Your Source for Business Related News in Western North Dakota
12/04/09
Wind Farm Expansion
Next Era Energy, a subsidiary of Florida Power and Light, is in the beginning phase of expanding the wind farm near
Wilton . Currently there are sixty-six turbines operating at the wind farm. The plan is to double the size of the wind farm by adding another sixty-six turbines. This sounds like a simple endeavor. A company spokesperson told me yesterday that they still have to get the permits from the North Dakota Public Service Commission and some other government and environmental agencies.
Let me give you some background on the existing towers and wind farms in the area. The towers you see today are in
Ecklund
Township . This township has authority on its planning and zoning rules. Some of the proposed wind turbines for the expansion will spill over into
Crofte
Township . Years ago the governing board for
Crofte
Township relinquished it's authority over planning and zoning issues to Burleigh County Planners. Therefore, the township board of governors has very little if any say in the expansion moving forward. A Burleigh County Wind Turbine Facility Committee has been established to help write the ordinance. One member on the committee is from the township.
Next Era Energy hopes to have all of the approvals done and start construction on the new wind farms by next summer. The plan is to have all sixty-six turbines up and running by the end of 2010.
A public information meeting is being held next Thursday December 10 from 7-9 PM at the
Baldwin
School . This is your chance to go and give input on the proposed wind farm expansion.
Take this brief five question survey on wind farms. Next week I will release the results in time for the public input meeting.
In June the news from the Bismarck Airport was positive. We were getting a new flight to Chicago through United and a new flight to Salt Lake City through Northwest Airlines/Delta. Well, after just six months Delta has decided to ground the flight to Salt Lake City. The flight was removed from the schedule on December First. Bismarck Airport Manager Greg Haug says he is surprised by the announcement. He says in recent months the flights to Salt Lake City were at about seventy percent capacity. Haug says if this news provides a lesson it is to support the airlines and destinations we do have available. An airline spokesperson told Haug they will reconsider the flight in the summer.
But the news is not all bad at the Bismarck Airport. The number of people traveling through the airport is up. In October about seven percent more passangers went through the airport. For the year the passanger loads are up almost four percent.
A Quick Reminder
The last couple of days have taught me real quick how important it is to take care of yourself. I was at home the last two days sick. Although I really like to sit on my recliner with a blanket watching tv you quickly remember there is not a whole lot on tv to watch during the day.
Anyone who watches a small part of television can see all the ad's being put together by national organizations on the contentious issues in the country. It all started earlier this year with the "Employee Free Choice Act" and then followed by "Climate Change or Cap and Trade" and now the "Healthcare Reform" legislation.
I went to talk with one ad agency in
Bismarck . Wayne Kranzler is the owner of Kranzler Kingsley. He has been tracking the advertising spending in the state since February. In all just over three million dollars has been spent to sway your opinion on the major issues. Here is a "cliff notes" version of the breakdown on spending. National organization spent about one million dollars from February to September. The last couple of months this number doubled. This means three million dollars in advertising on the issues has been spent in
North Dakota . Kranzler tells me that during the entire 2008 election campaigns in North Dakota, all the candidates combined did not spend this much. Of the three million dollars spent in
North Dakota , more than two million of it was aimed at the Healthcare reform issue. On that topic, the organizations focused on defeating the current legislation spent about seventy percent of the two million dollars.
OK!!! Are you following?
Kranzler was telling me he expects last week to be the
high point of the advertising spending. He said last Thursday three organizations made advertising buys totaling five hundred thousand dollars. So with that kind of money out there can we really say this is going to stop anytime soon? Kranzler sure doesn't think so. In fact, all the news reports I have heard gives the most optimistic outlook that the Senate could vote on a Healthcare Bill right before Christmas. That is a little more than a month from now. A lot more ads can be bought. Once the bill goes to conference committee, the national organizations will likely step up their advertising. And once the healthcare issue is resolved the focus will turn back to climate change legislation. Chances are more advertising will hit the airwaves. And here in
North Dakota where coal is an abundant source of energy you could probably say we will be hit hard with ads on both sides of the issue.
