Dickinson is a growing gal, as officials keep reminding us at The Dickinson Press several times. According to U.S. Census counts, the city gained a little less than 2,000 residents from 1980 to 2010. Those aren’t exploding numbers by any means.

However, the last two years have been, some would say a little crazy. Dickinson went from serving 17,787 to about 22,000 by the end of January, City Administrator Shawn Kessel said. Building permits are coming in at record rates. March presented $36.11 million in approved permit values, beating out Williston’s amount for the first quarter of the year.

Things don’t seem to be slowing down. The last three Dickinson Planning and Zoning Commission meetings yielded more than five hours of work for commissioners (a March meeting left me sitting in the room for almost seven hours, which gives me plenty of time to type). As I sit typing my stories, several questions pop up on a regular basis. How many units do you plan to build? How many units did we approve today? Are we allowing too many R-3 (high-density) units? Officials have to, and do, wonder if they are building too much housing.

It is hard to plan when the City of Dickinson doesn’t know how many people are coming to stay for good and many are just coming for a few years. That’s why it hired North Dakota State University to conduct a population study. People, including me, sat in their seats at Dickinson City Hall during the May 7 City Commission meeting, ready to hear how many people would come to their town in the next few years. 5,000? 10,000? Could Dickinson double in size?

You can about imagine the surprise on everyone’s face when Mayor Dennis Johnson alerted us that, despite what the agenda memo said, there would be no estimations but rather an analysis of what could happen. NDSU officials said the city would have to provide the correct ratio of temporary to permanent housing. The commission thanked them, stating they had done what they were supposed to do.

If that is indeed what the city asked them to do, then that is fine. However, the city needs to figure out what it will need to build, how much it will need to build and when to stop building. Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Earl Abrahamson asked me how are we supposed to know when to quit if we don’t have those numbers? He stated he was disappointed in the presentation, like others were. Even if they can get a ratio, it would be better than sitting in the dark.

It is not likely that Dickinson will have to quit building anytime soon short of a nuclear meltdown. The approval of a 3,000-unit crew camp may help tip the balance in its favor. However, the sooner Dickinson can get these numbers the better. If we get too light, rents will still be too high to stay. If we get too top heavy, we’ll fall straight into decreasing property valuations. As City Commissioner Klayton Oltmanns said, “If you think people get mad that their property values are going up each year, wait until you get to the flip side and they are going down because we overbuilt.”

Kadrmas, Lee and Jackson Engineering of Dickinson, who are working on the city’s comprehensive plan, are on the City Commission schedule Monday with population projections. Kessel will also present NDSU’s request to extend its population projection study by three months (It was to be completed by the end of the month). Either way, the meeting should bring us one step closer to finding out who’s here for the long haul and who’s here with the mobile force. Keep watching The Dickinson Press  for updates on the future of Dickinson.

 I grew up on a farm for 18 years, and I have been back quite a few times since then. One thing that I loved to do was work with and show cattle. I have grown a fondness for my Herefords, and if I had the chance, time and money I would raise them.

Attending the 38th Annual Medora Beef Day brought back a lot of memories – talking with other breeders, looking at other cattle and driving through the country-side while the cows and bulls graze on the brown grass (winter).

Dr. Michelle Mostrom definately caught my ear when she talked about oil affecting livestock. She spoke of calves wondering around and exploring the pasture, only to come across a water pond contaminated with oil and chemicals or pipes with no fence. The thought of my white-faced babies drinking crude oil until they died made me sick to my stomach.

Dr. Mostrom said one way to prevent this was to fence off those areas, even if it meant doing it yourself. She said the oil industry and the livestock industry needs to be separate.

I admire Dr. Mostrom as she has been studying these affects for years in Alberta, Canada, and she most definitely knows what she is talking about. However, while livestock and oil need to have a fence between them, the industries should not and cannot be separated. The Bakken has brought many companies to the area. Driving west of Medora, I came across at least 9 oil well and tank sites in a ten mile stretch, and God knows how many are hidden in the badlands. And in the badlands there is plenty of open range, with cattle guards, of course. I noticed a lot of places cattle could find there way into an open grave.

It’s plain and simple. Oil is here, and we cannot avoid it. Ranchers need to work with the oil companies, and the oil companies need to be willing to work with ranchers. No one wants to see anything destroyed, whether it be cattle or jobs. Ranchers, keep logs of what happens in the fields. Oil companies, tell your workers to be sensitive to the environment, including domestic animals.

I hope fences go up and fast. But let’s remember that we share the same air, water, soil and resources. Don’t be afraid to extend a hand over the fence in goodwill. Let’s all work together to keep each other safe.

Last week was big for man camps. Dunn County has approved 5 camps that would hold more than 1,200 people. Now those people will have a place to live while they work, hopefully keeping them out of Dickinson rooms.

Don’t get me wrong. Without those workers there would be no one to collect the vast amount of oil in the Bakken, and North Dakota wouldn’t be experiencing such success. With the unemployment rate hanging around 3 percent and wages starting at $10 an hour, there isn’t much to complain about.

Let me try that again.  Rent prices are sky-high, traffic is backed up half the time I want to go to lunch and people can’t build housing fast enough to meet the demand.  How ironic it is then that people complain about these things when they don’t want man camps in Dickinson. Why is that?

I can understand that no one wants one in their backyard. That was the complaint when Target Logistics, a temporary housing company from Boston, wanted to build a 600-room man camp in northwest Dickinson. From what I heard, that particular company had it made. They would ship 90 percent of their employees to work sites, have their own restaurant and keep the people, for the most part, off the streets. Still people were against it.

