2014 Health Care Summit

(continued from page 38) minimum wage in town is $14 an hour,” says Shawn Kessel, city administrator. He stresses, however, that workers are not always as hard to find as businesses may expect, depending on the skill sets they are seeking “There’s a great many people coming to Dickinson every day and it’s just a matter of making sure they have skill sets that match up with the type of skill sets that employers need.”

The leaders of Dickinson are no strangers to oil booms and seem determined to make the most of this one, partly by keeping quality of life in mind as it grows Its efforts contributed to the city’s proudest national statistic Livability.com’s 2013 Best Small Town. The website notes the town’s “growing array of amenities” and recent population growth along with natural beauty including nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Little Missouri National Grasslands as reasons why it ranked first on the list

Development is a never-ending topic in Dickinson, both public and private. The city is implementing an aggressive capital improvement campaign, consisting of more than 40 projects representing more than $440 million, and the majority of those projects are already in construction or design phases.

The city has also hired a consultant firm to study a transportation corridor, utilities extension, land-use planning and annexation strategy for a 5,000-acre area west of town, which is expected to be the next area targeted for growth “We believe that because of the Interstate [94], old Highway 10 and the fact that we ’ ve connected the Dakota Prairie refinery and city of South Heart to the city of Dickinson’s wastewater treatment plant, that is going to act as a development corridor,” Kessel says “We’re trying to be out in front of that growth as much as we can. ”

The Dakota Prairie refinery is expected to become operational later this year and will employee 100 full-time workers

Other recent major development activity has centered on an area around Exit 59, which Kessel describes as a “pathway to our community that we can be proud of.” The area includes Roer’s Development’s West Ridge mixed-use development, which is home to the recently opened Menard’s store among other retailers and housing A new middle school will potentially be located in that area, along with the recently opened Sanford Health “ super clinic” and the soon-to-open CHI St. Joseph’s Health hospital.

Eventually, Dickinson’s Exit 59 area could also become home to an ambitious mixed-use development by a Singapore-based investment group known as Barons Vista LLC. The proposed 280-acre development would include a massive mall anchored by a 15-story lighthouse tower featuring a top-floor observation center and restaurant, a 30,000-square foot indoor “prairie,” and a hotel Initial plans for the development also call for 700 homes and townhomes In May, the city agreed to provide water and sewer services to the targeted area within the next two years, moving the project one step closer to fruition Kessel admits the project is an aggressive one, but says the group has shown a commitment to the community and overcome initial skepticism “There’s a great many developers who knock on your door and determining which ones are real and which ones aren’t and figuring out who will go vertical and who just wants to flip territory is not easy to discern at first,” he says In working with the group, Kessel says the city has moved from a place of healthy skepticism to one of cautious optimism

The city will no doubt continue to have its fair share of door knockers as the community continues to expand at a historic pace with no real signs yet of leveling off As proof, Kessel points out that sales tax revenue in Dickinson was up 15 percent from 2012 to 2013 and building permit activity also continues to increase. “We’re not seeing a slowdown at all in terms of impacts in the community ” PB

Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag com

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