NDSU to sell portion of extension center land in Dickinson

DICKINSON, N.D. -- It has been a decade since North Dakota State University’s Dickinson Research Extension Center created a long-term vision of land use options based on community location and needs.

Two years ago, the center began seriously discussing the sale of up to 240 acres of land within city limits. After discussions and several sets of reviews, those land use visions are becoming a reality.

The extension center announced Wednesday it will be selling 100 acres of land in the northwest section of the city bordering 21st Street West.

The land has been parceled into five, 20-acre units and are open for written bid.

“It is not a large part of the total land that we own,” said DREC Director Kris Ringwall. “But it is a valuable piece because of its location.”

State Sen. Rich Wardner said he supported Senate Bill 2159 -- which authorized the sale of the land -- and it passed without controversy.

He said the expansion of Dickinson into the northwest quadrant and the availability of replacement land for the extension center were two reasons he supported the bill.

“It makes a lot of sense,” Wardner said of the transaction.   

The extension center owns more than 4,900 acres of land in Stark, Billings and Dunn counties.

Ringwall said the acreage for sale has become more valuable as the city has developed to the northwest.

That progression has brought nearby commercial infrastructure and, in the future, the new Dickinson middle school, which is slated to be constructed on a 30-acre piece of land once owned by the center.

Because of construction of the new middle school, Ringwall said he envisions the surrounding parcels to be developed for residential purposes, though the DREC won’t play any role in deciding who purchases the land or for what reason.

However, the center does reserve the right to reject any and all bids or waive any irregularities, which Ringwall said will only occur if bids are too low.

If those parcels are all sold, the center will look to acquire replacement acreage.  

“Replacement acres are needed to sustain and enhance the long history of the center,” Ringwall said.

A 1,680-acre plot in southeast Richardton has been identified for that purpose, which will be purchased contingent upon the sale of existing land.

The proposal was made through an exclusive option to buy from the estate of Duane Boehm, who was an organic farmer and served on the DREC advisory board.

Boehm’s brother-in-law, Lucas Hoff, said the land has been in the family for generations.

He said before Boehm passed, he vocalized a desire to section off a piece of property for research purposes.

“He wanted to leave a legacy, not just for himself but his entire family,” Hoff said. “And he felt very strongly about research and the center. It fell together pretty well.”

Boehm’s parcel of land has been offered to the center at $1,400 per acre, for a total of $2.6 million. The total was based off of appraisals that were made several years ago, though Hoff said market value has likely increased since that time.

The 30-acre sale of land to the Dickinson Public School District brought in $1.3 million of that, which Ringwall said will go directly toward purchasing the replacement parcel.

The remainder of that money will come from the sales of the 100 acres now open for bid.

Senate Bill 2159 states that if there is additional revenue obtained by the land sales, those resources will be put toward converting the Boehm production farm to a research center, which would be used for long-term range, agronomic and beef cattle research.

Ringwall said it is unclear how much that conversion would cost.

“It is a significant amount of money,” he said. “So hopefully by selling this (land in Dickinson), we will have that extra revenue.”

The future operating cost of the center will likely increase by approximately $50,000 a year due to travel and general supply expenses. That funding would also come from revenue generated from the land sales.

“We have to be very fiscally astute,” Ringwall said.

Bids for those 20-acre parcels are open to the public and must be submitted to the law office of Kubik, Bogner, Ridl & Selinger by next Thursday. Individuals who submit written bids will have the right to orally raise their bids later that day.

“This was a unique opportunity for everyone -- for Duane, the research center and the middle school,” Hoff said. “It’s kind of like it was meant to be.”