The Bismarck Renaissance Zone Authority will be recognizing more business and property owners for their investment into the downtown area. Small plaques will be given out to four businesses on November 12th. The businesses are:
Dakota Office Building - 300 N. 4th Street Gartner's Shoe Hospital - 302 East Thayer Avenue Makoche Media - 208 N. 4th Street. GEM Group LLC - 412 East Main Avenue
In September five businesses were recognized for their investments with similar plaques. A total of twenty-one businesses will be recognized with plaques.
The Renaissance Zone was created in 2001. The zone was expanded in 2003 and again in 2008 by the state legislature. Property or business owners who take advantage of the program get the benefit of five year property tax and income tax collections starting when the project is completed.
Memorial Highway or more commonly known as the Strip is in the conversation with planners. Bob Shannon with Kadrmas Lee & Jackson is the lead planner on the project. They will be looking at several aspects of the stretch of road. One of them is the access on the road for both vehicles and pedestrians. There are a lot of driveways along the roadway that lead to many businesses. People who dont drive dont have a sidewalk they can go on to get to the businesses. Shannon says he has heard in the summer the bus drops the kids off on the side of the road and they have to run across the busy street to get to the water park. The overall plan is going to look at the road and the nearby land. A Public Input meeting will be held on November 19, 2009 from 5-8 PM at the Prairie West Golf Course.
It was a crazy weekend considering all of the time changes that took place. The clock move back one hour and the calendar jumps ahead to NOVEMBER!!!!! Before you know it we will be sitting around the table eating a huge meal with the entire family while watching football and falling asleep on the couch.
But in all seriousness there is a lot coming up in the next couple of months before 2010. The holiday shopping season is fast approaching. But how has the economy affected shoppers thinking and what are retailers preparing for this holiday season. BMDA puts out a report on the "Economy at a Glance." As far as I can see just looking at the sheet a lot of categories are down. Here is some of the data.
Workforce
Bismarck-Mandan MSA Employment
Aug-09
Jul-09
Aug-08
Jul-08
59,778
61048
62,109
62,877
MSA consists of Bismarck, Mandan, Burleigh and Morton County
City Sales Tax Collections
Sep-09
Sep-08
YTD September 2009
YTD September 2008
Bismarck
$840,463.00
$1,254,490.00
$8,515,028.00
$8,890,079.00
Mandan
$117,369.00
$154,283.00
$1,051,547.00
$1,105,178.00
Taxable Sales & Purchases
2009 - Q2
2008 - Q2
2007 - Q2
2006 - Q2
Bismarck-Mandan MSA
$391,679,929.00
$399,105,017.00
$370,626,242.00
$352,381,639.00
Bismarck
$335,132,745.00
$339,129,226.00
$312,093,368.00
$298,434,257.00
Burleigh County
$338,158,853.00
$342,389,444.00
$317,504,960.00
$302,614,256.00
Mandan
$48,575,252.00
$53,152,678.00
$46,485,227.00
$46,485,227.00
Morton County
$52,521,076.00
$56,715,573.00
$49,767,383.00
$49,767,383.00
Granted the numbers aare not down substantially. However, they are still down so what does this mean for the upcoming holiday shopping season. How about the possibility of more retailers coming into the market? All questions I will be looking to get the answers to in the coming days and weeks.
Tonight the Bismarck City Commission voted unanimously to approve a partnership with the Bismarck Park Board on a project in downtown Bismarck. The idea includes the High Prairie Arts and Science Center moving from its location in Northwest Bismarck to the World War Memorial Building at the intersection of North Sixth Street and East Broadway Avenue.
Gateway to Science was the driving force five years ago that led the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District to purchase the existing Arts and Science Center in Northwest Bismarck. However, even then the argument was the space would not be enough. So, at the time it was mentioned there would be an expansion project to ensure the groups would have the space needed to do their work. But that expansion project has never happened to this date. While preparing to start the fundraising for such a project the idea of moving the center to the World War Memorial Building was put on the table. That is where we stand today.
