County Building Reaction - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

County Building Reaction

Ward County voters narrowly approved funding a nearly 40-million dollar building and remodeling project Tuesday.

By a 52-48 percent margin, the project will move forward, ending years of struggle to build more space for the business of the county.

Here is what is proposed...

A new office building that will be built to the north of the current courthouse...

The courthouse itself will see a renovation project...

And more space will be added to an often times full Ward County Jail.

Commissioner Jack Nybakken -- who won re-election last night -- says he is happy to see the result...and very happy for the employees of the county.

(Jack Nybakken - Ward County Commissioner) "I am really happy for them. If you have gone through the courthouse or the Ward County Social Service...extremely crowded conditions. They haven't been complaining or anything but they are going to appreciate that kind of space."

The project will be paid for by a half-cent sales tax that will run until the debt is paid...or for ten years -- whatever comes first.

Nybakken says he is confident when that happens, the tax will disappear, not be continued to pay for other projects.