NoiseInsideMyHead

"Map out and gather input for the potential selection...." A bit of a leap in logic to suggest that this Task Force will be directly involved in the selection. As annoying as this verbiage is, the fact that there are so many words preceding "adoption" and "selection" in the two clauses definitely indicates that nobody is yet willing to commit to anything.

Yes, and no. Per the press release on the UND website (http://und.edu/news/2014/09/nickname-logo-task-force.cfm): The University of North Dakota has announced the formation of a Task Force to participate in the development of a process for the potential adoption of a new nickname and logo.

Amen on Firehouse. GF needs one STAT! As I think a bit more, it occurs to me that no fewer than six chains have scaled back their presence in the past few years, and nobody would ever accuse the Grand Forks restaurant market of having been over-developed to begin with: Applebees Taco Bell Arby's Perkins Pita Pit Quiznos Again, not singing the praises of any of these, but it seems we should be going in the other direction, especially given our oft-cited growth.

http://www.newson6.com/story/26607295/osage-nation-to-boycott-fedex-over-support-for-washington-redskins-name When it absolutely, positively has to get off the reservation overnight, you'd better use UPS.

Another one bites the dust...Quiznos on Washington has closed, leaving only one location at 32nd & Columbia. This is reminiscent of Pita Pit, which closed two locations north of 17th in favor of a new 32nd Ave. store. Also, the Herald reported recently that Italian Moon is for sale, and the I-29 Perkins reportedly has now closed. I'm not saying that Quiznos is anything more than a run-of-the-mill chain sandwich shop, but the vacancies do seem to be piling up along Washington. What are the chances of getting decent replacements? Anybody heard of plans? The Perkins is interesting because I think most of us viewed the new Walmart as signaling a complete revival on the NW side of town. I know the owners were quoted as saying they simply didn't want to spend the money to bring the restaurant up to current, corporate standards. But, still.

One word: Superfund.

Nokes?

Stop the presses, boys. http://youtu.be/FpG5lszNi_4?t=30s

Not a bad thought…maybe we could do the whole Prince thing (he knows a bit about changing names), change our color to purple, and call our women's teams the Darling Nikkis. Fight song could be "I Would Die 4 U" with everyone changing the last word to Sioux. Is he even using that symbol anymore? It may be ours for the taking! And it would piss off the Gophers, too.

I'm not going to hold my breath, but if this story gains traction, it might be enough to move the NCAA down the road to Tallahassee. I had to do a double take the other day when it dawned on me that the "Cowboys Classic" was actually being played cowboy (OK State) vs. indian (FSU) style. Where is the uproar?

Be careful with that. You yell the words "fire Bubba" in the wrong place and you're liable to clear out every trailer and country bar in a five mile radius.

Not so good for the winter sports teams…blow up every January. (Too soon?)

I think it's the incessant whining that is the crime, although many of us have been guilty at one time or another so we ain't exactly throwing stones here. There are only two ways to defend against unwelcome encroachment (i.e., progress, development, road widening, multi-family, commercial, industrial) on one's castle…(1) find a fully platted, fully zoned residential neighborhood and build right in the middle with lots of like-minded neighbors, and (2) buy a huge tract of undeveloped land and build right in the middle with lots of natural barriers on all sides. Otherwise, the encroachment is completely foreseeable and caveat emptor applies. It's not rocket science.

I can't see them putting in the bridge/bypass that far north. That would defeat the purpose. Safest bet seems to be pulling traffic off of I-29 at Merrifield, running along the elevated dike with interchanges at Columbia and Washington, and then crossing the Red near the Country Club. There is already at least one 'future bridge' advisory sign out there.

The Hunters. Is Fred Dryer still alive…I have a good idea for a mascot.

The bridge will facilitate a bypass around GF for truck traffic, namely, the endless convoy of trucks that 'beet' a path down Washington and Demers every year during the harvest. It will also connect the current growth area / retail economic engine of GF (32nd Ave corridor) to residents of EGF and vicinity, possibly even spurring further development to the south on the Minnesota side of the river. People who wouldn't even think of buying/building in MN now might reconsider if there were better access to the parts of GF where they wanted to go. Have some vision, and you will see the forest and those trees.

