Lisa wrote on Jul 29, 2010 7:27 PM:

" sickandtired, it's going to grow whether you like it or not. If you want to live in a small town... MOVE! "




sickandtired wrote on Jul 29, 2010 12:12 AM:

" If you dont like it........MOVE!!!!! "




sickandtired wrote on Jul 29, 2010 12:10 AM:

" I am so sick and tired of hearing about how we should be happy that Williston is growing. The local people of Williston live here for a reason! We wanted to live in a smaller, close nit communtity "




former RV dweller wrote on Jul 28, 2010 12:41 PM:

" I have lived in an RV. They are actually pretty nice. If you skirt them, you can even survive one of our winters in them. I have also seen with my own eyes that RVers are actually cleaner and better neighbors than the average homeowner. Besides, with the total extortional rates of rent in this town, I do not blame people for wanting to live in their RVs. At least the RV owners have something to show for themselves instead of just throwing rent money down the outhouse hole. Is Schatz's trailer park is not properly maintained?? if so, why not? Aren't there ordinances to obey? "




Tessa wrote on Jul 27, 2010 7:22 AM:

" RV means "recreational vehicle" which implies recreational, not permanent living. This park was designed for long-term residents living in vehicles that are not designed for that kind of use, nor generally equipped to handle our winter weather. It wouldn't be long before the RV park looked like a shanty town. Thanks for making the right call. "




I Agree with WOW wrote on Jul 26, 2010 3:27 PM:

" Put yourselves in other peoples shoes. What if it were you that had to go somewhere else to find work? What if it were you that had to sleep in your car? What if it were your kids that had to sleep in that car? And what about when winter comes? At least in an RV people would be out of the elements and at least have some heat! Shame on all of you selfish people! I sure wouldn't wish this situation on my worst enemy! "




Randy wrote on Jul 26, 2010 2:49 PM:

" wrote on Jul 25, 2010 4:32 PM:
" The rv parks in Sidney and Fairview look pretty awful when you drive into town when the long term rv's have their plywood sheeting around them. As a home owner and city resident, I do not want this for Williston. "

Just WHERE are those RV parks in Fairview and Sidney? I would like to take a look for myself.

WNDR wrote on Jul 23, 2010 10:57 PM: Why can't the city build and manage an apartment complex. Perhaps they can better control the rent rates.

1st - It is not the job or place of a government entity to compete with private business. 2nd - Have you ever seen a single government-run program that didn't bleed red ink? The taxpayers just can't afford it - period. Suggestion for you....Go to the bank and take out a loan for a cool $1 million so you can start building a modest apartment building. Just be sure that the bank will lend you another $million or so to finish the job. Don't forget that before your first tennant moves in, you will be paying interest on all of that borrowed money. "




Mat wrote on Jul 26, 2010 1:44 PM:

" I am a life long resident of this town. I am 32 years old and 28 of those years have been in this city.

We have voted in.....VOTED IN city commisioners that help make correct decisions on difficult answers for this cities future. If they decide one way or the other there will be backlash.

On this topic, I agree with there decision. RV parks are, and should stay out of city limits. If he would like to open another RV park outside of city limits, I personally will go up there and bid him good luck and hope it fills up for him. Location is the issue, not the idea!

The commission is working on making this city a wonderful city to live in for the next 100 years, not just the next 10. Being well organized and having the correct growth plan is key for the coming generations for this town.

