Bismarck, ND—The Missouri River has “officially” frozen over as determined by the National Weather Service. The Flood Warning that was in effect has been cancelled. Slight fluctuations in the Missouri River may be seen throughout the winter season.

Residents are encouraged to monitor River levels by going to the Burleigh County website: burleighco.com and going to the “Flood” section under “Emergency Management”. Residents will also be able to sign up for a WaterAlert service from the US Geological Survey which sends an email or text message when parameters exceed the user-defined thresholds.

BISMARCK, N.D. – Mandan based National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) has repaid a $200,000 loan from the Bismarck Vision Fund, the City’s sales tax supported economic development fund. In 2001, NISC initiated a second building expansion at its campus in North Mandan. The $200,000 loan from the Bismarck Vision Fund was used as a capital injection into NISC in order to match financing for the new construction.

“We are so pleased with the success of NISC. They stand out as a recognized leader in economic development in Bismarck-Mandan, our state and nationwide. They’ve become a nationally recognized brand. The leadership and employees of NISC are to be commended for their innovation and the success of their business,” said Bismarck Mayor John Warford.

Today, NISC employs 335 full-time and 90 part-time staff at its Mandan location providing services to customers such as Target, Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart and JC Penney. In addition, NISC was recently ranked number 15 on IDG’s Computerworld magazine’s list of best workplaces for information technology professionals. This marks the tenth time NISC has been recognized by IDG Computerworld.

“NISC has received tremendous support from the state and local economic development groups. We appreciate both the City of Bismarck and the City of Mandan’s participation in our building project. By receiving this local financing for our infrastructure needs, it allowed us to keep our focus on expanding our services and growing our company,” said Vern Dosch, CEO of NISC.

National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) is an information technology company that develops and supports software and hardware solutions for our Member-Owners who are primarily utility cooperatives and telecommunications companies across the nation. NISC employs more than 920 individuals in four cities Lake Saint Louis, Mo., Mandan, N.D., Shawano, Wisconsin and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Bismarck, ND—Residents may have noticed a rise in the Missouri River today. The gauge shows the level went from 4.5 feet to 9.1 feet and that values are affected by ice.

Bruce Engelhardt, ND State Water Commission, confirmed that the River is starting to freeze over with the lower temperatures we have been experiencing. The River remains within normal limits and continues to be monitored by local officials and the State Water Commission. Flood stage for the Missouri River is 16 feet.

Garrison Dam releases have not increased and remain at 20,000 cfs; however, the regulation forecast for the Garrison Dam releases indicates incremental increases starting January 18th to February 3rd from 21,000 cfs to 27,000 cfs. This release schedule will be dependent upon ice conditions.

Burleigh County Emergency Manager, Mary Senger, encourages residents to monitor River levels by going to the Burleigh County website: burleighco.com and going to the “Flood” section under “Emergency Management”. Residents will also be able to sign up for a WaterAlert service from the US Geological Survey which sends an email or text message when parameters exceed the user-defined thresholds.

The implementation committee for the “Mandan Tomorrow” community strategic plan will present 2011 accomplishments and 2012 plans at an annual public reporting session Monday, Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is being held at Mandan City Hall this year to reach a local television audience in addition to citizens and business owners who attend in person. City Hall is located at 205 Second Avenue NW.

The public is invited and encouraged to hear examples of how business representatives, citizens and local government officials are working together for continued community betterment. “We’ve accomplished a great deal in 2011 and have many exciting things planned for 2012. We are eager to share our progress with the greater community,” says Mandan Tomorrow Implementation Committee Chair Kirsten Baesler.

Dakota Media Access will record and show the meeting on Government Access cable channel 2, also making it available for on-line viewing at www.freetv.org.

Mandan’s comprehensive planning process began in 2009 with community surveys and focus groups providing direction for the future. Business owners and managers, residents and leaders from local government entities worked together to identify and address people’s needs and wants Mandan in the next five to 10 years. The Chamber spearheaded the planning process for Mandan with contributions from private businesses. Joining in the endeavor were the City of Mandan, the Mandan Public School District and Mandan Park District.

Four subcommittees are putting the Mandan Tomorrow strategic plan into action. The subcommittees are Leadership, Pride and Image; Quality Places and Destinations; Economic Opportunity and Prosperity; and Education and Workforce. The subcommittees are comprised of business and citizen volunteers.

“It is important that we continue with the implementation process outlined in the vision for Mandan,” explains Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce President Kelvin Hullet. “It takes time and effort to create the results of the initiatives identified by Mandan residents.”

Anyone interested in serving on a Mandan Tomorrow subcommittee is encouraged to contact the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber, phone 223-5660. For more information about the Mandan Tomorrow Plan, visit www.mandantomorrow.com.

BISMARCK, N.D. – Apex Engineering Group has been contracted to provide an independent analysis of flood protective measures and to recommend an action plan that will identify specific temporary flood protective measures including equipment and materials that could be mobilized to fight various flood scenarios, should they occur in the spring of 2012.

As part of the independent analysis Apex Engineering will hold two public input meetings to gather citizen input regarding their experiences with Missouri River Flood events and temporary flood protection measures employed to combat the effects of flooding or ice jam events on the Missouri River.

The meetings will take place as follows:

January 17, 2012, 5:15 – 8:00 pm.
Focus Area: South Bismarck
Prairie Rose Room 105, Second Floor, Exhibit Hall
Bismarck Civic Center
West Entrance, Parking Lot A

January 19, 2012, 5:15 – 8:00 pm.
Focus Area: Southport/Fox Island
Prairie Rose Room 105, Second Floor, Exhibit Hall
Bismarck Civic Center
West Entrance, Parking Lot A

A brief presentation will be made by Apex Engineering to review flood protective measures currently in place as a result of the 2011 summer flood fight. Comments and recommendations from citizens will be received and collected during group discussions, followed by an opportunity for comments during an open comment session. Citizens may also submit their comments on-line beginning Jan. 20 at www.bismarck.org Comments will be received through Jan. 27, 2012.