Watford daycare gets boost
Wolf Pup Daycare in Watford City received a $50,000 donation from Hess Corporation last week, bringing the total donation amount to roughly $1.2 million for the daycare project.
The $4.7 million daycare facility, which has a capacity for 190 children, opened enrollment this week. The grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 16.
The Hess Corporation donation will be used to help cover the cost of educational equipment and furniture for the preschool and three-year-old classrooms.
“The growing populations in western regions of the state are a positive sign of the future of North Dakota,” Steve McNally, Hess general manager in North Dakota, said. “By assisting the nonprofit daycare centers to provide quality preschool education and safe places for children, our entire state is benefiting today and into the future.”
Katie Walters, business manager of Wolf Pup, is hoping the new daycare will allow for more stay-at-home parents to join the local workforce.
“It hurts the economic growth when there is an increase in population, but a lot of them are not in the workforce,” Walters said. “There are so many positions open right now because of the lack of daycare.”
McKenzie County Farmer, Watford City
New Town apartments ready
Twenty New Town area families will soon have a place to call home.
The North Segment Community Development Corporation held a grand opening for the 20-unit Wooden Bowl I apartment building located on Ninth Street northeast of the Northern Lights Building.
The apartments were built in just 10 weeks.
“One of the biggest concerns since the oil play has moved into New Town are the people who have been here all their lives have taken the brunt of the impacts,” said Elgin Crows Breast, president of the NSCDC.
“Our plan came to fruition. Now it is a reality and we will be putting our people into affordable homes.
North Segment Tribal Business Council Representative Ken Hall cut the ribbon to officially open the apartment building.
New Town News
McLean well total to double
Forty additional oil wells are being planned in extreme northwest McLean County. The number will nearly double the amount of wells in the county. Presently, there are 58 oil sites. Of those, as of May, 49 are producing wells.
At their Tuesday meeting, county commissioners reviewed a letter from KLJ Engineering, telling what is planned. The proposed 40 wells would be placed on three pads.
The letter from KLJ is on behalf of Spotted Hawk Development, LLC, McLean, Va. KLJ officials are conducting an environmental assessment of the site area.
The multi-well pads and facilities pad would be in Sections 30 and 31, Township 150 North, Range 90 West a stone’s throw from Lake Sakakawea.
The letter goes on to say that the pads and facilities have been positioned to utilize existing roadways. Spotted Hawk plans to use a closed loop system during the drilling process. All construction is scheduled to begin in 2015.
Included in the infrastructure are communications towers, electrical, lights, and oil, gas or water gathering pipelines.
McLean County
Independent, Garrison
Baytex sells off ND wells
Baytex Corporation, a major Alberta, Canada-based oil producer and employer in Divide and Williams counties, announced Tuesday last week it is selling off its North Dakota oil wells.
SM Energy, a Denver-based corporation with an established Bakken presence, has purchased the wells for $330 million ($375 million in Canadian dollars).
“Jobs in North Dakota are unlikely to be affected in a negative way,” said Andrea Beblow, with investor relations for Baytex. “We don’t know SM Energy’s specific hiring plans, but they will be interviewing our employees.”
According to Baytex President and CEO James L. Bowzer, the sale was sparked by Baytex’s growing interest in the Eagle Ford oil play in Texas. Baytex recently acquired Aurora Oil & Gas Limited, which added 22,200 acres to the company’s Eagle Ford assets.
In a press release, the company noted the Eagle Ford oilfields – unlike North Dakota’s -- already have the infrastructure to allow for rapid production growth and the Texas wells have “significant future reserves” available due to well “downspacing” – drilling more than one well on each section.
The Journal, Crosby
Tioga PD is bigger and busier
Is the city of Tioga hiring too many police officers?
Police Administrator Jeff Spivey doesn’t think so.
But in a town that once could go for two days without police getting a call, the question has been coming up.
Today, things are different, Spivey said. The city now has eight officers, with one slot to be filled, who through July this year handled 1,200 service calls, 165 criminal cases, and issued 340 citations.
The force currently has eight officers because one officer was recently hired away by Ray -- but they are looking to fill the vacant position.
Spivey wants to let people know about the demands the department faces to counter the occasional comment about Tioga having too many officers.
Much of the cost of the department is covered by state oil impact funds, he said.
Calls and incidents are time consuming, requiring interviews of suspects, victims and witnesses when an arrest occurs, officers must drive suspects to the jail in Williston, and complete the required paper work.
Tioga Tribune