Thanks for all that put there time and efforts into moving Williston in the right direction. "




WOW wrote on Jul 26, 2010 11:42 AM:

" R U you guys for real. Drive through Alexander, Watford city, Arnegard, Ross and look at all these small towns that have RV's park all over and they are in city limits. I can tell you one thing they are alot cleaner then the people that actually live in those cities. So what if they are long term and want to bring their boat. Drive around Williston and look at the people that have campers and boats parked around there houses. This is a local guy who wants to make things work, but I bet if it was Halliburton it would be OK to go ahead and do it. You people live on the Truck route what do you expect the traffic to be like. The rent in Williston is highway robbery and I think it is pathetic that the people that don't work in the oilfield have to hold down 2+ jobs to make things meet. "




. wrote on Jul 25, 2010 4:32 PM:

" The rv parks in Sidney and Fairview look pretty awful when you drive into town when the long term rv's have their plywood sheeting around them. As a home owner and city resident, I do not want this for Williston. "




Lisa wrote on Jul 24, 2010 9:17 AM:

" Lori, higher traffic in residential areas is part of growth. Whether an RV park gets built there or not, as long as Williston continues to grow there will be higher traffic in all areas of the town. Complaining that the RV park would cause higher traffic is moot, if he put mobile homes or apartments there it would cause higher traffic too.

That's what happens when a town grows. "




WNDR wrote on Jul 23, 2010 10:57 PM:

" So I moved here about 3 years ago. I and my family have immersed ourselves into this community. We now consider ourselves members of OUR community. It is obvious to all of us here, permanent and transient, that the is a lot of activity going on and odds are good it is not going away anytime soon.

Extortion: ABSOLUTELY. I truly wish there were state laws against extortion. I make well over $100,000 per year and have a hard time finding housing. Forget renting, most places are at least $900 per month (and that's for a one bedroom dump). There are ALOT of people coming here from all over the country. Most that I have talked to were laid off long ago and scraped together some money to move their families out here to work. They can't currently afford the astronomical cost of living. I completely understand the concept of 'make the money while it's here' but come on. These landloards are going to be hurting when the bust comes. The locals will not be loyal to them.

RV Park: This trailer park is disgusting. Yes, it is a place to live. But, if the Schatz' take care of the RV park like they do the trailer park it will look terrible in no time.

Why can't the city build and manage an apartment complex. Perhaps they can better control the rent rates. Make some housing available for the Wal Mart, McDonalds, True Value, Applebee's, Home of Economy, etc workers that don't make 'oil field wages'.

COME ON MAYOR AND OTHER CITY LEADERS, DO SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR THIS COMMUNITY. "




lori wrote on Jul 23, 2010 1:18 PM:

" High traffic and the various impacts to the neighborhood (some apparent now - others that may arise) are not non-issues.

A properly executed petition from citizens speaks volumes. They took the time to get involved and learn the process.

Like I said - if this was a good idea, it would have passed. "




Resident wrote on Jul 23, 2010 11:45 AM:

" Disgusted, part of the job of the commission is to take into consideration the feelings and opinions of their constituents. 2 people may have shown up to the meeting to oppose, but many more may have called in opposition. There was a petition also turned in at the meeting with another 59 people against it. The commission did their job. "




KLL wrote on Jul 23, 2010 11:38 AM:

" An RV Park does not belong within city limits. Period. I am not against growth at all. I am all for Williston growing and prospering. I am thrilled with all of the activity going on around town and am very sorry that there isn't adequate and affordable housing for our residents. But this is not a good solution. The idea is great, but the location is not. "




disgusted wrote on Jul 22, 2010 11:05 PM:

" When I refer to the City's lack of leadership, I mean how they handled the overall situation. I was at 3 of the meetings where this RV park was discussed. At the first meeting, there were a lot of good questions by the City directed at Mr Schatz. At the second meeting, Mr. Schatz presented good answers and solutions to the questions asked by the P&Z committee. All but one person seemed to think the RV park was a great idea, that they were in favor of the plan. At the first public meeting, two people voiced concerns about traffic and appearance (things that were discussed in the previous planning meetings and determined to be non issues) and the City just crumbled. Not one person had the guts to stick their neck out for fear of causing controversy. To me, that is lack of leadership. I don't want someone to lead me on for weeks, just to buckle under a little pressure. "




lori wrote on Jul 22, 2010 4:27 PM:

" "City's lack of leadership" - not hardly - just the opposite. The City Planning & Zoning took the time to study the plan, and listened to the people who lives and neighborhoods would be directly impacted.