A committee will be formed including the major players from each of the groups (BIsmarck City Commission, Bismarck Park Board, Downtowners Association and the user groups) to put together a report on the idea. This would include what needs to be done to remodel the facility, the estimated costs of the remodel, parking and if the idea is even financially feasible.
It doesn't seem that long ago when the High Prairie Arts and
Science
Center was created just to the North of the Bismarck State College Campus. However, now the Bismarck Park Board and the Vision Council for the
Arts & Science
Center are researching the idea of moving the facility and its partners to the World War Two Memorial Building in Downtown Bismarck. I have been told by a few people involved in the dealings that some of this idea comes from Mayor John Warford's idea to bring more arts to the downtown area.
The Bismarck Park Board at its last meeting voted in favor to go before the Bismarck City Commission to move forward on a plan to research the idea. Tonight, Bismarck Park Board President Paul Quist will come before the City Commission. I will be doing a preview story for tonight’s six o'clock news on this issue.
The questions I will be looking to get answered are these:
1) What is wrong the existing location of the Arts and
Science
Center ? Especially when it was only a couple of years ago the facility opened?
2) What ever happened to the plan to add on to the building as first agreed upon when the facility was purchased?
3) How about parking? For years we have listened to downtown merchants say there is not enough parking in Downtown Bismarck? How will this facility impact this problem? I know there is a parking ramp just to the south. But let’s face it, the winters get cold and people do not want to walk outside when it is below freezing let along 20 to 30 below zero.
4) How will Park and Rec programs be impacted with the loss of the gym space? I am talking about both youth and adult activities.
5) What is the estimated cost to the taxpayers for the move and renovation of the proposed new location?
6) Is this something the Park District can afford at this time?
7) If this idea moves forward how will the costs taken on by the park district affect funding for other programs?
These are just a few of the questions I will have for those people I will talk to today on the idea of moving the Arts and
Science
Center to Downtown Bismarck. If you want to come to the meeting, it is tonight at the
City-County
Building at 5:15.
Second Try at the Healthcare Reform Survey Results
Alright, I think this is fixed now. I never said I was computer savvy. But here are the results from the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Reform Survey. About part way down you will see those questions aimed at just the employees of businesses.
Employer Questions
Please chose which category best describes you.
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Employers with 10 or more employees
45.6%
88
Employer with less than ten employees or a small
33.2%
64
An employee
21.2%
41
answered question
193
skipped question
0
How many employees does your organization have?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
10-50
37.9%
33
51-100
17.2%
15
Over 100
44.8%
39
answered question
87
skipped question
106
Do you offer health insurance to your employees
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
96.6%
84
No
3.4%
3
answered question
87
skipped question
106
Please identify one or more reasons that your company does not offer health insurance to em
ployees.
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Too expensive
66.7%
2
Cannot find a plan that fits our needs
33.3%
1
Little or no benefit in it
0.0%
0
Other (please specify)
2
answered question
3
skipped question
190
What type of insurance is offered?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Purchased from third party
74.4%
61
Self insured
25.6%
21
answered question
82
skipped question
111
In your opinion, is your health insurance affordable?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
59.0%
49
No
41.0%
34
answered question
83
skipped question
110
Do you utilize your health insurance plan as a recruitment tool?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
77.1%
64
No
22.9%
19
answered question
83
skipped question
110
Do you currently pay for part or all of the premium for your employees?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
94.1%
80
No
5.9%
5
answered question
85
skipped question
108
Would you support a government run health care plan?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
12.3%
9
No
60.3%
44
Unsure
27.4%
20
answered question
73
skipped question
120
If a government health care plan was available at the same cost as your current plan, would
you switch?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
2.7%
2
No
65.8%
48
Unsure
31.5%
23
answered question
73
skipped question
120
If a government health care plan was available at a lower cost than your current plan, would
you switch?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
12.5%
9
No
38.9%
28
Unsure
48.6%
35
answered question
72
skipped question
121
What is your opinion of taxing employeee health care benefits(e.g. employer-paid premiums
)?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Strongly Agree
1.4%
1
Agree, but need more clarification
5.6%
4
I have not yet formed an opinion
11.1%
8
Disagree, but need more clarification
22.2%
16
Strongly Disagree
59.7%
43
answered question
72
skipped question
121
One proposal under consideration would require employers to provide health care covera
ge for employees. What is your opinion
of the idea?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Strongly Agree
4.2%
3
Agree, but need more clarification
22.2%
16
I have not yet formed an opinion
18.1%
13
Disagree, but need more clarification
19.4%
14
Strongly Disagree
36.1%
26
answered question
72
skipped question
121
The mandated health insurance coverage option, described above, may penalize those em
ployers who do not comply. This
penalty would
help fund
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Strongly Agree
2.8%
2
Agree, but need more clarification
8.3%
6
I have not yet formed an opinion
30.6%
22
Disagree, but need more clarification
15.3%
11
Stronly Disagree
43.1%
31
answered question
72
skipped question
121
Senator Kent Conrad has proposed a co-operative health care plan as an alternative to a
government health care plan. Wo
uld you suppor
t a
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
12.3%
9
No
17.8%
13
I need more information.