So instead of filling up man camps, the employees that are going to come here anyways will fill up our hotel rooms and apartments, leaving no apartments for the locals. If you find a place to live, which is doubtful, expect to pay $1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment per month. And forget getting a hotel room unless you want to dish out $150 to $200 a night. Those prices will remain until the construction industry can catch up, and that could take a year or two.

Let’s look into the future a little bit. In 20 or 30 years, this oil boom could be over. All these workers will leave to find the next big prospect. A good number of people will not be here because they couldn’t afford the rents. And there will sit the extra apartment and hotel rooms with no one to fill them. What a waste.

From what I have heard people are for man camps. They just don’t want them in their backyard. They have to go somewhere. So you have to deal with different people for a few years. At least most of the man camps are modular and can be moved.

Dickinson residents may not realize it, but there are man camps in Dickinson. All of the workers are utilizing the hotels and apartments as their camps, so it isn’t as noticeable. Why are people fine with them living in buildings that are permanent but not with them living in temporary housing facilities that will go away? 

Like I said, I’m glad oilfield workers are here. We need them, but we also need a place for them to stay . Dickinson needs man camps, and some may have to go in someone’s backyard. I hope someone is willing to be the better “man” (or “woman”) and steps up. The city officials are willing to do it, so why not its people? This city seriously need an attitude adjustment if they are looking out for the future good of the city. Otherwise, Dickinson could see itself turn into a partial ghost town.

If you have ever visited a website for a newspaper (and I’m guessing you have since you are reading this), most websites have a most read and/or most read section. This is something I check everyday as a way to track how much people read my stories as well as what other stories people want to read.

Go to The Dickinson Press’ websites at any given time and chances are one or more of the following topics will be in the top five:  Oil/energy, local stories and sports. But there is something else that I have noticed almost every time I look at the “most” sections:  People want to read the obituaries.

It’s a bit sad when you think about it at first. Without trying to sound distasteful, some people do open the paper and say, “Let’s see who died today.” I would have never thought that death notices would be in the top five most read stories as often as it is. This lead me to believe that maybe other stories just weren’t as interesting to our readers.

Then I realized that is part of the reason … in a good way. Let me backtrack a little. My grandmother died three years ago after falling down the stairs. When my family held the wake, so many people came that the funeral home had to open the overflow. I couldn’t believe that both rooms were full!

Fast foward to present day. More than 12 hours ago, I walked once again into the funeral home for my step-grandfather’s wake. My grandfather was married twice with five children, five step-children, grandchildren, step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and step great-grandchildren. Again, the room was full of family and friends.

My biological grandfather died before I was born, so I never got to meet him. In every way possible,  James Paul was my grandpa. He didn’t care that I wasn’t a blood relative. He accepted me for the way I was.

My question was answered. The room wasn’t just full of people coming to see a body. The people in the room were family, despite relation. While true family bonds cannot be broken, everyone in that room was a part of Jim’s big family, and all his brothers and sisters came to say their final goodbyes.

A story becomes the most read story because people care about the story. Jim cared about everyone in that room, and they cared about him.

I honestly believe people read the obits because they want to read about the people they love and care about. Our readers truly care about each other enough to take the time to visit our website, click the mouse a few times and read about the ones they lost so much that they become a part of readership history, and that is something to be proud of.

As a reporter, I am so happy that our readers trust us to get information from us, and I am even happier that the families and funeral homes trust us to put it out. In turn, I applaud our readers in the interest, love and dedication to making the obits part of the top five stories. A reporter must often work hard to make the list, and when it does, it deserves it, as do the obits. Well done, western North Dakota. Well done.

My job consists of talking to people, doing research, and taking photos (plus a few other things). All those tasks depend on making contact with people, which, for the most part, involves picking up the phone. In logic, if I do not make enough calls, my job does not get done.

This does not only apply to my job, I’m sure. This world depends so much on communication. Without it, businesses fail and people miss important information. And you can say goodbye to your boyfriend or girlfriend if you don’t get back to them within a day.

So, why is it so hard to get people to call back? It seems that people have a hard time picking up the phone to get connected with others. I can understand that things happen and everyone gets busy, but I will call some several times and never get a call back.

Something that also bothers me is when people call back. Sometimes I get a call three weeks after the story has published. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad they took time to call me back. I would appreciate it a little more if they called me back sooner, but they still get points in the dependency category.

There are a lot of people who do call me back, and they call me back on time. Those who know who you are, give yourselves a pat on the back.

The ones that do not ever call me back are far and few in between, but most of them seem to be important officials. Let me just say one thing:  If you are a public figure, you have an obligation to the public, and that includes addressing public issues, even if it is in the news.

Like I said, everyone gets busy. I get busy as well, and I try to call people back in a timely manner. I can’t always wait on people to call me back. I have deadlines like everyone else. So please, if you get a ring, pick it up and say hello.

Ok, so after thinking about what I could blog about I had a lapse in ideas. Then I had another great idea (or at least I think so).

I’ve always wanted to see what people think about stories. The problem is I can never get them to express those ideas. On top of it, I have always had this strong belief that no reporter should incorporate their opinions into a story they are writing.

With that said, I am also a person with strong opinions. And that is what this blog is for. Starting this week, I will be discussing story articles – local, regional, national and world – and give my analysis on them. A reminder that this is just one girl’s opinion, and my opinions do not reflect that of The Dickinson Press or Forum Communications Co.

So let’s get started. I welcome all opinions and comments. Try to keep it clean and backed up with reasonable arguments. We’ll cya soon. Keep watching.