Bryan McCoy moves out of an RV park in Williston, N.D., on Monday after he was told it is closing. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

WILLISTON, N.D. – Residents of about 30 RVs are abruptly moving out this week after the owner told them he’s closing the camp because it was recently annexed into city limits.

Owner Kenny Willard said he told residents they need to start moving out of the camp that’s adjacent to his home in northwest Williston. His property is now within the city limits of the oil boom town, where living in an RV is illegal and subject to a $500 per day fine.

Williston Mayor Ward Koeser said city leaders have not taken any action to force the campers to move or to begin enforcing other ordinances in the recently annexed area.

“We’re going to give people time to respond if they need to make changes,” Koeser said. “Until we get a chance to review a number of issues, we probably won’t be doing anything.”

But Willard said he feared he would be subject to fines if he didn’t remove the campers from his property.

“I’m not going to put myself into that predicament,” Willard said. “I can’t put myself into the jeopardy of losing everything that I worked for all my life because I tried to help someone.”

Willard said he gave residents varying levels of notice to move out, ranging from 24 hours to 30 days, depending on when they had paid rent.

Many residents said Willard didn’t warn them about how the annexation would affect the camp, but Willard said, “Everyone has been talking about it for six months.”

Resident Bryan McCoy who moved from Grand Forks to Williston for “money, just like everybody else,” said he was aware of the annexation, but Willard told him the camp would stay open until spring or summer. McCoy said Willard also indicated he was going to open another camp and that McCoy was going to be one of the first ones to live there because he always paid rent.

McCoy had several days before he had to move out, but he has already quit his job working for an oilfield service company, given away his camper. He left Williston on a train Monday.

“It’s a joke,” McCoy said.

Residents paid $700 a month plus utilities to rent a space that did not include water or sewer hookups. The park had two portable toilets and residents could shower, wash dishes and do laundry in Willard’s home during designated hours. A series of extension cords powered the park and McCoy said the power often went out.

A series of extension cords powers about 30 campers in an RV park in Williston, N.D., that is closing. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

City officials became concerned about sanitation and safety within RV camps that popped up throughout Williston as it grew rapidly with people looking for oil-boom related jobs. Those concerns prompted the city to make it illegal to live in campers within city limits. The ordinance took effect Sept. 1.

Single mother Jess Dougherty said she received one day’s notice to move out with her son, Tyler, a high school sophomore.

“We didn’t get any warning,” Dougherty said.

Dougherty, of Idaho, works as a janitor and for a cleaning service but can’t make ends meet in Williston, even with two jobs.

“We’d be living like kings anywhere else,” she said.

Dougherty said she wasn’t sure where she and her son would move.

“We’re going to try and fight it but it’s tempting to go back home or anywhere else,” Dougherty said.

Resident Ryan Greenwood, who was helping his neighbors move out, said he has until today to leave the camp. The Montana man said he had to abruptly move once before when he was living in a camper in the county.

“It’s a fact of life in Williston,” Greenwood said.

Ryan Greenwood, left, and Tyler Dougherty work on moving a camper out of an RV park in Williston, N.D., on Monday. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

WILLISTON, N.D. – Williston’s booming population could be as high as nearly 44,000 people in 2017, according to a North Dakota State University study.

The population of Williams County could be as high as 70,000 in five years, according to analysis by the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics presented to city leaders this week. The projections are triple the population figures from the 2010 census.

The figures include permanent residents and temporary workers related to the region’s oil boom.

Current estimates show that Williston has about 33,000 people, including both permanent residents and workers who have homes elsewhere, according to the NDSU study.

Williams County, including the city of Williston, is home to as many as 51,000 people, including those in crew camps and RVs.

“There’s a lot of people in Williston and Williams County right now, perhaps more than people thought,” said NDSU assistant research professor Nancy Hodur, who was asked by the city to develop projections.

Williston Mayor Ward Koeser said city leaders need population estimates, including the number of temporary residents, to plan how large to build a sewage treatment plant, how many police and city staff to add and other city services.

City leaders also wanted some population estimates they can present to legislators for requests for funding, Koeser said.

“Realistically, no one knows for sure,” Koeser said of population projections. “But we still think it’s very important to try to plan.”

The 2010 U.S. census put Williston’s population at 14,716.

Census figures have underestimated Williston’s population because demographics are changing quickly and the census does not count workers who live in temporary housing, Hodur said. But the number of temporary workers is important for leaders to know because they also use city services, she said.

“Things are changing so fast. They need to have some sort of idea of a headcount so they can plan for infrastructure, public services and managing the buildout,” said Hodur, who did the analysis with fellow NDSU researcher Dean Bangsund.

In April, the Census Bureau called Williston the fastest-growing micro area in the country. Census estimates show Williams County grew 8.8 percent between April 1, 2010 and July 1, 2011, not including temporary workers.

The NDSU study estimates population using two models, the first based on employment demands for the oil industry, and the second using information from the city and county about how much housing has been added, including crew camps and RV parks.

Population projections from the two models were similar, Hodur said.

The NDSU study did not do projections past five years.

“Any further than that, you’re guessing about what’s going to happen,” she said.

NDSU researchers also are working with western North Dakota school districts, including Williston, to provide estimates of future school enrollment.

The analysis shows that of Williston’s current population of about 33,000, about 18,000 of those are permanent residents.

Koeser said he was surprised to see the permanent population number that low, but he didn’t dispute the figure.

“The big factor is how many of these temporary residents can we transition to permanent?” Koeser said.

Williston’s population projections could change if the community doesn’t build enough housing, Hodur said.

“You’ve got a mobile workforce,” she said. “If housing isn’t there, they’ll go elsewhere.”

The housing projects that are being developed in the Williston area are in line with population projections, Hodur said.

“In the near term, it doesn’t appear that the city is in danger of way overbuilding,” she said.
Williston added 1,300 housing units in 2011 and has more than 1,400 housing units that were built or are under construction this year, said Shawn Wenko, deputy director for Williston Economic Development.

The city estimates it will add 2,000 housing units in 2013, Wenko said.
Koeser said he believes the city will catch up on housing in a couple of years, particularly with apartments.

“I don’t know if the price will be down yet, but I think you’ll at least be able to rent an apartment,” Koeser said.

Population estimates

Williston 2010 Census: 14,716
Williams County 2010 Census (including Williston): 22,398

2012 Williston service* population: 25,349 to 33,547
2012 Williams County service population: 49,320 to 51,061

2017 Williston service population projection: 39,678 to 43,993
2017 Williams County service population projection: 66,690 to 70,110

Source: NDSU Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics
* Service population includes temporary workers. Census figures do not count temporary workers.