Submitted Photo From left to right, Blake Crosby, North Dakota League of Cities executive director and Dan Stenvold, NDLC president pose with Paul Gunderson, Harvey economic development director, Harvey Mayor Ann Adams, holding the City of the Year award, and Harvey Auditor Karen Nordby. At far right is NDLC past president Katie Andersen.

Harvey was named 2018 City of the Year by the North Dakota League of Cities during the league’s 2018 Annual Conference Sept. 15 in Grand Forks.

The award recognizes a smaller city in the state for the quality, number and progressiveness of activities undertaken. Harvey has a population of about 1,800.

“This was a wonderful surprise, but I want to give the credit where it is due,” Harvey Mayor Ann Adams said. “Our past city council members, our former mayors who were in my position, our Job Development Authority Boards, and the many volunteers from the private sector made this possible. The credit goes to them for the foresight to develop a strategic plan in 2002 that elected officials and boards ensured was followed all the way forward to today. That was essential.”

In 2002 the city invited private sector participation in complementary initiatives, dev eloping a strategic plan that would focus on economic development, education, clinical care, fire protection, core utility infrastructure, law enforcement, city-owned infrastructure and parks and recreations facilities while allowing the city to control its own narrative.

The project was broken down into four sectors:

– Rebuild and expand basic infrastructure, initial development of a new industrial park and provision for adequate child care.

– Renewal and expansion of public spaces such as ballparks, walkways, bikeways and downtown people-sticky places.

– Private sector entities whose development and economic effort complemented that of the city.

– Renewed engagement to the city by private individuals, civic organizations/clubs, communities of faith and grant-awarding agencies.

Recent accomplishments of the city based on the strategic plan include a 300,000-gallon water tower built in 2002; state-of-the art water treatment plant that draws water from the Sheyenne River to serve the city and surrounding areas; replacement of city water mains; new 500,000-gallon water storage; several new sewer lift stations with sewer pipeline and replacement of associated street and gutter; new public park with amenities; stand-alone child-care facility; and new Industrial Park Addition.

The city also saw the beginning of a $7.5 million rebuild of the city’s entire roadway system in 2016. It saw the private-sector initiated construction of housing for the ambulance service, Central Dakota Food Pantry, new worship facilities, gardening and beautification of city parks. Harvey has added 13 new businesses and saw the build-out of high-speed fiber for internet.

Taken together, the planned initiatives from 2002 forward total about $24.1 million in public cost and well over $1 million in private sector funding.