701 Rundown: April 8, 2024

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

2024 construction season brings 100+ workers to Foster County

The 2024 construction season will be the busiest yet along the route of the Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP) pipeline.

Three construction contracting companies will have crews living and working in and around the city of Carrington, as they install more than 20 miles of the 72-inch diameter pipeline.

Vance Miller of Black & Veatch will return to Carrington for a second construction season.

As Lead Resident Project Representative, he will keep track of daily construction operations to ensure the project is being constructed per the contract documents and construction plans. Black & Veatch will also have a construction manager, office engineer, and administrative assistant on site.

"Carrington is an awesome community! The people here are so down to earth, friendly and accommodating. They have welcomed me into their community," said Vance with a smile. "It's great to be part of something the size and magnitude of a project like this."

Oscar Renda Contracting will have 30 to 40 staff members on site during peak operations. The company is responsible for constructing the 5C contract which includes approximately eight miles of pipeline and three major trenchless crossings east of Carrington, in Foster County.

Nathan Dusek, Vice President of the Texas-based company, said North Dakota's weather is very attractive to his crew who have worked in much hotter conditions.

"We are looking forward to the opportunity to not only work in this uniquely serene environment with cooler summer temperatures, but more importantly we are eager to connect with and become a part of the local community," he said.

Carstensen Contracting, Inc., will begin the construction season with 15 crew members and ramp up to 25 to 30 later in the season. The company was awarded the 5D contract which involves 10 miles of pipeline and a trenchless crossing of Pipestem Creek in western Foster County and eastern Wells County.

(Story from the Foster County Independent)

Finley Farmers Grain & Elevator expands with new facility just outside Cooperstown

Along the south side of Hwy 200 just west of Cooperstown, N.D., there is a large building that was completed last year.

The Finley Farmers Grain & Elevator location was built to meet the growing need for services in the area. The Steele County Press visited with general manager Todd Erickson, and he explained what is happening with the new facility.

Erickson explained that when they were using the old location in Cooperstown by the old railroad tracks they were getting by with a bunch of old, outdated equipment.

“It was just too slow,” he said. “The Farmers were saying that we had to find some way to do things faster and more efficiently. So, we began looking for some land. … We ended up buying about 14 acres here.”

​Then came the construction process. Erickson said that in the fall of 2021, they got the roads put in, finishing construction on the facility in the spring of 2023.

“We have everything here, the fertilizer plant, the anhydrous plants, and the chemical warehouse are all here under one roof now,” said Erickson.

“And then our seed tanks that were in town by the old office building all got moved out here too. The old location is just office space now. We don’t use that facility any longer, it is just a big gravel parking lot.”

(Story by Lisa Saxberg, Steele County Press)

Commission moves to take bite out of drug use

It’s about to get a lot ruffer to store drugs in Rolette County.

Sheriff Nathan Gustafson along with Mitch Slater met with the county commission last week to discuss the possibility of the county purchasing a canine drug dog.

Gustafson indicated the sheriff’s office was able to use a drug dog earlier this year in the St. John, Dunseith, Rolette and Rolla Schools, and the results sparked a long-held interest in purchasing a dog in the county.

“The reason we want one is Rolette County is one of the biggest counties where drugs are coming in,” said Gustafson, adding a recent stop netted over $1 million dollars.

“It’s something I’ve thought about for years but we haven’t brought it up because of financials.”

The cost to train a canine is $14,000 and it costs an additional $10,000 to equip a vehicle. The almost $25,000 price tag created some questions by the commissioners.

Commissioner Cam Mickelson said a dog could help with job retention and Gustafson said the county wouldn’t need to hire an additional officer.

“Everybody wants to be the dog handler and deputies could apply for it internally.”

The board approved the purchase without a dissenting vote. The dog could get to the county and begin its training sometime in August.

(Story by John Rosinski, Turtle Mountain Star)

County officials ask for more truck enforcement officers

The McKenzie County Board of County Commissioner has asked Sheriff Matthew Johansen to put a renewed effort into allocating personnel and resources to enforce trucking laws within the county.

While Johansen said they have one person within the department who is thinking about becoming a truck enforcement officer, at this time there are less than three officers whose primary duty is truck enforcement.

“It has been a while since we have had an adequate number of truck enforcement officers,” said Commission Vice Chair Joel Brown.

“In my mind it would be ideal to have something like five truck enforcement officers out there consistently so they (the people not following the set regulations) can be deterred.”

Commissioner Kathy Skarda added that it would be ideal to have officers that would patrol the northeast, south, western and central section on a regular basis, with an additional officer to help fill in.

Both members of law enforcement and the commissioners agreed that truck enforcement should be a priority and that there should be a renewed effort to find adequate staff to make sure that all of the trucking laws, including weight limits and tarping, are enforced.

(Story by Kristen Jones, McKenzie County Farmer)