69.9%
51
answered question
73
skipped question
120
Does your company offer health insurance to it's employees?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
54.8%
34
No
45.2%
28
answered question
62
skipped question
131
Please identify one or more reasons that your company does not offer health insurance to em
ployees.
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Too expensive
69.2%
18
Cannot find a plan that fits our needs
11.5%
3
Little or no benefit in it
38.5%
10
Other (please specify)
8
answered question
26
skipped question
167
What type of insurance is offered?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Purchased through a third party
89.7%
26
Self insured
10.3%
3
answered question
29
skipped question
164
In your opinion, is your health insurance affordable?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
65.5%
19
No
34.5%
10
answered question
29
skipped question
164
Do you utilize your health insurance plan as a recruitment tool?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
58.6%
17
No
41.4%
12
answered question
29
skipped question
164
Do you currently pay for part or all of the premium for your employees?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
89.7%
26
No
10.3%
3
answered question
29
skipped question
164
Would you support a government run health care plan?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
11.8%
6
No
66.7%
34
Unsure
21.6%
11
answered question
51
skipped question
142
If a government health care plan was available at the same cost as your current health
plan, would you switch?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
2.0%
1
No
68.6%
35
Unsure
29.4%
15
answered question
51
skipped question
142
If a government health care plan was available at a lower cost than your current plan, would
you switch?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
5.9%
3
No
49.0%
25
Unsure
45.1%
23
answered question
51
skipped question
142
Age (please select one)
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
18 or under
0.0%
0
18-24
9.8%
4
25-34
19.5%
8
35-44
19.5%
8
45-54
36.6%
15
55 or older
14.6%
6
answered question
41
skipped question
152
Employee Questions
Do you currently have health insurance?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
92.7%
38
No
7.3%
3
answered question
41
skipped question
152
What type of insurance do you currently have?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Insurance for myself
36.8%
14
Family Coverage
63.2%
24
answered question
38
skipped question
155
Does your employer offer health insurance?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
94.7%
36
No
5.3%
2
answered question
38
skipped question
155
Why do you not have insurance
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
I don't need it
100.0%
2
I can't afford it
100.0%
2
I don't see a benefit in having it
50.0%
1
Other (please specify)
0
answered question
2
skipped question
191
Would you support a government run health care plan?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
11.1%
4
No
80.6%
29
Unsure
8.3%
3
answered question
36
skipped question
157
If a government health care plan was available at the same cost as your current health
plan, would you switch?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
5.6%
2
No
77.8%
28
Unsure
16.7%
6
answered question
36
skipped question
157
If a government health care plan was available at a lower cost than your current plan, would
you switch?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Yes
13.9%
5
No
50.0%
18
Unsure
36.1%
13
answered question
36
skipped question
157
What is your opinion of taxing employee health care benefits (e.g. employer-paid premiums
)?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Strongly Agree
0.0%
0
Agree, but need more clarification
2.8%
1
I have not yet formed an opinion
19.4%
7
Disagree, but need more clarification
22.2%
8
Strongly Disagree
55.6%
20
answered question
36
skipped question
157
One proposal under consideration would require employers to provide health care covera
ge for employees. What is your opinion
of the idea?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Strongly Agree
5.6%
2
Agree, but need more clarification
25.0%
9
I have not yet formed an opinion
19.4%
7
Disagree, but need more clarification
27.8%
10
Strongly Disagree
22.2%
8
answered question
36
skipped question
157
The mandated health insurance coverage option, described above, may penalize those em
ployers who do not comply. This
penalty would
help fund
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Strongly Agree
5.6%
2
Agree, but need more clarification
11.1%
4
I have not yet formed an opinion
19.4%
7
Disagree, but need more clarification
25.0%
9
Stronly Disagree
38.9%
14
answered question
36
skipped question
157
Senator Kent Conrad has proposed a co-operative health care plan as an alternative to a
I find it very interesting to see all of the places we can fly to out of
Bismarck today. It wasn't six years ago when the only two options we had were Minneapolis and
Denver . Now, you can fly direct to Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Chicago,
Las Vegas and the other two previously mentioned cities. We have three carriers to choose from (Delta, United Airlines and Allegiant) for our travel needs.
