DSU plans major Agriculture Building renovation and expansion

Jan. 25—DICKINSON — In a move that could significantly enhance educational and community resources, Dickinson State University (DSU) President Steve Easton presented a compelling proposal for the expansion of the university's agriculture building to the Dickinson City Council on Tuesday.

The initiative, which first caught the attention of Governor Doug Burgum's office due to the deteriorating condition of the current ag building and indoor arena, has already secured $17.1 million in funding from the latest legislative session. This funding, a line-item in the North Dakota university system's appropriation bill, is earmarked for vital improvements aimed primarily at student facilities.

Ty Orton, a member of the DSU Heritage Foundation's cabinet and its executive director, highlighted the project's scope.

"We are spending a lot of money on the classroom building, and over half of that money will be spent on the ag classroom building, alone," he said. "We're also solving several of the issues with dirt-work, drainage, parking lots... to make sure that's also a safe environment."

The proposed enhancements include upgrading classrooms and laboratories, as well as infrastructural improvements around the site. However, the plan extends beyond academic upgrades.

DSU is in the early stages of planning for a state-of-the-art, indoor rodeo arena. Considerations are being reviewed for two versions of the project — a more modest $18 million option and a grander $25 million vision.

The latter arena would include a restaurant area, VIP section doubling as a classroom, expanded seating, a warm-up area for horses, a press-box for event broadcasting and increased indoor stalls for livestock.

Orton emphasized the dual focus of the project on both academic and environmental aspects.

"We want to make sure that the classroom educational environment is on there, and a lot of talk is based around the rodeo arena, but the great thing about this project is that we get to redo the entire ag building," he said. "Inside, it's going to be a brand-new building for our students, for our professors and make sure it's a top-notch learning environment to continue our Ag emphasis here at Dickinson State University."

Addressing what Orton saw as an underlining symbiotic relationship between the university and the Dickinson community, he emphasized the need for community involvement in order for the $25 million dollar version of the project to be a consideration.

"Dickinson State is the community and the community is Dickinson State. That's something that President Easton and I have pushed for a long time. We can't survive without each other; so we need to work together, and that's how we get this community to the level that we need it to be,"

Easton echoed the sentiments.

"Dickinson works best when it works together... If we work together, we can do some magical stuff," he said, revealing that the project would require significant financial commitment to the tune of $4 million from public entities, supplemented by sponsorships and other sources.

According to Easton and others familiar with the two iterations of the project, the expansion is more than just about DSU; it's being envisioned as a boon for the community. The upgraded facilities could host a variety of events, from rodeos to livestock showcases, potentially becoming a central hub for regional entertainment and sports in Dickinson.

The DSU proposal also aligns with recent community successes like the Sanford Sports Complex, which has rapidly become a key venue for sports and events in the region. Easton cited the complex as an example of the positive impact of private and public collaboration, outlining how the success of the Complex led to the North Star Athletic Association's coaches voting to again host their tournament in Dickinson this season.

He touted how the larger price-tag on the indoor arena's second option could see an increase in the variety of events that come to Dickinson, including barrel-racing, team-breakaway and calf-roping, attracting the Professional Bull Rider circuit events, along with rodeo clinics, high school and Little Britches rodeos, North Dakota Rodeo Association events, 4-H and livestock showcases of all kinds.

Dickinson City Commissioner John Odermann expressed his optimism about the project during the city's meeting on Tuesday, noting its potential to bring new amenities to Dickinson and its alignment with the city's goals.

"I think option two [the $25M facility] does bring some things to the community that we currently don't have. Option one does as well, but I know the county's talked about an indoor arena south of town and I think that this brings it into the center of town," he said. "I appreciate the fact that you guys are already talking to the county because I think there's a great opportunity for a partnership here between the county, DSU and the city."

Orton also preemptively addressed concerns that the Stark County Fairgrounds would be superseded as a result of the proposal and expanded facilities.

"We're not competing with anything down south, we want to make sure that project is successful as well," he said. "This community needs to continue to expand and this is just one part of it."

For more information about Dickinson State University, please visit their website at

https://dickinsonstate.edu/index.html

. More information about the Dickinson City Commission is available at

https://www.dickinsongov.com/city-commission

. The video for the meeting is available below and the presentation begins at roughly the 37-minute mark.