If this was such a great idea, it would have passed. "




cant live in williston due to costs wrote on Jul 22, 2010 11:22 AM:

" Amen to writer who uses the word extortion!! The businesses and landlords in Williston enjoy ALL the money the oil workers bring in, but do nothing to help with the housing shortage. Supply and demand is one thing - making a profit is one thing - but what is happening in Williston is outright ROBBERY in my opinion. "




Just Some Questions wrote on Jul 22, 2010 11:00 AM:

" I don't think that most hard working people are wanting to park 300,000 dollar units. So what is this park supposed to be then? Is it an RV Park or is it an RV Resort? Are the people who will be using this facility average in their 50's and in mid to upper income levels? Will this destroy what is left of the quiet, secure, beautiful neighborhood? Will this eventually lower the value of property long term? Will the city properly enforce landscaping and buffer-zone requirements if any? Okay so we got from the article that Shatz will only allow two cars to be parked in each unit. If this is an RV Park can they have open fires, dogs, toys as in 4wheelers, boats, etc. parked there too? If it's an RV Park then they should be able to park boats or whatever along side their spot, not just limited to two cars.

Some of us are questioning the long-term affects of this because as we all know the oil field is here today, but gone tomorrow and we will be left with the aftermath good or bad while others will return from where they came. "




disgusted wrote on Jul 22, 2010 10:45 AM:

" I am disgusted with this city's lack of leadership. Here is a great example of someone taking the initiative to create a plan that would help alleviate the housing situation, just to get shot down by the City. It looked to me like this plan would be an improvement to the area in question, which currently has a chain link/barbed wire storage facility there. A nicely developed RV park (complete with electricy, water, and sewer hookups--no more illegal dumping of sewage on the ground) with a 6 foot high cedar fence around it is nothing to worry about as far as looks go.

As far as the assets of having an RV park within the City go, all you have to do is think of business. When the oil boom dies many years from now (and let's hope the City has allowed for some positive growth to make this a more inviting community by then), tourists passing through Williston will have to get off the bypass and enter the business district when they look for a place to stay. This is great for the local economy!

As far as traffic and safety go, 26th St is already traveled by thousands of trucks a day. 40 RVs going in and out once a week (or less if they are long term) will NOT noticeably affect traffic. The residents of the park coming and going to work would be no different than those leaving the trailer court 100 feet to the west.

And what if the park owner wants to make a profit!? Don't we all!? And if he can make a profit while contributing to the community, even better!

The City and its residents wonder why we don't have more developers investing in affordable housing...here's a perfect example of why they don't. Why spend the time and money (months and probably several thousand dollars at least) to propose a plan, get strung along for weeks on end, just to finally get shut down? No wonder investors are looking at Stanley and Tioga instead of Williston! "




Someone wonders wrote on Jul 22, 2010 1:58 AM:

" So is it the letters RV that is scaring everyone?
Here is someone who has the resources and is willing to invest in a project that will help the housing sitation, yet he comes to road blocks.
If he said "I want to expand on my trailer court, would there be as much of a problem with this? Whats the big deal about city limits.
People have been complaining on the shortage of housing and housing possibilities, yet someone comes forth with a solution to help and he is stopped.
It says there was a letter read, but it doesn't say what the arguments were as to why this isn't a "good idea" to them. "




Randy wrote on Jul 22, 2010 1:52 AM:

" Apparently there are a Lot of folks that have never been to a properly constructed, run and maintained RV park. If done to attract the proper customers (the price of some RVs can easily top $300,000) a business such as this can become an asset. There are a LOT of RV parks where a unit cannot be older than a certain year-model and every park I have ever been to mandates that the units must be properly maintained. "