Now,
Bismarck
Airport officials have hired a consultant, Sixel Consulting Group, out of
Eugene, Oregon to come look at the future of Air Service. Yesterday local business leaders got a chance to hear what options might be available and which are not. They also got a chance to voice their opinions about the options we have and what they want to see. Mark Sixel is the consultant working with
Bismarck . He says there is a short term option to add another carrier to the
Bismarck lineup. He says Frontier Airlines will be coming out of bankruptcy later this year and will be looking to expand its operation. Frontier Airlines has its hub in
Denver . You might remember a couple of years ago
Bismarck responded to an RFP from the airline to see if they could add service at that time. Instead, the airline added flights in
Fargo . But now it seems like our chance is here again. It is something that we will have to watch closely.
I did find it interesting while I was at the meeting the top places people want to travel from
Bismarck . Number one is
Las Vegas . I presume it is because of the cheaper airfares from Allegiant. This is followed by Minneapolis, Denver and
Phoenix . Sixel says he expects the Phoenix market to surpass both Minneapolis and
Denver in the not so distant future. Another interesting tidbit I took away from the meeting was the one-way airfare out of
Bismarck has gone up 31% in the last three years.
Sixel also made a very brief comment that I thought was interesting. He says there might be a long term option to add more flights to the
Minneapolis market. That is something that might be interesting to watch down the road. I say this because when you look at the
Hector
International
Airport (Fargo, ND) website you find American Airlines will be serving that community with non-stop flights to
Chicago in April of 2010. So is this going to be another option down the road? That would mean another carrier. So, if we get Frontier Airlines and American Airlines that means five carriers serving the
Bismarck
Airport . What impact would that have on airfares out of
Bismarck ?
But in the meantime, you can do something to take part in the process. The "Future of Air Service" is up and ready to be taken. Take five minutes to let your voice be heard. Take the survey by going to the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce websiite (www.bismarckmandan.com) or the Bismarck-Mandan Development Association website (www.BMDA.org).
Healthcare Survey Update
I am still working on the problems with the healthcare survey. I hope to have that up later today. Sorry for the problems.
I am a native North Dakotan. I was born in Dickinson before moving to Bismarck in the mid 90s. I graduated from St. Mary's Central High School in 1999. I then attended Minnesota State University Moorhead where I graduated in May 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications and emphasis in Broadcast Journalism.
I got married in 2002 to my wife Nichole. She is from the small Minnesota town of Campbell. I give her a hard time whenever we visit her parents because the sign going into town says population 200-something. I have never seen that many people when we have been there. We have no kids but one very, very spoiled rotten mommas dog named Barkley.
Interests
I have to be one of the most boring people in the world. My interests have to do with politics, finances, writing and reading. When I am not doing these things I like to go for walks, golf, spend time with my wife and dog and watch sports.
Favorite Movies
Just not a big movie watcher. I might have only seen fifty movies in my life.
Favorite Books
The books I like to read have to do with history and current affairs.
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