Jeff Fox

Minot

In a news story this week, MDN reported that the North Dakota State Fair and the Ward County Historical Society got a bit of a mixed opinion in regards to the museum space on the grounds of the NDSF. The society has stated that they don’t think very highly of the land that was suggested they move to.

NDSF would be happy if they could get rid of all of the buildings on the current site.

Might I suggest a solution to both the NDSF and the WCHS as well as the city of Minot;

Some months ago, the city, in its standard fashion of jumping into unplanned projects, paid several million dollars for a half section of land in SW Minot thinking they could surreptitiously expand the city landfill into an area of town that has been designated by the city’s very own plans as an area projected for long term expansion and development. The landfill expansion plan has been met with a great deal of resistance by the local residential and business community (myself included) and as it turns out, the city may be stuck with very expensive land that will not suit its purposes.

The city has already paid far too much for that land and are very unlikely to carry on with their original plans for that land.

At the very least they could donate it to the WCHS or lease it to them at a very low rate on which to build a new museum. Done correctly, it could be a nice area to compliment the new hospital as well as the new commercial and residential properties that will develop in that area.

The NDSF would get its land back allowing the development of their new convention center. The WCHS would get a nice piece of land in a nice area at a very reasonable deal. And the NDSF will finally be rid of that which they have deem to have blocked their expansion plans.

And finally, the city might be able to save face by getting some value out of that land when they might otherwise never have gotten a return on the investment into that land.

Win-win for all involved, including the taxpayers of the city of Minot and of Ward County.

Mayor Sipma, Minot City Council, you would do well to look into this solution.