701 Rundown: July 3, 2023

Here’s your weekly rundown of some of the most interesting headlines from newspapers across North Dakota

Fire department, city at odds over use of charitable gaming funds

Money from charitable gaming and where it’s spent has become a point of contention in Dunseith.

At a recent city council meeting, Mayor Chris Strong and Councilman Randy Vivier verbally sparred with Dunseith Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rick Gottbreht regarding funds.

Strong argued that money generated by gaming machines could be the only way the city can improve their police department and improve streets.

“Our budget is tight,” the mayor said. “We’re not picking on the fire department. We’re just asking if we can get a little bit (of the gaming proceeds).”

The Dunseith Betterment Committee has charitable gaming machines at Dale’s Truck Stop and Lounge, and around 75 percent of the money available for donation currently goes to the Dunseith Fire Department.

That’s according to Gottbreht, who later said the department receives between $140,000 to $160,000 annually from charitable gaming.

The controversy began when some city council members wanted to consider whether or not to re-approve the gaming agreement.

Regarding that potential, Gottbreht cited state law that prohibits cities from withholding licenses on the basis of trying to dictate where the money is spent.

“They can’t do that,” said Gottbreht. “They can either (approve) the license or end up in court.”

He added, “The city never even made a formal request (for funds). They cannot hold that license hostage. They basically broke state law by essentially saying ‘no money, no license.’”

(Story by Jason Nordmark, Turtle Mountain Star)

County redirects roadway

The hope, vision and aspirations of many for improved roadways leading to and around Harvey haven’t necessarily gone up in smoke, but they have been moved to the back burner.

The much-anticipated Highway 52 passing lane project, completed last year from Carrington to Fessenden and reportedly on the docket to be extended from Fessenden to Harvey and possibly into Velva this year, has been pushed back to next year.

Instead, the North Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT) will be adding passing lanes this year from Minot to the Hwy. 14 turnoff near Balfour, southeast of Velva.

Meanwhile, the project to address Highway 52’s troublesome exits and entrances on the west side of Harvey has been pushed back to 2025.

That project had previously been scheduled for completion last year.

Harvey City council member Shelley Svoboda wasn’t surprised at the setback in construction plans.

“We really don’t have a say or control over highway projects,” she said. “We’ll have to wait like everyone else.”

(Story by Neil O. Nelson, The Herald-Press)

Solar yet another energy possibility for Divide county

Add solar energy to the growing list of energy projects under consideration with possible impacts for Divide County.

Recently, county officials met with Pinegate Renewables during a county planning and zoning meeting.

Pinegate is a North Carolina-based developer of utility-scale solar collection and storage sites, and three Pinegate representatives met with Land Use Officer Jody Gunlock, State’s Attorney Seymour Jordan and County Commissioner Chico Eriksmoen on May 31.

Briefing the remaining board members, Gunlock said any proposed development would be years away.

“They are looking at a 300-[megawatt] solar farm that will use about 2,000 acres of ag land,” Gunlock said. “They haven’t even submitted an application to the Southwest Power Pool, which they said could be three years before that gets any approval of that, or get accepted.”

Though any potential development might be years away, board members and Gunlock talked about starting now with work to ensure the county’s planning and zoning ordinance provides landowners and residents with protections.

(Story by Brad Nygaard, The Journal)

Staffing issues remain challenging for school district

The Grafton School Superintendent, Darren Albrecht, has informed the Grafton School Board that hiring new teachers has been a challenge.

A few teachers have been hired for positions such as secondary English and intermediate math.

“We will also have two student teachers finishing their schooling in the building, then taking over in the classroom at the kindergarten and intermediate level,” said Albrecht.

Finding teachers willing to fill positions in rural areas has always been challenging and it seems that school districts have had to become more and more creative and adaptive.

For example, the Grafton School District has partnered with the Park River Area School District to share a teacher.

(Story by Todd Morgan, The Walsh County Record)

City of Finley considers constructing new building in light of concerts over old auditorium

For almost 100 years, the Finley Auditorium has been a place where people could gather for various events and community get-togethers.

But if Finley doesn't get a new facility soon, those days could be coming to an end.

The Finley City Council recognized the need for this to be addressed due to their concerns about the current building condition and the continued maintenance and expense to keep the facility usable.

The current auditorium is suffering from cracks in the foundation, cracks and crumbling in many of the bricks, and water damage throughout parts of the building, just to name a few issues.

In its place, the city is proposing a brand new state-of-the-art 10,000 square foot facility, which will include space for a gym, commercial kitchen and workout center, as well as room for city hall to relocate there.

The estimated price would be $2.5 million for the project, and fundraising efforts have already begun with the goal of limiting how much of the project would need to be financed through loans.

(Story by Lisa Saxberg, Steele County Press)