May 1, 2023

The North Dakota Department of Transportation is conducting a preliminary engineering and feasibility study to develop and evaluate reconstruction alternatives for the Sunset Drive interchange.

Four alternatives for the interchange reconstruction have been identified:

• Single Point Interchange;
• Diverging Diamond Interchange;
• Partial Cloverleaf Interchange; or
• Diamond with Roundabouts Interchange.

View the alternatives and information from the April 20 public input meeting on the project website. 

The public is encouraged to provide feedback by May 5 to Mead & Hunt, Inc. Project Manager Chris Rossmiller by email.

Despite having to change plans for the 10^th annual Community Clean-Up Day, over 165 volunteers are signed up to pick up litter along routes in Mandan throughout May. Resident groups and 13 different organizations are coming together to get the job done!

Thank you to our volunteers:

• North Dakota Geocaching Association
• Dennis & Lorraine Friesz, Brian & Jen Dehnert, Sara Hertz, Rochelle Nelson, Shila Blend, Stephanie Rudolph and their family & friends
• Dialectic Brewing & Ciderhouse
• Delphine Marshall, Sharon Johnson & Annette Kary
• AE2S
• Brent Greek Family
• Dacotah Mandan Lions
• Kaylee Barbie family & friends
• Deb & Tim Hopfauf and friends
• Gate City Bank
• Comfort Inn & Suites
• Capital Credit Union
• Moore Engineering
• Prairie Rose Family Dentists
• Cub Scout Pack 153
• HDR Inc. and Leela & Benny Villorente
• Mandan First Presbyterian Church
• Centre Inc.
• Martina Dvorak & family

Thank you BEK Communications Cooperative for sponsoring the hanging flower baskets and planters along Main Street this year.

This sponsorship provides for the 46 hanging flower baskets along Main Street from Sixth Ave NE to Sixth Ave NW plus an area around City Hall, and the four planters located on the north side of Main Street from Collins Ave to Fourth Ave NW. These flowers add to the aesthetic appeal of the community, and studies show that flowers can drive people into areas.

“We receive many compliments on the flowers every summer,” says City Administrator Jim Neubauer, “They truly do add to the vibrancy of downtown Mandan.”

City staff plan on hanging the flower baskets by the end of May or beginning of June. View photos and learn more at cityofmandan.com/mandanflowers. 

Photographers of all ages and experience levels are invited to enter Mandan’s third annual photo contest by capturing special features in the community and surrounding areas in Morton County. The contest is open through Aug. 18, 2023. 

“The contest is a great way to capture the things people love about what makes our community great,” says contest chair Rena Mehlhoff, a member of the Mandan Tomorrow – Leadership, Pride and Image (LPI) Committee.

Category winners will receive $100 in Mandan Bucks gift certificates.

New this year are two exhibition photo categories: winter and pets. These photos should fall into one of the five main categories, but include things to do and see in the winter in Mandan, and photos of pets. The top five winter and pet exhibition photos meeting contest parameters will be included in the voting for people’s choice. 

Memorial Highway reconstruction continues to be top-of-mind for City staff and leaders. The North Dakota Department of Transportation, City of Mandan and consultant firm HDR Engineering, Inc. continue working on stormwater drainage challenges.

“With very large and complex projects such as this, the planning challenges tend to warrant extensive design and review in order to be confident in any change to the plan,” says City Engineer Justin Froseth.

The start of construction has been pushed back to address these challenges. Work will be done in phases and the corridor will remain open to two-way traffic throughout construction with access maintained for businesses.

Information on the Memorial Highway reconstruction project is available at cityofmandan.com/roadprojects. 

Spring Clean-Up Week is now May 15-20. Residents may place bulky items at the boulevard curb on their garbage collection day. Items cannot be placed in the alleyway and must be kept separate from household garbage.

Learn more at cityofmandan.com/cleanup.

Mandan’s road work is lighter this year compared to recent years, but you will still see some road work and projects being completed around the city this summer:

North Central Mandan. As part of Street Improvement District 232, preventative maintenance and some full depth improvements from Sunset Drive to Eighth Ave NE and I-94 south to Division Street NW.