Why wrote on Jul 22, 2010 1:10 AM:

" What is so wrong with an "RV Park" within city limits?? Seriously, we have homeless that are without water and electricty and instead of taking care of our fellow HUMANS and allowing a place to sufficiently live, we turn the opportunity away.
As it states above, he doesn't want this to be only an RV park, but is saying it will be LONG TERM, therefore it will help those who will be staying around for the long haul, will help current residents that are having trouble finding housing find a place they could put a trailer or gosh forbid and RV. What is so bad about RV's? Why be so scared of them? What if it was you that just lost the chance to have water and electricty?
Williston prides itself on saying they take care of their residents, well these people are your residents, so take care of them. "




Claire wrote on Jul 21, 2010 9:57 PM:

" The Commission made the right recommendation - it's not about growth - it's about an opportunity for the park owner to take advantage of a potential business opportunity and enrich his own portfolio. Capitalism is the lifeblood of the country, but we still need to consider the greater good of the citizenry vs. the personal agenda of an individual. "




Wake Up Williston wrote on Jul 21, 2010 8:49 PM:

" The current boom is expected to last 10-15 years. You HAVE the opportunity to make this growth long term and expand your city. You have been given an opportunity that almost NOWHERE else in this entire nation has, and yet most of the residents are OK with allowing families to live out of trucks, tents, and campers because of the anti-oil worker attitude. Wake up Williston, this boom is NOT going to disappear overnight or even soon! If you continue to stall your growth, though, then you're going to lose out on this opportunity.

I LOVE Williston. What I do not like is the city's flat out lack of willingness to do a thing for the people moving to Williston to work and the residents who hold some type of grudge or negative attitude to the new people coming in. You live in an area that can employ many when many are unemployed. Instead of building apartments, though, your city has approved single family homes that cost over $180,000 - something that even most oilfield workers cannot afford much less local residents! Rent is insane here, more than some larger cities throughout the US. My brother lives in Salt Lake City and pays less for a brand new 2 bedroom apartment than what people are charging for 1 bedroom apartments here. I called and asked the Attorney General's office and researched the laws, there's NO law protecting citizens from extortion in this state. Landlords can jack up the price of rent as much as they please and there's absolutely nothing that anyone can do about it. I understand there's supply and demand, but at a certain point you're simply taking advantage of people and that's what is going on now.

Complaining about cost when we just found out that the city gets 1% of the taxable sales goods in another article, equating to more than $2.9 million in ONE quarter seems moot. The city has got a LOT of money coming in right now and they're doing nothing to really address the housing problem. To be entirely honest, I'm to the point where I think I'd happily move out of Williston and deal with driving to and from work if I could just live somewhere where the city and it's residents were as nice and beautiful as the town they live in! "




Steve wrote on Jul 21, 2010 8:30 PM:

" The city is quick to spend the money all the oil field workers bring in, but yet there is no place for them to live, let them spend their money is some other city. "




Concerned Citizen2 wrote on Jul 21, 2010 2:59 PM:

" This proposed RV Park has nothing to do with growth. It's a bad idea for more than one reason. We don't need an RV Park in the city limits of Williston. "




Informed Citizen wrote on Jul 21, 2010 2:04 PM:

" To Concerned Citizin:

Growth for growth's sake is a dangerous goal when you ignore the cost in terms of the town's ability to deal with crime, traffic, and other issues raised by citizens and the commission. "




Looking At The Real Picture wrote on Jul 21, 2010 1:43 PM:

" Nothing to do with not wanting growth at all. I think the people of Williston want the right type of growth, not something that is one sided and lacking of long term positive outcomes. What kind of research was done by Schatz showing why a RV Park in City limits would be an asset to the community. I think finding acerage out of town more RV friendly would be the way to go. "




Concerned Citizin wrote on Jul 21, 2010 1:25 PM:

" Just another prime example of Williston's small minded people not wanting growth! "

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