Worker recruitment a JSDC priority

Recruiting workers to the Jamestown area will be the emphasis of a regional workforce roundtable scheduled later this week, according to Holly Miller, office coordinator for the Jamestown/ Stutsman Development Corp. Miller talked about the roundtable program during JSDC’s regular meeting Monday.

“We know we are going to have to provide businesses that come here with workers,” said Gary Riffe, president of the JSDC Board. “We’ll have to provide the people that come here to work a place to stay.”

The roundtable lists as one of its strategies the establishment of a relocation workforce. The roundtable will include representatives of the JSDC as well as the Valley City/Barnes County business community and will encourage the participation of local businesses and educational institutions.

The JSDC Board also received an interim report from Carbontec Energy Corporation. Carbontec is doing a feasibility study considering processing iron ore at the Spiritwood Energy Park. The project is known as E-Nugget and financed partially with a grant from the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Committee and the JSDC.

The report said the company is “reviewing the supply, loading and transportation requirements for a 100,000 ton/year iron nugget plant sited at Spiritwood.”

If the plant is constructed, iron ore would be shipped from northern Minnesota on westbound coal cars. Carbontec’s report said it was continuing the feasibility study.

Jamestown Mayor Katie Andersen reported on the status of negotiations with Stutsman Rural Water District. The city of Jamestown and Stutsman Rural Water have been embroiled in a territorial dispute concerning which will serve the area surrounding Jamestown Regional Medical Center.

Andersen said the issue was occurring in a number of cities around North Dakota and that the Legislature may address it.

“The state funds about 25 percent of most rural water projects with grants,” she said. “They could say ‘we’ll withhold grants if you don’t play nice with the municipalities.’”

Andersen also said the issue was difficult but she was confident a solution could be found.

“We’re trying to get it resolved so we can move forward with a lot of certainty,” she said.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at 701-952-8452 or by email at knorman@jamestownsun.com

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