Tuesday Morning News, Views, And Links -- Part III

Schools in the Bakken oil patch are maxed out.

These stories warm the cockles of my heart.

When I first started blogging, I remember all the naysayers saying workers would not a) stick around in the Bakken; and, b) would not bring their families.

I opined at the time that, after 30 years of traipsing around the world at the whims of the United States Air Force, I knew that some folks would go anywhere to serve their country or their company, and that their families would follow. I saw military spouses travel to countries, where they were specifically told they were not welcome, to be with their active duty husbands. And they would bring their children if they had children.

First Williston and Watford City.

So, now we see it's true here also. The Dickinson Press is probably surprised, but they are reporting:

Schools in the booming towns of Williston and Watford City welcomed hundreds of new students Monday.

Early enrollment estimates in Williston show a student body of about 3,150, an increase of about 350 students since the school year ended last May, said Superintendent Viola LaFontaine.

Much of the growth is in the elementary grades because many families moving to North Dakota’s Oil Patch tend to have young children. Williston now has about 300 students in 15 sections of Kindergarten.

Enrollment numbers are expected to go up and down throughout the year as many families move in and out of the community, LaFontaine said.

McKenzie County School District opened a new elementary school this fall and it’s already full, said Superintendent Steve Holen.

McKenzie County had 1,027 students on its first day of school Monday, up 162 students or nearly 19 percent more students than the district ended with last May.

One could have predicted this. And some did. Some didn't. And so it goes.

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On the other hand, Dickinson lodging is "improving." The Dickinson Press is reporting:

Dickinson’s hotels and motels are becoming less responsible for housing oil field workers as more extended-stay lodging, like crew camps and extended-stay hotels, as well as permanent housing are created in the area.

From two years ago, the hotel occupancy rate is down, said Terri Thiel, executive director of the Dickinson Area Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. In July it sat at 72 percent. It has been above 90 percent the last few years.

“That’s leaving more rooms for us to work with for leisure travel or meetings and businesses that are coming into town,” Thiel said. “It’s probably a good thing so we can continue to attract that long-term business back again repeatedly.”

The occupancy rate does include extended-stay hotels that feature kitchenettes and other amenities similar to a studio apartment, Thiel said.

“If one person stays in the same room for over 30 days — whether it would be a regular hotel or an extended stay — then the taxes are not collected after that,” Thiel said.

“They’re marketing towards these longer-term stays for the crews or on the business end of that project.”

I didn't know that about the 30-day rule and taxes. Interesting.

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The Minot schools are also growing. The Minot Daily News is reporting that the city needs to build another elementary school, and more.  For newbies: Minot lies outside of the Bakken but plays a major supporting role.