McKenzie County ND

LSS Housing, Inc is proposing to place 24 units of rental housing in Watford City on land currently owned by the Housing Authority. According to Jessica Thomasson, director of the subsidiary of Lutheran Social Service of North Dakota, the cottage-like homes are designed to offer a warm, cozy and relaxed lifestyle i n a neighborhood you would be proud to call home.

On Nov. 2, 2008, Thomasson addressed about 20 people in the basement of First Lutheran Church in Watford City, fielding questions about the proposal, displaying architect drawings and floor plans of the one and two bedroom homes. The duplexes are to be constructed indoors, assembly-style in Minnesota. The one-bedroom “paired cottage” home contains 480 square feet, while the two-bedroom “paired cottage home” has 576 sq. ft.

Every unit would have off-street parking for two cars, as a one-stall garage and a driveway space. Each home will have its own private outdoor patio space, a voulted ceiling, vinyl siding, white windows with 2 x 6 exterior walls, electric baseboard heat and air conditioning from a centrally located wall unit. The kitchen will have a range, fridge, dishwasher and the possibility of a mounted microwave.

Rent range

The proposal notes that half of the units will be reserved for people earning no more than approximately $43,000 per year for a single person ($49,000 for a two-person family.) Rents are expected to range from $450 to $550 per month, plus seperate water and utility costs.

The other half of the units would be available to anyone interested in living in the neighborhood. For people who earn more than the above-stated amonts, the rent paid should range form $600 to $700 per month, plus the utilites.

financing

LSS Housing, Inc. will be seeking both tax exempt bond financing and community donation, as LSS Housing is a non-profit organization.  Accoring to the proposal literature, every dollar raise in support of the Cherry Creek Cottages project will help keep the project affordable to people who want to live, work and retire in the community.

in lieu of taxes

“After two years of renting, we will agree to make an annual payment to the city in lieu of taxes,” stated Thomasson, who can be reached at jthomasson@lssnd.org or 701-271-3201. She is heading up the new LSS Housing program. She is working in partnership with HUD, USDA and North Dakota housing finance partners in order to map out opportunities and areas of need.

Why Watford City?

Watford City would be the first community to receive this development of rental housing done by this organization.  Fifteen to 20 other communities were considered, but Watford City, according to Thomasson, had a location complete with infrastructure waiting to be used and in good shape, located along the truck bypass, east of the Housing Authority’s housing development. The town is perceived as progressive and well-comprehending of its people’s needs and how to set about meeting those needs.

When might the housing be available?

Valentine’s Day 2009 might see the units ready for residency, if all the processes for approval go well.

On Nov. 10 the project will face the Planning and Zoning meeting and the following week face the hearing on the bond, according to Thomasson.

The four candidates for county commissioner shared information, charm and experience as they campaigned for the opportunity to win the vote of 25 people who came from across the county to see them in the Watford City Civic Center Oct. 16.

The forum lasted about 100 minutes, after which Dale Patten, Ron Anderson, Michon Sax and Richard Cayko gave way to North Dakota State Representative David Drovdal.

Drovdal went over the four measures facing voters on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The meeting ended promptly at 8:30 p.m.

Get out and vote, or pick up a ballot at the county courthouse and mail it in or drop it off. There are very few excuses for failure to vote.

Free food and a panel discussion around five questions, a time to address any issue of candidate’s choice, and a Q & A period, brought about 25 people together to Meet-the-Candidates for county commissioner in the Alexander City Hall Sept. 18, 2008.  The forum lasted just 90 minutes.

Please read the Sept. 24, 2008 issue of The McKenzie County Farmer (scroll down for story) for an account of the candidates’ prepared comments on the first two questions on the program regarding oil industry impacts and county infrastructure. The short answers are “roads, water, housing and jobs.”

This blog will provide a brief summary of responses that evening, in the hopes of motivating the readers to attend the next Meet the Candidates Forum to be held Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Watford City Civic Center.

Panel members decided to address the separate questions regarding underage access to alcohol and underage access to tobacco as one question. Ron Anderson and Richard Cayko prefer the problem be addressed by everyone, and pointed out the current supports given to local law enforcement. Dale Patten, on the other hand, feels the problem has a relationship link to parents and families–and work should be done comprehensively in order to change behaviors and social norms.  Michon Sax stated that if any kid has access to the illegal substances, “you have a problem… The solution is to work as a community and for parents to be part of the solution.”

To the question about living in poverty in McKenzie County, most agreed that if you are living in poverty anywhere it is not a good condition. However, Cayko pointed out that there is no excuse to not find work if you are physically and mentally able and concluded that if the commissioners can be helpful, they will. Patten pointed to McKenzie County Social Services for assistance to those in poverty. Sax says folks will find compassion in McKenzie County and that access to government help is the same in all counties. Anderson feels poverty is terrible but our county has opportunities for upward mobility by upgrading a low income job into the oil field job arena.

A few Q & A questions from the crowd were hand written upon cards which were passed to the moderator, Pastor Timothy Swenson. They sought explanations about the partial funding of a recent request made by the McKenzie County Healthcare Systems, looked for some specifics regarding the oil extraction tax, sought worker pay-range information and objected to the used of “lousy” scoria on county roads around Alexander.

Do attend the next Meet-the-Candidates forum in the Watford City Civic Center so you may hear the presentations and offer your own questions to the county commissioner candidates.

Water bottles announcing the criminality of underage drinking and highlighting research on the positives paths youth must take to ensure their own prosperity were heartily accepted during the Old Settlers’ Day parade and dinner held in Alexander on Aug. 30, 2008.

