Converting old school is smart

North Dakota’s housing problems aren’t going away anytime soon. What was already a thin housing inventory has gone into a deficit, a function of intensely expanding oil production. Workers for oil companies have taken any cushion there might have been in available apartments and homes. It’s been cause for worry in coal country, where seasonal maintenance and plant turnarounds periodically bring in waves of skilled workers needing a temporary place to live.

Industrial Contractors Inc. of Bismarck has been involved in spring and fall maintenance projects on power plants in North Dakota for a long time. Company officials see the housing shortage in very practical terms — a problem to solve.

ICI wants to buy the old Stanton school from its private owners and convert it into a hotel for temporary workers on the power plant projects. While the idea might have a few rough edges, it’s smart thinking for the company, workers and the Stanton community.

The old school can be converted into rooms for 157 workers. That could make a significant dent in the size of the housing shortage, especially for the spring and fall maintenance efforts at local power plants. Off season — power plant-wise — the rooms could be rented to travelers and tourists.

It all makes good sense. There are parking, noise and security issues, as there would be with any large apartment or hotel complex, but they can be resolved if people want to resolve them. There was talk at a recent public hearing on the project about additional patrolling from the county sheriff’s department and higher fences for more privacy.

The company has strong relationships with people living in communities like Stanton, Hazen and Beulah. ICI has been a good corporate citizen.

So there’s reason to expect the company will operate a neighborly facility in Stanton.

“We want this to be an asset to your community, not a detriment. If you have a concern about an individual, we would double down on that concern,” ICI President Lloyd Bushlong told Stanton residents recently.

The strong economy that North Dakota currently enjoys has created its own menu of issues, including transportation, service and housing. They are, largely, the kind of problems that you want to have and solve.

Converting the old Stanton school makes sense as a solution for temporary housing in coal country.

Tags: opinion, energy, housing