WILLISTON, ND ( KXNET ) — A city that has exploded in growth by 210% since 2010 is continuing to grow through infrastructure, emergency management, and economic development.

Those are just some of the main topics Williston leaders talked about on Tuesday in their 2024 State of the City address.

The Williston Fire and Police Chief’s showed just how much need there is for more emergency responders for both departments.

In fact, they say that Fire Department calls for service have almost doubled since 2015, and had an even bigger call volume than Minot last year.

The same goes for police response calls, with more than 40,000 coming in last year — that’s about 105 calls a day.

They say they are now hoping to train firemen and EMT’s through high school programs in order to retain crew members.

“This year we are starting our firefighter-one program with our CTE complex level high school,” said the Chief of the Williston Fire Department, Matt Clark. “This is an opportunity for us to grow the membership of our department, to grow and provide real trade positions to our folks as soon as they graduate from high school. What we found is the ones that we are able to train here, keep here, and retain here, are the ones are invested in this community and are able to stay with us.”

Another big project in process is Williston Square , an 800-acre commercial and residential district in the center of the city.

This project has been underway since 2020, and more than $67 million has been invested into the infrastructure. The plan includes office, business, and recreation sites, along with new restaurants, houses, and a medical facility. This is also where the new elementary school will be built.

48 acres of the square has already been sold or is under contract, according to Williston’s website. Leaders say important road construction around the square, in order to make it functional, is the next step, and is set to start next year.

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