DGF Schools may close next week
March 27, 2009
With the Fargo and Moorhead schools both announcing that they are closing, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton is also evaluating the situation and is expected to make a decision this Sunday.
“It’s very possible we won’t begin right away Monday,” said Superintendent Randy Bruer. “We’re kind of in a holding pattern.”
The decision will come after the district gets a better idea of what the transportation looks like. Many Clay County roads are under water or possibly washed out. Depending on evacuations it is possible that schools could be converted to shelters for a short time as well.
“Plan for the worse”
March 26, 2009
Officials of the Oakport Township are urging residents to move vulnerable individuals (young and elderly) to safer higher ground.
Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist and authorities are asking for voluntary evacuations in Georgetown, Minnesota. Of specific concern are any vulnerable individuals who are still there.
The authorities rescued one family of four from the town Wednesday night, Bergquist said.
Residents have not given up the fight in Oakport Township. Clay County Commissioner Kevin Campbell said many homes will likely be cut off by water, so there’s a sense of urgency to get some residents to higher, drier ground.
“Our plan is to get the vulnerable out,” Campbell said.
“If you have someone who is sick, if you’ve got young children, you really need to find another place for them,” he said.
If you evacuate Authorities are advising that people should leave a large sign in their window letting authorities know:
- Contact numbers where the residents can be reached.
- Whether the home’s drainsare plugged.
- Whether the home’s gas is shut off.
Oakport desperatefor help as more homes lost
March 26, 2009
Several homes were lost to flooding in the Oakport Township north of Moorhead overnight. The township is in desperate need for volunteers this morning, township Chairman Greg Anderson said at 7:45 a.m.
Volunteers will need to carpool to the area and volunteers will need to park off-street to allow sand trucks to get through, he said.
Two homes in in a subdivision were lost overnight to flooding and several others are also flooded as the Red River rose past 38 feet.
“My guess is if we get away with 50 (homes), it’ll be a miracle,” he said. The Oakport Township has about 550 homes and is located directly north of Moorhead.
Evacuation plans “just in case”
March 25, 2009
Officials are reminding residents to be prepared for evacuation if necessary. The chances of evacuation being necessary are not high, but real if the current flood fighting measures fail to stop the rising floodwaters.
Officials are still working on official contingency plans so none have yet to be released to the public.
Moorhead has recruited a team from the Twins Cities to help them design their evacuation plan and are expected to unveil the plans today.
It is likely that area schools may be primary shelters if necessary according to some authorities.
Some homes have been evacuated with the help of boats, in rural Clay County. If a widespread evacuation of Oakport Township is eminent, the Dilworth Community Center will likely be the shelter, according to officials.
Authorities plan to use warning sirens and the “Code Red” phone system to alert residents if evacuation is necessary. People will then need to turn to local media for more information.
Officials requesting that people sign up for the Code Red alert system. Some people were reporting earlier that it may take two weeks for the number to register, but officials want residents to know that this is false.
“If you give us a phone number tonight, we’ll make sure it’s in there tonight,” said Moorhead’s City Manager Mike Redlinger.
How to sign up for Code Red
Anyone interested in registering for Code Red alerts, go to the following Web site and follow the appropriate links:
- Clay County residents go to www.co.clay.mn.us.
The automated notification system can be used to inform about specific neighborhood emergencies.
One of Doug Stensgard’s dogs, Annie, looks out Tuesday over what used to be a 5-acre yard and an outbuilding that is now flooded by the rising Red River in Fargo. Stensgard built an earthen and sandbag dike around his home in the hope of holding back the floodwaters. Associated Press
Dilworth continues flood fight
March 24, 2009
The Dilworth maintenance crew was hard at work last night keeping up with the steady rain. To this point there efforts have been successful in keeping the sanitary system from backing up into residents home.
Maintenance crews have been working hard the last 48 hours making sure that the city systems do not become inundate by the increase in water. The city is asking that all residents make sure their sump pumps are directed outside to the yard or street and not into the sanitary/sewer system.
With more snow and rain expected it is important that residents restrict water usage and keep sump pumps pointed into yards and streets.
Dilworth flood/sandbagging efforts.
The Dilworth Fire Department assisted the flood efforts, working through the evening making sandbags. By 10:00 PM the department and more then a dozen volunteers had bagged several thousand sandbags. The sandbagging efforts will be continued at the old Minnesota DOT shop to the west of the Dilworth Police Department.
Dilworth officials urge caution
March 23, 2009
Mayor Keith Coalwell has asked Dilworth residents to restrict their water use to help avoid straining the Moorhead system.
