weekend.

Dickinson officials have issued a ban on all outdoor water use over the weekend after a day of record-setting usage left the city’s systems strained.

City Administrator Shawn Kessel said Dickinson used 5.7 million gallons of water Thursday, the most in its history.

“Our water distribution network is not able to keep up with the record-setting demand that we are having,” Kessel said.

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