BY: JEFF BEACH

FARGO (North Dakota Monitor) – Three North Dakota airports have plans for major upgrades and will be asking the state Legislature to approve a combined $120 million for the projects. 

Fargo’s Hector International Airport had its official groundbreaking Monday for a terminal expansion and parking garage. The airports in Grand Forks and Dickinson also have what airport officials call “generational projects,” that might come along every 30 to 40 years. 

Fargo is seeking $60 million for its project and Grand Forks and Dickinson each are requesting $30 million. 

At Monday’s event in Fargo, Kyle Wanner, director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, called airports “economic engines” for the state. 

“They sometimes need a major overhaul or an upgrade,” Wanner said. 

Kelly Braun, manager of the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport, said there is not another viable source of funding for its plans to build a new terminal next to the existing runways. 

He said the plans for a new terminal are in the design stage for the $48 million project. He said there is local and federal funding for the project. 

It is upgrading a secondary runway in preparation for that project.

Ryan Riesinger, executive director of the Grand Forks International Airport, said it plans to reconstruct its main runway – an approximately $75 million project. 

That means ripping up asphalt that is about 1 foot deep and the original concrete that is 1 foot deep. 

Riesinger said the concrete was poured on top of a clay soil base. The modern runway will be dug down about 4 feet and be better engineered to handle the weight of large planes as well as better drainage. 

“So it’s much like reconstructing the interstate, only deeper, thicker,” Riesinger said. 

The Grand Forks airport is currently upgrading its secondary runway to keep the airport humming while the main runway is redone over several construction seasons. 

Wanner said while there are smaller airport projects all over the state, these three high-priced upgrades have been identified as needing extra state funding. 

“There’s just no other path forward,” Wanner said in an interview. 

North Dakota House Majority Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, said he has been briefed on the projects and is supportive, as long as the revenue is available when lawmakers convene in January. He said a proposed property tax reform measure on the November ballot could change the budget picture dramatically. 

“I’m generally supportive of this proposal, because I see the need,” Lefor said. 

North Dakota’s commercial airports in 2023 had 1.1 million boardings, an 11% overall increase from calendar year 2022, according to the Aeronautics Commission. Fargo and Devils Lake recorded their best year on record.

North Dakota airports also had their busiest May on record, according to the Aeronautics Commission. Airline passenger boarding numbers reached 103,068 passengers for the month, breaking a May record set in 2014 during the oil boom.

Braun said the Dickinson airport was designed for about 9,000 passengers annually but last year had about 25,000, with projections of more than 30,000 in the next couple of years. 

He said officials hope to have the new terminal open in late 2027. 

The $200 million Hector project that is underway is for a four-story parking structure with about 1,000 spaces and a skyway to the terminal. 

The terminal will add four more gates and there will be upgrades to the terminal interior. The project is expected to be completed in 2026. 

At Monday’s groundbreaking, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven touted recent airport upgrades in Minot and Williston and called Fargo’s airport “the flagship” for the state. 

“This is a quality of life issue,” Hoeven said of air travel. “So we’re going to have the best airport to go with the greatest people and the best state in the country.”

Boating Accident – Fourth of July Weekend

District Game Warden Noah Raitz

The Fourth of July weekend is one of the busiest stretch of days game wardens have during the summer.

Sure, there are busy days when the fish are biting, or the weather is perfect for a lake day.

But, without a doubt the Fourth of July will have recreators flocking to their lakes to get the boat on the water and enjoy the long weekend.

As lakes get crowded it becomes more important for boat operators to understand boating regulations and how to be safe on the water.

This starts at home before the boat is even hooked up.

One of the most common violations I find is not having the required number of personal flotation devices.

PFDs are usually stored in one of the front compartments or under the seats, depending on the type of boat.

It’s not uncommon for boat owners, who have enough PFDs, to struggle to remember which storage compartment they put them in.

Not knowing where your PFDs are stored on your boat is a safety concern because you never know when you might be put in an emergency where the PFD is needed.

While working the Fourth of July weekend in 2023, I received a call that a personal watercraft and a boat had collided.

I was at a nearby lake when it happened and was able to respond quickly.

I was told the boat had quickly started heading toward the boat ramp.

The caller told me it sounded like a shotgun blast when they collided.

The boat, almost full of passengers, was pulling a tuber and was making the typical “S” shaped maneuver as they followed the shoreline to a bend in the lake.

The PWC was heading toward this same bend from the opposite direction.

Once they recognized each other, they both attempted a turn but neither one was able to get out of the way.

A lot of questions started running through my head because an “accident” where nobody made a mistake is uncommon.

How close were they to the shoreline? Where was the attention of the driver? Who was the give-way vessel and who was the stand-on vessel? Was the throttle applied when the PWC attempted to turn? Almost all accidents are avoidable if state boating regulations are followed.

Upon arrival at the boat ramp, I could immediately see the boat that was involved in the collision was on a trailer with a large piece of the boat on the ground and a hole that matched it on the stern.

The driver said that when the collision happened, he could see water rushing in the back almost immediately.

He expressed that if he had not been able to drive the boat, they would have sunk within a few minutes.

The impact had enough force to bend the bow eye to one side along with multiple chunks of fiberglass missing on the PWC.

After the PWC collided with the boat, the momentum of both vessels caused the tuber to continue forward and collide with the PWC as well.

The tuber was able to lean to his side and keep the inner tube between himself and the PWC, acting as a cushion and bouncing him off.

The collision did not result in any injuries, but it was an extremely close call for everyone.

It’s hard to speculate what could have happened to the passengers if the collision happened a few seconds earlier or later, but I am almost certain there would have been more injuries.

Had the boat sunk, would all the passengers been able to swim to shore or locate a PFD?

What if the PWC operator hit his head and was knocked unconscious while the boat took off toward shore?

What if the tuber was unable to react fast enough and collided with the PWC before he could lean to his side?

Boat safety equipment and boating regulations are crucial for the safety of yourselves and others on the water.

The purpose of a PFD is to keep you upright in the water, even if you are unconscious.

Obviously, a PFD can’t stop a collision from happening, but it could save your life in an emergency.

It goes beyond just having a PFD though.

I would encourage everyone to review our boating regulations and if you have a question, call your local game warden.

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A recount was held July 1st to determine the mayor of the City of Dazey.

Barnes County Auditor Julie Mindt said the results remain unchanged with Daryl Kunze receiving 19 votes and Shawn McClintock receiving 19 votes. The contest remains tied and now goes before the City of Dazey Board of Commissioners to resolve the tie.

The population of Dazey was 78 as of the 2020 census.

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