JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The “pathway to success” has been established as the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation (JSDC) approved funding the next steps for the Buffalo City Park in Jamestown.

At a special Board of Directors Meeting Friday, the board met in executive session before moving to approve a request for $600,000 on an 80/21 city/county split to proceed with the next part of the project.

“The North Dakota state legislature has moved forward with a proposed appropriation of a $5 Million state grant,” CEO Connie Ova states in a letter to the board. “This initiative, championed by Senator [Terry] Wanzek and Representative [Craig] Headland, is being provided via SB 2018, ND Department of Commerce including North Dakota Tourism, budget 2021-2023.”

In the “Buffalo City Park Probable Scenario” and “High Performance Scenario”, both summarize the potential economic impacts that includes increases in state economy size, payroll creation, and new jobs created.

“It also estimates tax revenues from sales and use tax and individual income tax,” Ova explains. “These projected for the five years from 2024 to 2028 and do not account for the considerable economic impact during the construction phase.”

The proposal from Apogee Attractions, the company who originally engaged with Lunde & Associations LLC for the Concept Development package, would develop a preliminary estimate to build the project, adjust and update the master plan, provide civil engineering, complete the schematic design for the project and more.

In a Merger of State REMI Study and Apogee Attractions Market Study, it’s estimated the total return on investment could be $6.446 million in 2024, a more than 10% return on the $60 million investment.

Work on the proposal is estimated to take approximately 4 months.