“We’re hooked into Moorhead’s wastewater facility,” he said. “We’re not having any problems right now,” he said Sunday night. “All our pumps are working.”
As the flood forecast gets worse, Moorhead’s Oakport Township is desperately trying prepare. Officials there and in Moorhead have issued pleas for volunteers to help battle possibly the worst flood in the region’s history.
“This is a real panic for all of us,” said Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland.
Although sand baggers were busy in both Moorhead and Oakport on Sunday, officials said volunteers are still very much needed.
“I wish it was only urgent. It’s worse than that,” said Oakport board chairman Greg Anderson.
Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist reported that approximately 30 roads in the county were closed Sunday because they were in danger of washing out.
Sheriff Berquist warned that no one should drive on a flooded road, for fear of vehicles being swept into the water if the road collapses.
Volunteers in Moorhead are being asked to gather at Nemzek Fieldhouse on the campus of Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Moorhead used the city’s Code Red phone system on Saturday pleading for more assistance after relatively few people showed up at the Volunteer center Saturday morning.
Sheriff Berquist said on lookers have been a problem in rural areas, and he warned Sunday that they will not be tolerated.
Officials will also be tough on anyone found boating in flooded areas, as the wakes from the boats can damage dikes.
“If you’re on the river, you’re going to be arrested,” said Bergquist.
Dilworth bank robbed for second time in 18 months
March 10, 2009
For the second time in 18 months the Northwestern Bank in Dilworth has been robbed. The incident happened just before 5:00 PM Monday.
Authorities were searching the area for a male thought to be in his 40s. The suspect entered the he bank from the east side carrying a black and gray backpack and wearing a black ski mask.
Authorities released this image of video surveillance footage taken during the robbery
According to Dilworth Police Chief Dave Miller, the man displayed a dark-colored handgun and ordered the tellers to give him money.
The suspect packed the the undisclosed amount of cash inside the backpack he brought and ordered the workers in the bank to look down as he fled through the east door.
Bank employees gave a description of the robber saying he was 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, heavy set weighing 230-240 pounds. The man was thought to be in his 40s and was “polite”. He was wearing a dark blue or green color hooded jacket, black gloves and light colored blue jeans. A photo of the robber was released.
Dilworth police were assisted by Moorhead Police and Clay County Sheriff’s office. All of the law enforcement focused their search in the area for clues and a K-9 unit assisted as well, but nothing turned up. The conditions at the time were deteriorating as the wind was picking up with the snowstorm coming in.
Police officials continued their investigation Monday evening with bank employee interviews and viewing surveillance camera footage inside the bank.
The bank was robbed on August 17, 2007 and that event still remains unsolved.
City Launches Web Site
March 3, 2009
The city has recently launched a new web site with information about city services, departments and orginizations.
The site has information about city officials, various city departments, parks and recreation information, community information and events such as loco daze.
Dilworth man found “frozen” in Moorhead ditch
January 22, 2009
Authorities from Clay County found a man, thought to have been from Dilworth, in a Moorhead ditch shortly after 9:00 am. The man’s limbs had frozen and his pulse was so week that initially deputies thought the man might be dead.
Clay County Sheriff Bill Berquist the man was in surgery this afternoon at MeritCare Hospital in Fargo. Authorities were still trying to locate relatives of the man this afternoon.
Berquist said the department received a call about 9:00 am indicating there was possibly a dead person in the ditch. When deputies arrived, they found the man’s limbs frozen solid and his pulse was almost undetectable.
Deputies located the man’s vehicle in the ditch in the 6300 block of 28th Street North. Berquist said that it appeared the vehicle had continued off the road into the ditch. Berquist said they were unsure how long the vehicle had been stuck in the snow.
2009 budget and levy approved
December 23, 2008
The 2009 budget and levy was unanimously approved Monday night by the Dilworth City Council only three days after the Minnesota state plan to cut almost $64,000 from the city’s spending aid.
The state has cut the spending aid $110 million from cities and counties to cover a $426 million deficit. The spending money is sent out to the cities and counties twice a year and will just be short $64,000 for the city of Dilworth.
“To wait to the midnight hour to do this is not proper; it’s putting the cities in a tight spot,” said City Administrator Ken Parke. “It’s balancing the budget on the backs of local governments.”
The city received a recommendation from Parke to cut portions of public safety and park funds to alleviate pressure from the states spending cuts.
Councilman Rick Cariveau said the council needs to be on its toes in the coming years. “This could be a long-term battle, not a one-time deal,” he said. Dilworth should be aware of its options “before the dust settles,” he said.
