S erving the R egion S ince 1907
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A look at Midwestern values by former Bowman resident
BOWMAN
City mulls major rehab project for Main Street By BRYCE MARTIN Pioneer Editor
A sizable chunk of funds have become available with the city of Bowman’s surge fund projects collectively coming in under budget. With those remaining funds, totaling more than $800,000, city commissioners have added another project to its docket, one that focuses on Main Street. The plan, according to Bowman City Commission President Lyn James, is for the reha-
bilitation of water mains that run along the center of Main Street, from Northwest Tire to south of Windy’s Bar and Pizza, and from Northwest Tire to the Bowman Fire Department. With the majority of Bowman’s commerce located in the designated area, tearing up of streets and closing sections of road would be difficult. But it’s a worst-case scenario for the city. The best-case scenario, as James explained, is the ability for
Inside
n An overview of the city of
Bowman’s 2016 construction projects, which included projects utilizing surge funding. Page 3
a company to complete the project that offers a new technology when replacing water mains that would not disrupt pavement. James said the city is currently waiting for that company to visit the planned project site and de-
termine whether it is a candidate for the special procedure. The city would still have to replace the aprons, the concrete pad where vehicles park along the curb, since there are current structural issues with them. That would disrupt the pavement, but in a limited amount. Crews could also possibly need to disrupt the curb stops, where city water service is accessed, along the stretch. “It would be the least invasive,” James said.
If the city is not a candidate for that procedure, the project would still continue as planned, slated for next summer, but wouldn’t be as convenient for people and businesses downtown since the pavement would need to be removed to access water lines. The project is crucial to prevent future problems with the aging lines, according to James, which are some of the first laid down in the city. “We’re being proactive,” James explained.
WILL IT END? A PIONEER SPECIAL REPORT
VOTERS TO DECIDE FATE OF WEATHER MOD PROGRAM ■ Historical, controversial issue for Bowman County now heads to ballot By BRYCE MARTIN
“I never have liked the program,” Palczewski said. “We watch it every year and this year it really accelerated in June.” After Palczewski had spoken with several local farmers about the program, with them asking what could be done about it, it became his mission to finally get the question on the Bowman County ballot, something that hadn’t been done successfully in decades. One of his first conversations was with Darin Langerud, director of the North Dakota Atmospheric Resource Board, which regulates weather modification within the state. Palczewski tried to explain his side. “It takes rain out of the county,” he alleged. “It’s doing the opposite of what it’s supposed to. “We have no business messing with Mother Nature.” While Palczewski said he only engaged in two heated conversations while getting signatures for the petition, most seemed to agree that people should at least get to vote on the issue. And now, because of Palczewski’s efforts, they have been afforded that opportunity.
Pioneer Editor
Fifty years ago a program began in Bowman County that would radically change the way people perceived man’s role in the control of nature. It was a program that purposely modified the weather, to suppress hail and enhance rainfall, which was to benefit local farmers and ranchers. But now it will be the decision of county residents if the program should continue. John Palczewski, who owns and operates a farming and ranching operation south of Scranton, began circulating a petition earlier this year to place on the November election ballot a measure asking if the county’s weather modification program should end. A popular saying around Bowman is that there are two things people just don’t openly discuss: politics and weather modification. Many residents, including several farmers and ranchers, echo that sentiment. But Palczewski didn’t shy away from the task. After amassing 358 signatures, 13 more than required, he successfully submitted the petition and it was soon after approved for the ballot. A simple question will appear for voters: “Should the Weather Modification Authority be abolished?”
WEEKLY FORECAST, 5 TODAY High: 58 Low: 53 Breezy with occassional rain
Bowman County’s weather modification operation began in the 1950s by three residents, its goal to suppress hail and enhance rainfall. That could change once voters head to the polls on Nov. 8. (Pioneer Photo by Bryce Martin)
Inside Classifieds ..............10 Comics ................... 11 Obituaries .............. 9 Opinion .................. 8
Puzzles ...................11 Briefs .......................2 Sports ..................... 12 Community ..........6
Three Bowman natives get weather mod started in North Dakota
SPORTS, 12
FOOTBALL: Another victory for Bulldogs
Cloud seeding, the name of the actual process in weather modification, began in North Dakota in the 1950s, pioneered by three Bowman County residents, farmer-rancher Wilbur Brewer and his pilot neighbors, Bill Fisher and Bill Mazaros. The three had heard of weather modification testing conducted by scientists with General Electric Co. in New York, according to historical accounts of the program’s origin, thinking it could be a solution to the problem of hail damage to crops. They went on to found Weather Modification, Inc. in Bowman, the state’s first all-airborne commercial cloud seeding company. Seeding first for just a few townships, then later entire counties, the program expanded and spread eastward throughout much of North Dakota. The program at that time was entirely locally sponsored. The state didn’t get involved in regulating and permitting until 1975, at which time the North Dakota Atmospheric Resource Board began its oversight. Weather Modification, Inc., relocated its headquarters to Fargo in the early 1990s and the three founding members have since passed away.
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