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City writes "Roadmap to the Future"
The Dickinson City Commission unanimously passed the first reading of "Dickinson 2035: Roadmap to the Future." The comprehensive plan, which has been nearly two years in the making, sets forth guidelines for capital improvements and infrastructure projects, along with other growth issues, through the year 2035. "I think our 'Roadmap to the Future' is what sets Dickinson apart from other communities," Commissioner Klayton Oltmanns said. "We are being proactive, we do look towards the future and we want steady growth." Discussion was held at a special joint session between the City Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission that took place before the regular meeting Monday at City Hall. Planning and Zoning voted to approve the first reading at the special session and the Commission voted during its regular meeting. Commission President Dennis Johnson had some concerns for future commissions in language that called for a super majority, four votes for a commission of its current size, to agree on certain points in changing the document in later votes. "It would essentially mean that two people could make these determinations," he said. Other members of the commission shared Johnson's concern, worrying what it might do to impending city governments. "I guess I would err on the side of letting future commissions have the same authority we've enjoyed as we move forward with our planning process," Oltmanns said. The City Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to remove any references to a super majority from the comprehensive plan. While the document is binding, there are a lot of recommendations that are not obligatory that give current and future leaders flexibility. "This is an advisory document," said Ed Courton, community development director. "There's few portions that are mandatory that you need to do." Endeavors were prioritized and scheduled accordingly, said Craig Kubas, project manager with KLJ. One of the biggest factors in deciding on the comprehensive plan priorities are based upon population estimates - an estimated 42,000 people by the year 2035 - provided by North Dakota State University, Commissioner Gene Jackson said. "I think it's still up to the two boards to be continually asking ourselves as we make decisions about a new subdivision, or as we make decisions about putting $10 million worth of sewer in the ground what population do we really think we're going to be," he said. "I don't think that this takes that decision making away from any of us as we move forward. We still have to ask ourselves that question."
Sorce: The Dickinson Press |
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Delta Air Lines adding new flights to Dickinson, N.D., to meet oil boom demand
Delta Air Lines is taking the North Dakota oil boom seriously.
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Bakken drilling costs dropping, Northern Oil and Gas says
The cost of drilling new oil and gas wells in the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana is dropping and the work is going faster, allowing crude oil to reach the market sooner, a Minnesota-based oil company said Friday.
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Study looks at school enrollment in ND's oil patch
Enrollment at K-12 schools in North Dakota's oil patch could increase by hundreds or thousands of students over the next five years, according to a new study from North Dakota State University.
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A new source of power
As the issue of reducing natural gas flaring at oil well sites in western North Dakota has become a hot topic of late, one major hauler of Bakken crude is looking at the possibility of using natural gas for fuel.
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Dickinson Water Depot in Bad Location
Traffic in downtown Dickinson is busy enough without dozens of semis mixed in with all the cars. The problem is that there is a water depot in the middle of town the oil industry uses to fill up their tanks.
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Outdoor Heritage Fund
North Dakota is known for its wide open prairies that offer a variety of hunting and fishing opportunities. So it would seem only natural for the state legislature to create an outdoor heritage fund to protect and preserve those areas. But, the resolution hit some roadblocks in the State Senate.
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Oil industry opposes ND House oil tax legislation
A Republican-sponsored House bill aimed at simplifying and restructuring oil taxes in North Dakota has morphed into a complex and costly measure that penalizes drillers, an oil industry spokesman said Monday.
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Battle for Killdeer Mountain decided; Foes of drilling near historic site out of options.
Oil developers appear to have won the battle for the Killdeer Battlefield, a historic site in the western North Dakota Badlands near where a New York-based company has begun laying groundwork for wells.
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