Plainview area. Street maintenance work continues, with the focus this summer being 27^th Street SE from Eighth Ave SE to 14^th Ave and south toward their respective dead ends. The portion of 14^th Ave SE from 19^th Street to 27^th Street will also see improvements, as well as Eastview Place SE.

19^th Street Trail Phase II. Residents in southeast Mandan will see phase II of the 19^th Street Trail come to life this summer. This work will pick up where phase I left off, extending the trail on the south side of 19^th Street from Macedonia Ave SE to Hwy 6.   

Please remember to use caution when driving in construction zones.

Updates on these projects may be provided, periodically, at cityofmandan.com. Please contact the Engineering Department at 701-667-3225 with questions. 

The City’s grounds maintenance staff works diligently to keep Mandan Union Cemetery looking nice, but would like to share some reminders for residents:

• Floral items may be placed on graves no earlier than seven days prior to the following holidays: Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Memorial Day. Staff will dispose of remaining items within 14 days after the holiday.
• Floral and commemorative items attached to headstones and placed in a way that allows for unobstructed mowing and trimming can be placed anytime, but will be removed when they become unsightly or faded.
• Fresh flowers may be placed on gravesites at any time, but no wrapping, plastic or glass containers are allowed.
• Ground level planting of annuals is permitted on the east side of headstones. The maximum planting area is the length of the headstone and no wider than 8 inches.  
• Borders or rocks are not permitted.
• Planting of trees, shrubs or any permanent plantings is not permitted on gravesites.

A three-person crew based out of the Grounds Maintenance building is responsible for maintaining all City-owned landscape areas among many other responsibilities. As the city grows, these areas multiply as well. The Community Beautification Committee is seeking volunteers to help maintain these areas, such as the welcome areas on both ends of Main Street.

“I’ve identified approximately 35 areas throughout the city that volunteers can help out with,” says Grounds Maintenance Superintendent Jason Herman.

A few garden club and Boy Scout groups have indicated interest in volunteering, but many areas remain. Volunteers will help keep the areas looking nice by pulling weeds and picking up garbage a few times throughout the year. Volunteers may plant low-maintenance plants or shrubs in the area they are maintaining.



City staff are working on a map of the landscape areas and anticipate posting it to cityofmandan.com/maps in the near future. For those interested in volunteering, please email jason.herman@cityofmandan.com or call 701-667-3240 ext 7.

The annual Touch-a-Truck event is taking place Saturday, May 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Mandan. A quiet time with no horns or sirens is planned from 10-11 a.m. The event offers children an up-close, hands-on opportunity to explore heavy machinery, safety vehicles and other cool trucks, as well as ask questions of the people who operate the machines. Admission is free. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Aid Incorporated food pantry. 

Kick off the Summer Reading Program, June 3

Join Morton Mandan Public Library for the Summer Reading Program kick-off on Saturday, June 3 in Dykshoorn Park. The theme for this year is “All Together Now.” Register for the kick-off event at mortonmandan.librarycalendar.com.

Registration for the all-ages summer reading program is available at mortonmandanlibrary.beanstack.org/reader365. The first day to log reading for the program is June 5 and runs through July 28. The library will celebrate the end of the program with another picnic in the park on Aug. 10 from 4-7 p.m.

For more information, follow Morton Mandan Public Library on Facebook or call 701-667-5365. 

Custer Health is now Western Plains Public Health!

They may have a new name, but they're the same familiar faces and are still dedicated to ensuring healthy communities through promotion, protection, and prevention. Western Plains Public Health has been providing essential health services in Morton, Grant, Mercer, Oliver and Sioux counties in North Dakota since 1950. 

If you’d like to know more, head to westernplainsph.org, like Western Plains Public Health on Facebook or call 701-667-3370.

New

• Central Station, 111 Collins Ave
• Kylene Wolf Photo and Rose James & Co, LLC, 108 1^st Ave NW

Expanding

• Kids in Motion Pediatric Therapy & Wellness, 1810 E Main St

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