Red River Regional Council to hold State of Region 4 event Wednesday, Oct. 9
Oct. 7—MINTO, N.D. — Growth opportunities and investment needs in northeast North Dakota will be the focus of the Red River Regional Council's (RRRC) inaugural "State of Region 4" event, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 9.
RRRC Executive Director Dawn Mandt said the event will provide the chance for everyone to get together, and for the Legislature to hear what regional voices have to say.
"Our larger cities do this thing quite commonly and our small towns just don't have the capacity to organize and come together in the same way," she said. "We really thought we needed to come together and provide a voice to the regional issues and really share the interdependence of the entire region and Grand Forks as well."
The event will be held at the Minto Community Center, starting at 4 p.m., and will be open to the public. A light meal will be served. The event will feature different conversations and highlights by regional leaders, including development highlights, state of housing, state of child care, state of workforce, a legislative panel and a special address by U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D. Mandt said each of the eight regional councils in North Dakota have planned events ahead of the 2025 legislative session to speak about what they need from the Legislature. Region 4 encompasses Grand Forks, Walsh, Nelson and Pembina counties.
Mandt said the challenge for the event is to keep everything concise, as the topics and issues are complex. She and Barry Wilfahrt, vice president of the RRRC, will present development highlights. Wilfahrt also is the president and CEO of the East Grand Forks-Grand Forks Chamber.
The state of housing will be led by Lisa Rotvold of the Red River Community Housing Development Organization and Amie Vasichek from Lakota. The state of child care will be given by Stacie Sevigny of the Walsh County Job Development Authority and the state of workforce by Kristi Kasprick of "Real. Good. Northeast North Dakota. "
The legislative panel will feature Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg; Rep. David Monson, R-Osnabrock; Sen. Scott Meyer, R-Grand Forks; Rep. Emily O'Brien, R-Grand Forks; and Rep. Jared Hagert, R-Emerado.
"We wanted to create an event that showcases the exciting prospects and development needs in our region," said Amy Suda, president of the RRRC. "We're all in this together — many of us live and work within an hour's drive of each other, and about 44% of the workforce in Grand Forks actually resides in nearby areas."
The northeast region has seen potential for significant growth, the press release announcing the event said. North Dakota Department of Transportation's data predicts the region will grow by 26,000 people by 2045 and communities through the region are developing in education, arts, recreation and health care. Mandt said that, in the last census, 18 of Region 4's 42 communities saw growth. The RRRC's 2024-2028 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, the release said, featured plans for tourism, workforce and housing, and was informed by the public input of more than 2,000 residents. In order to support the anticipated growth, especially in rural communities, "investment in housing, childcare, workforce development and other key areas is essential," the release said.
Rotvold added in the release that the region is launching several pilot projects, including four new single-family homes in Lakota and Larimore, as well as an eight-plex in Cavalier.
"Our regional housing action plan is designed to focus on small towns that have seen little new development in years," she said. "This year, the region has welcomed nearly 1,00 H-2A farm workers from South Africa and South America, with a growing trend of individuals relocating to small towns, especially with the rise of remote work options. This reflects the attractiveness of small-town living and highlights the need for increased investment."
Mandt said she sees all the needs in the region as growth challenges, and things need to be changed to give small towns the same opportunities as larger cities.
"Many of the state programs are defined to accommodate growth in more dense areas and higher population levels so, really kind of shifting perspectives even at a per capita level," she said. "We like to think that a house in Cavalier is just as important as a house in a larger city."
