Powering Up Oak Park - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Powering Up Oak Park

Last summer, the Mouse River Flood swallowed most of Minot's parks.
Efforts to repair Oak Park started today with people from across the state coming together this morning to repair the electrical facilities that were damaged in last summer's flood.
Jordan Pederson reports..

It's been almost a year after the devastating flood of 2011.. and the Minot community is long over due for a celebration..
(Ken Kitzman, President, Minot Area Community Foundation) "We have been working closely with the park board to say 'look, the anniversary on the 22nd of June is coming up, we need a victory for our community, lets make it Oak Park."
Today was a huge step towards that moral victory and it started with a call for help.
The Minot Area Community Foundation along with the Minot Park Board placed a call to Verendrye Electric Cooperative.
(Bruce Carlson, Manager, Verendrye Electric Cooperative) "They needed help and specifically they needed help with electrical work and since that is our cup of tea it seemed like a natural fit."
But the task ahead of them was bigger than Carlson had initially thought.
Carlson placed a few more calls and the response was overwhelming.
Eleven electric cooperatives from across the state met this morning to tackle the park's electrical work---all in a days work.
(Dennis Hill, General Manager, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives) "When one member of the electric co-op family is suffering, we are all suffering. So everybody said lets pitch in and get them back on their feet and make Minot the vibrant community that it always has been and will be again.">>
Work included changing out 56 power pedestals, replacing all of the lights, electrical outlets and repairing the fuse boxes.
(Dennis Hill, General Manager, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives)
"Basically pulling out all the wiring in those instruments and equipment and rewiring it so it should be good as new by the end of the day."
(Ron Bieri, President, Minot Park Board) "We would have never been able to do everything that they are doing and in the time they are doing it."
The plan was to complete the wiring work in Oak Park in just one day.
And this puts the park ahead of schedule.
(Ron Bieri, President, Minot Park Board) "This kind of thing just puts us leaps and bounds ahead."
(Ken Kitzman, President, Minot Area Community Foundation) "As they say the family of co-ops, that really is a true statement."
And the co-op family worked hard to restore the park that will put the magic back in the valley.
(Bruce Carlson, Manager, Verendrye Electric Cooperative) "I'm extremely proud to be the local co-op member and extremely proud of the rest of the Rural Electric Cooperatives, calling, responding to our call for help."
But the returning of Oak Park signifies more than just a park coming back
(Ken Kitzman, President, Minot Area Community Foundation) "This is a moral victory for our community and that is critical. It is critical for who we are."
 Jordan Pederson, KX News.

The Return of Oak Park celebration is scheduled for the weekend of June 22.