Dickinson Experiencing Record Growth - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Dickinson Experiencing Record Growth

Dickinson is experiencing record growth.

From January to May the city reports $132 million in building permits.

During that same time last year building permits totaled less than $30 million.

Now the city is undertaking some multi-million dollar improvements to keep up with the growth.

From the fire hall to public works, it's time for a change.

(Shawn Kessel / Dickinson City Administrator) "It's certainly a challenge to keep up with everything. We do our best to keep up. but it's amazing how many different areas of growth are effected. Oil impacts affect every single city operation. And we are doing our best."

City Administrator Shawn Kessel says Dickinson requested 12 million dollars from the state's oil impact grant program.

5.8 million was approved.

(Shawn Kessel / Dickinson City Administrator) "The growth is so overwhelming. For us to be able to do this on our own, would be very difficult if not impossible. So having a partner like the state to assist us with this growth is critical."

(Sarah Gustin / sgustin@kxnet.com) "This 25 acre field that lies next to the interstate will soon be the home to Dickinson's new public works building."

(Shawn Kessel / Dickinson City Administrator) "In our public works building the equipment has grown. these buildings are 50 years old, 60 years old. So the equipment size has just gotten so big they have a really difficult time just getting it through existing doors. We have no mechanical specific area to maintain our vehicles so they do it all in the shop area. We will have dedicated space that will be much more efficient."

Kessel says construction for that 10 plus million dollar project will start this fall.

He says a new public safety center to house both the fire hall and police department is scheduled to be completed by 2014.

(Shawn Kessel / Dickinson City Administrator) "It allow mostly for operational efficiencies. We will be able to have all of our departments under one building rather than be spread out amongest the community."

New improvements to help these streets keep up with the traffic that just keeps coming.

(Shawn Kessel / Dickinson City Administrator) "It puts us on the map. Everyone knows where Dickinson is now."

Kessel says construction for a new animal shelter will start this fall.

He says the city is also switching from a lagoon system to a mechanical treatment plant, that comes with about a 35 million dollar price tag.