Belfield Residents Voice Concerns On Oil Development - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Along with North Dakota's oil development, comes concerns from small town residents.

Stark County residents get their chance to voice concerns over the impact North Dakota's oil boom is having on their community.

On Thursday, members with the Vision West North Dakota project meet in Belfield to listen to residents.

They're making stops in 19 gas and oil producing counties in the western part of the state.

In Belfield long time residents have seen their community change drastically the past few years, seeing new people moving to town and a lot more traffic.

"The smaller communities really seem to be worried in terms of quality of life, about retaining their culture, you know they're worried about how they're going to interact with new neighbors, worried about how they're going to bring them in, accept them and make them part of their community," Karalea Cox said.

Many residents like Peggy Obrien have experienced the change in the small community of Belfield first hand.

She says meetings like these are important, allowing residents to voice their concerns.

"The increase in population, need for housing, the deterioration of the infrastructure it's old, and now it's been tasked with even handling more, more demand and our streets need repaired and our sewer system needs work," Peggy Obrien said.

Members with Vision West North Dakota also made a stop in South Heart Thursday to talk to residents there.

As they gather information, they'll then move it forward to the state legislators come January.