Ward County proposes property purchase to move highway department

MINOT, N.D. – Ward County has taken an option on an oil company’s former property in east Minot for use as a new highway department complex.

The Ward County Commission adopted a purchase agreement Tuesday with Halliburton to acquire the company’s land and buildings in a Minot industrial park.

The county’s offer of $1.75 million is below the appraised value and below what the county might pay to construct a similar facility, according to Dana Larsen, highway engineer. Haliburton is open to the offer but the county has 45 days to inspect the property before finalizing a sale. The property will be inspected by a third party.

The Ward County Highway Department experienced cost savings in the past year from which it will pay for the purchase. The savings came in unfilled positions and higher gas tax collections than expected.

Larsen said the county’s current highway department sits on just 5.5 usable acres in a section of town surrounded by other occupied properties, including residences. The Halliburton facility, built in 2012, is more isolated, with easy access to U.S. Highway 2.

The county’s existing property includes a shop moved in during the 1940s and another built in the 1960s. Storage space is similar at the Halliburton facility but its shop offers 50% more space with greater height to accommodate equipment, Larsen said.

The county discovered the availability of the Halliburton property during the tax equalization process when the company sought a valuation adjustment. The company suspended its Minot operations in 2015 after oil activity slowed.

The property includes just over 37 acres and had been listed on the market for $3 million. The city’s assessed value was over $6.68 million.

Should a sale be finalized, Ward County plans to sell its existing highway department property at 900 13th St. SE, which is valued at about $1.5 million.

Ward County proposes property purchase to move highway department

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

Trending Slider

Teen spent 6 years digging hole after fight with parents, but ‘what he did with it caused the world to lose their breath’!

The public input meeting to discuss proposed improvements to the Interstate 94 Interchange at Sunset Drive, Exit 152 was rescheduled for April 20

Gov. Burgum applauded a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Traynor ordering the federal Bureau of Land Management to resume quarterly sales of oil and gas leases on public lands in North Dakota

Boss tried to ravish his worker, but was left in agony ‘after she grabbed a knife and chopped off this body part’!

The North Dakota State Board of Animal Health amended the policy for the suspension of poultry/bird events

Doctors screamed in disbelief when woman gave birth in the toilet after her ‘unborn baby turned out to be something else’!

Follow us on News Break

Categories

Ward County proposes property purchase to move highway department

Related posts

Relief bill includes aid for Native tribes

Tensions mount in Surrey amid firing of City Administrator

Will the checks from the government ever stop?

Gov. Burgum declares ND as a Second Amendment Sanctuary State

Bill eliminating seat belt requirement fails in North Dakota House

A recent survey revealed that 77 percent of people polled across 16 nations around the world, express more confidence in Angela Merkel’s leadership than in Joe Biden’s

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

Teen spent 6 years digging hole after fight with parents, but ‘what he did with it caused the world to lose their breath’!

The public input meeting to discuss proposed improvements to the Interstate 94 Interchange at Sunset Drive, Exit 152 was rescheduled for April 20

Gov. Burgum applauded a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Traynor ordering the federal Bureau of Land Management to resume quarterly sales of oil and gas leases on public lands in North Dakota

Boss tried to ravish his worker, but was left in agony ‘after she grabbed a knife and chopped off this body part’!

The North Dakota State Board of Animal Health amended the policy for the suspension of poultry/bird events

Doctors screamed in disbelief when woman gave birth in the toilet after her ‘unborn baby turned out to be something else’!