Washburn prepares for man camps
By Michael Johnson, Editor
The regularity of man camps in conversations has Washburn commissioners thinking about ways to be prepared if and when the camps come to town. Commissioner Ray Hager wanted to bring up the topic for discussion to get an idea of ordinances that other communities have that eliminate future problems. He mentioned, and had on hand, an ordinance from Glen Ullin. That ordinance prohibits crew housing facilities or “man camps” except on R-4, R-5, commercial or industrial properties. Any application for such housing would go through the city planning and zoning for approval, then the city commission. Commissioner Derek Laning was not opposed to a man camp, he wanted to make sure that they could handle the addition in the community. City public works superintendent Bryan Rothmann said that the city’s new water treatment facility was capable of taking on a great deal more if a large development were to come. He also mentioned that if oil companies are interested in filling their water tanks in Washburn, they are ready to keep up with high demand.
