Hillsboro looks to expand housing to make room for growth

HILLSBORO, N.D. - Keith Meyer recalls the worries in his hometown 40-some years ago when Interstate 29 first unfolded its infinite ribbon of highway, a straightaway stretch that sang with the steady, sweet whir of wheels on flawless pavement.

Would everyone leave? Would people pass by without a look? What would become of their small town?

"I remember back in the 1970s, we thought the interstate was going to be the death of us," Meyer said. "We thought, 'Uh-oh, there goes our people."

In the years since, some people did leave. But plenty more stayed - oftentimes, one spouse working in Hillsboro and the other commuting to Grand Forks or Fargo.

Still others lived elsewhere but made the daily trek to Hillsboro to teach at the schools, work at the hospital or clinic, or maybe find public service within the Traill County seat.

Meyer and others who live in this small town situated almost smack-dab in the middle of two of the state's largest cities say not only has the community of 1,600 survived the interstate - it is alive and well, and growing. Today, whether the road takes them north or south, more and more people are finding the road home ends in Hillsboro.

"Now that people are mobile, they're looking for towns just like ours," Keith said. "A 40-minute drive here is not like a 40-minute drive in the Twin Cities. It's good wind-up and wind-down time."

Feeling neighborly

The former longtime coach for the Hillsboro girls basketball team and one-time owner of the local newspaper, Keith still commutes 10 miles to his current job at the Halstad (Minn.) Telephone Co.

Retired for three years, his wife, Betty, had taught special education for 43 years in Hillsboro schools and the surrounding communities.

It was early February when the couple left their nearby 8-acre farmstead to settle into their dream home - one with a vaulted ceiling for Keith's lanky 6-foot-7 frame - in Hillsboro's Prairie View addition.

"Leaving the farm was tough on my husband, but we have it all here in town," Betty said. "Farmyards are too much maintenance. We aren't getting any younger, and I didn't want to spend my retirement on the lawn mower."

And she likely won't. She laughed as she told the story of a young boy who stopped to introduce himself this past summer.

"My friend and I are going to mow lawns," he told her. "And we can mow your yard, too, when you get one."

So, with the boxes barely unpacked, the Meyers said they already fell in love with their new neighborhood.

"In small towns, everybody knows everybody," Betty said. "And socializing, that's kind of my thing. I'm a people person."

She already knows all but two people in the neighborhood, and she'll fix that soon enough.

"I'm planning a wine-tasting party for the neighborhood ladies," she said. "You know, everyone wants to know what your house looks like anyway, so you might as well invite them in."

On the grow

Paula Suda is president of Hillsboro's Economic Development Corporation and the superintendent of public schools, where she says enrollment has jumped by almost 100 students in seven years.

While giving a tour of Prairie View, she explained the Meyers are typical of many in the new development - a mix of retirees, farmers and snowbirds, as well as young families new to town.

"We're the average small town where everybody knows everybody," Suda said. "We're in the perfect location - 35 minutes to Fargo, 30 to Grand Forks - but people can get their Class B experience here. We have good schools, and it's a great place to raise a family. I can shop local. I can doctor local. Hillsboro is the kind of place where you can call anybody, and they'll help you out."

The distinctive homes in Prairie View are painted earthy colors and dressed in neat shutters and stonework. Though the development is only 11 years old, Suda said the last of its 33 lots recently sold. And nearly half of them were purchased in the past year.

Suda says the community is thriving, bolstered both by the expansion of existing businesses and new industries coming to town. Total Ag Industries, a manufacturer of customized fertilizer systems, employs more than 30 people.

Degelman Industries, another manufacturer of agricultural equipment based in Regina, Sask., opened in 2016.

General manager Justin Kleckner says about 45 people work at the facility that serves as the company's U.S. distribution center. Employees also weld and paint equipment such as tillage and dozer blades at the plant.

"We're looking to grow, and all of our options are on the table," he said.

Kleckner serves on the EDC and lives in the Prairie View addition with his wife and three children. He says he would like to see more apartments built as well as affordable housing in the $150,000 to $250,000 range.

"Our preference would be to have our employees live and work right in the community," he said. "Right now, 56 percent of them commute from outside Traill County. That's fine and dandy, but I would sooner have a stronger local representation of employees."

Some housing relief should come soon. A Fargo developer has purchased land and hopes to build townhomes, Suda said.

"We're not panicking yet. We're building relationships with landowners and brainstorming," she said. "We'll be trying to find more land to build more lots. It's the land that's tricky because we have such good farmland around here."

The city has five apartment complexes, but short of that, rental property is scarce.

"Rental properties are tough," Suda said. "The apartments go fast, and the number of rental houses are dwindling because more people are selling instead."

For now, Kleckner is finding other creative ways to build a future workforce. He's in the early stages of talking to high school trades faculty to see how they might help each other by training future talent.

"I personally feel Hillsboro has a lot going for it," Kleckner said. "The business community is great. The school system is phenomenal, and the community is really warm and welcoming."