Updates on news out of Williston

2014 photo by James Ulvog.
2014 photo by James Ulvog.

A few updates on Williston:

  • Crew camps must close by 9/1
  • New airport has all the land needed for construction
  • You can actually find a hotel room in western N.D.
  • Former strip club reworking its image

Check out the by-lines. You will see the news out of the North Dakota oil patch I find most interesting typically has one name. How does one person generate so many good articles?

8/9 – Amy Dalrymple at Dickinson Press – Williston crew camps get Sept. 1 deadline to close – City Commissioners voted 5-0 to force all crew camps within their reach to close in three weeks, remove facilities by May 1, 2018 and restore sites by August 1, 2018.

Multiple quotes from Commissioners acknowledge an increase in drilling could drive a need for housing, some admitting the possibility of another housing shortage. Yet they will force the closure of the facilities.

Since the shutdown date of June 1 had been expected for a long time, closure date of less than a month isn’t much of a surprise.

7/27 – Nick Smith of Bismarck Tribune at Dickinson Press- Williston attains purchase rights for new airport The city has completed all land purchases for the new airport. The project is expected to cost about $265M.

Groundbreaking is expected in October 2016 with some earthwork this year. Completion is expected in fall 2018, according to the article.

7/24 – Amy Dalrymple at Oil Patch Dispatch – Vacancies Up, Room Rates Down For Oil Patch Hotels – There are actually hotel rooms available across western North Dakota and the prices are no longer outrageous. Here are a few indications, with average price and average occupancy for several cities, according to the article:

  • City – ave price – ave occupancy // ave price year ago
  • Dickinson – $77 – 56% // $108
  • Williston – $85 – 43% // $117
  • Minot – $70 – 48% // $90

7/26 – Amy Dalrymple at Dickinson Press – No more strippers, Williston club remaking its image – There used to be two strip clubs in downtown Williston on the same street, a couple blocks from the train station. Amongst the long list of problems from that arrangement is that if a rowdy drunk customer got kicked out of one, he only had to stagger a few steps to get to the other one.

The city changed zoning to prohibit strip clubs from serving liquor.

Heartbreakers is working to deal with the change. It is now operating as a nightclub, got rid of the pole, doesn’t have any so-called “exotic dancing”, brought in new management, and is trying to create a new image.

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