The Williston Wire

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Crew camps will be a part of Williams County for at least the next two years. After months of behind-the-scenes work, the county commission considered 17 requests for conditional use permits for crew camps.

American State Bank & Trust Company is undergoing a renovation to add space and spruce up its exterior in Downtown Williston. The project began when ASB&T acquired the neighboring Pro Re Nata Gift Shop on Main Street in 2011. The building has since been torn down and construction is underway on a new state-of-the-art professional building. The addition will feature 18,000 square feet on three floors. The 6,600 square foot ground level will be completed first to provide more office and conference room space.

Money and workers are pouring into Williston, the capital of North Dakota's oil boom, but the only department store in town is a JCPenney, with a facade straight out of the 1950s. Many would-be financiers say the oil patch real estate market is too hot to handle right now; while others have decided to write their own checks. Private equity firm KKR, which broke ground last month on 330 apartments as part of a 164-acre housing development, has yet to convince a bank to fund a construction loan - but they are prepared to go all cash. -- A Reuters article.