The Daily Dispatch

Wahpeton and Breckenridge will share $4 million in this fiscal year's Omnibus Appropriations bill for continued construction on the sister cities' flood control project.

President Barack Obama signed the bill, which totals $410 billion, in private Wednesday afternoon. More than $185 million has been secured for the state of North Dakota with the help from its delegation, Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, and Congressman Earl Pomeroy.

"With the signature of the president, the funding will be available to support vital projects and services that will benefit families all across our state," said the North Dakota delegation this week in a prepared statement. "This bill was a real team effort and represents our continued commitment to ensuring North Dakota's economy remains strong."

Wahpeton Interim City Coordinator Darcie Huwe cited she's unsure how much of the $4 million will be attributed to the Breckenridge project and how much will be credited to the Wahpeton project.

"The dollars will flow directly to the [U.S.] Army Corps of Engineers," Huwe said.

Wahpeton's flood control project is funded through a 205 Program funding mechanism with the Corps and Breckenridge's must be appropriated in the president's budget.

"Ultimately, the projects must coincide and progress in a carefully coordinated schedule," Huwe said.

To date, the Corps has enough funding to proceed with awarding the contract for Stage 3A of the Wahpeton project, scheduled to begin May of this year. The most recent cost estimate for awarding this summer's construction is $2.8 million.

"Currently, we do not anticipate any rearranging of the construction schedule or deviations from the cost estimates," Huwe said.

Not only does the spending bill support flood protection works in progress, but it also seeks to improve highways, advance high-tech research and backs the growth of new technologies.

"The Omnibus Appropriations bill includes funding that will allow us to add new specializations at the Center for Nanotechnology Training, as well as develop a new applied science laboratory that will help improve educational opportunities for students in this field," said Dorgan in a statement.

A total of $951,000 has been appropriated for the Center for Nanoscience Technology Training and more than $356,000 to further enhance the Nanotechnology Applied Science Laboratory, both at North Dakota State College of Science.

"We have to first off thank the North Dakota congressional delegation," said Dr. Michael Burke, program director at the Center for Nanoscience Technology Training. "They have been just great champions of this project. They saw the benefits to North Dakota as far as workforce training and economic development."

This year the Center has 12-15 first-year students and is continuing to offer courses that will allow graduates to enter into a skilled workforce. The Center has also begun to start offering workforce training and has partnered with a company out of Grand Forks to start training employees to clean room protocols.

According to Burke, the Nanotechnology Applied Science Laboratory is "coming along wonderfully."

"We are filling up with equipment and getting equipment installed. And as the equipment comes on board we're able to start offering new programs," Burke said.

The appropriated funds, he added, will allow NDSCS to offer a micro-manufacturing technology program, such as medical device manufacturing. The funding will also help to finalize curriculums for the other four programs offered — bio-fuels technology, biotechnology, microelectronics and nanoscience technology.

"As the Red River Valley Research Corridor has expanded over the last several years, one of the fields that's really taken off is nanoscience," Dorgan said. "That's going to give a further boost to the reputation of the State College of Science, and attract even more companies to the research corridor."

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