“That water saved my life!” stated Lucille Paluck about the refreshing qualities of the bottled water on the 90-degree-plus day. She agreed with the label whose backside pointed out a Countdown for Success:

avoid criminal activity which includes underage drinking, tobacco and drug use

don’t get pregnant until you’re married and once you’re married, stay married

be willing to work any job, even if the pay is initially lower than what you had hoped

graduate from high school

The research information then revealed that anyone not achieving these four markers had a 93 percent chance of living in poverty while the person who achieves the four markers has less than a one percent chance of living in poverty.

Katie Paulson, a member of both sponsoring organizations, the ‘Watford City Community Coalition’ and adviser to the two chapters of SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions noted, “The people were not only happy to get the free water on a hot day, but were in agreement with the message and endorsed the idea of confronting the drinking problem in our youth!”

Over 600 bottles of water with their homemade labels announcing ‘Underage drinking! It’s a Crime’ were distributed free but with the insistence that people read the label and change their mind about the importance of fighting the crime.

The 63rd Annual Old Settlers’ Days had a parade led by the American Legion Color Guard of Watford City. The Forrest E. Williams American Legion Auxiliary post #94 followed with their float among a large wave of participants.

The final celebration for completing the Horizons Poverty Study Project was held at the RamKota in Bismarck on July 9, 2008. Attending from McKenzie County were Marcia Hellandsaas, Dale Swenson, and Dorothy Reil.

I liked Anita Rohde’s comment that the length of this program is about equal to the gestation period of an elephant. I would like to add that Mom Elephant’s milk nourishes the calf for 3 to 4 years. That means our work has just begun and we have four more years to devote to the nourishment of our goals. Change may not happen overnight, but it will happen.

I’ve received three new resources for our box of resources available at the McKenzie County Library. Check out these:

Impacting Community Vitality: Software for Demonstrating
Economic Impacts of Customers CD
The “How To”: Grants Manual
See Poverty…Be The Difference! Discover Missing Pieces for Helping People Move Out of Poverty Book

Thanks to the Center for Community Vitality with the NDSU Extension Service for purchasing all these wonderful resource materials for us!

Please read the latest news, entitled N.D. Teen death rate sees spike, which also makes reference to our state poverty rate for teens at http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2008/06/12/news/state/157831.txt

Horizons has added a wonderful collection of materials to the McKenzie County Library. The book titles below will address community leadership, poverty reduction, entrepreneurship and self improvement. You will find them to be inspiring, enlightening and some will also be quite humorous! A couple curriculums, DVD’s, lessons for groups, and children’s books are included. Please request the McKenzie County Horizons library to check out these books titles and other materials:

The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus
Making Vision Stick
The Traveler’s Gift
Leadership Gold: Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Learning by John C. Maxwell
The Quilt Makers Gift
The Quilt Makers Journey
8 Challenges Facing Community Leaders
Who Moved My Cheese?
Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know
Attitude 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know
Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make The Lead…and Other Don’t
Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking To Build a Brighter Future
The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
Rural Communities Legacy + Change: Third Edition
Your Field Guide To Community Building
The Magic of Thinking Big
Blink
The Tipping Point
The Power of Positive Thinking
Leading Without Power: Finding Hope In Serving Community
Everyday Creativity: Leader’s Guide, Workbook and DVD
6 Myths About The Future of Small Towns
Better Schools Through Public Engagement
Better Local Leadership: How To Start a Program For Your Town or County
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People–DVD
Establishing A Shared-Use Commerical Kitchen
Who, Me Lead a Group?
Vision To Action: Take Change Too Curriculum
The Entrepreneurial Community: A Strategic Leadership Appraoch To Community Survival resources material
The Leader In You: How To Win Friends, Influence People and Succeed In a Changing World
Do Something In Your Community
Energizing Entrepreneurs: Charting a Course for Rural Communities
Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations To Restore Home To The Future
A Framework For Understanding Poverty
Bridges Out of Poverty
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! (children’s book)
Getting Ahead In a Just-Gettin’–By Wolrd: Building Your Resources for a Better Life
Stone Soup (children’s book)

Striving to improve living conditions for families and individuals who struggle with poverty. Searching for proven or emerging approaches to reduce the numbers of people who struggle on a daily basis–long term.

These were underlying themes for the business and political leaders and nonprofit organizations and government service providers, including many Horizons program volunteers and staff who attended the Grassroots and Groundwork conference in Minneapolis May 28 to 30.

For me the experience was eye-opening and inspiring, to say the least.

One of the most interesting things I learned more about was social capital. Social capital, the relational foundation of a community, consists of trust, connections (networks), and involvement (action).

Strength of communities rests on the relationships we have with one another. Research has shown that communities with a strong foundation of trust between and among different individuals and groups are healthier and thrive economically and educationally.

These types of networks are an important part of social capital in communities:

Bonding Networks — close ties that help people to get by. These connections are usually with family, friends and neighbors.

Bridging Networks — weaker ties that can help people to get ahead and gain opportunities. These connections are usually with people who are different from themselves, who have different types of networks.

Linking Networks — Links to organizations and systems that can help people gain resources and bring about broader change. These connections are usually with organizations that have resources, both within and outside of the community.

Take a look at the social capital in your community. It will help you learn a lot about yourselves today and into the future!

THE YEAR 1908

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1908. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
were condemned in the press AND the government as ’substandard’.

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet.

There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.

Organized Barbershop didn’t exist.

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

That is, if humans manage to survive for another 100 years.