This could work. In keeping with the minivan theme, I think we need a new poll. Voyagers Caravans Towns & Countries Siennas Previas MPVs Odysseys Quests Routans Vanagons Astros Safaris Aerostars Windstars TransSports Silhouettes Personally, I like the Odyssey.

UND has thus far stated only that it is not in a hurry and that there is not yet any selection process underway. As annoying as the 'let's form a planning committee so it can form another committee' approach can be, time (or open records -- wink, wink) will tell if the game has been rigged as you suggest. Personally, I'm willing to reserve judgment until there is much more information available.

Even if one concedes that the settlement agreement controls and that UND is contractually obligated to select a new name, the NCAA has already punted big time on the retention of imagery at REA and has, at least tacitly, permitted the selection 'timeline' to go unmet. (There was no exception in the agreement for legislative meddling, as I recall.) Is there any reason to believe that the NCAA cares enough to chase after UND and actually file a lawsuit to enforce the settlement agreement by affirmatively requiring a name selection, especially if having a nickname is not required by association rules or bylaws? At the very least, the NCAA would not have any bullying power in the form of sanctions…any relief would have to come from a court.

Funny thing about the settlement…it clearly states that UND will get permission or "will announce that its Athletic Department will transition to a new nickname and logo which do not violate the Policy." Even if tribal approval was granted but later revoked, UND would then have had one year "to complete transition to a new nickname and logo." Having no name -- either permanently or indefinitely -- does not even appear to have been contemplated, yet the settlement agreement also does not affirmatively state that having a nickname is an absolute NCAA requirement. Does anybody know if there is an NCAA rule or bylaw that requires member institutions to have a nickname? Or did UND take it in the shorts and voluntarily agree to do something that the NCAA couldn't have ordered it to do otherwise?

There is a little bit of NIMBY going on here, though. Some of the bigger places are imposing if not cookie-cutter eyesores. Also, the concentration of most of these high-density complexes on the south side is only going to put more pressure on the N-S arterials sooner than single-family development, and neither Columbia nor Washington is going to be widened any time soon. In fact, I don't think they will have the short strip of Columbia by Altru done for a couple more years. Growth is usually good; smart growth is always better.

I don't question the development or even the need, generally, but it is the massive scale that really gets your attention. The Grove, the large complex which borders the Canad Inn along 42nd near DeMers, is entirely marketed toward students. Walking distance to campus so a no-brainer; an obvious target demographic. Here is a selection of the rest that have recently opened and/or are underway: - Several large new buildings south of Ray Richards - again, close to campus so not a huge stretch. (Just need to keep them from trespassing on the golf course in the dead of winter.) - New complex at DeMers & Columbia, will tie into overpass for easy pedestrian access to UND - again, students are obvious target. - Couple of large buildings on Ruemmele Road south of Target. - Several (and I mean several) large buildings along 36th Ave S east of Columbia, on both sides of 20th St. - At least one large building on the north side of 36th Ave S (behind SuperOne), just west of Columbia. - A monsterplex at 47th Ave S, west of 20th (near South Middle School)(this is the one OP saw). - Large (horseshoe-shaped?) complex at 38th Ave S, just west of S Washington. - Several (?) large buildings just north of Aurora Medical Complex. This is a lot of high-density residential development that will likely outpace the roads/infrastructure in certain areas, at least in the short term. Several hundred units, all of which appear to be in the luxury segment. If you don't live nearby, or do not frequent any of these areas (esp. on the south side), I dare say you won't recognize the landscape. It really is striking and, as I said above, only time will tell.

As I recall, the vast majority of stories on the lack of housing have focused on affordable (e.g., sub-$200k) single-family housing, not multi-family megaplexes. And OP's question stands…WHO will be occupying all of these units (new residents, existing residents, students), and if there is this pent-up demand, WHERE are these people living right now? And how many of these people are really excited about $1000-1200 rents for 2BR luxury apartments?

Fair question, especially given the very modest population growth in GF. Some speculate that oil field workers will 'plant' their families in the Forks and deal with the commute every 7-10 days or so. I would say the only realistic answer is mass migration from other high-density, multi-family complexes in town (which would create its own problems), except these new 'luxury' properties are priced much higher. Supply and demand might finally work against the apartment owners and drive rents down. Only time will tell, but I would say the City and the private developers have both taken a huge gamble, and GF should have capped the permits a couple of years sooner than they did.

Nice write up. Thanks for the tip.