The Fargo Mayor's Message

Press release from the City of Fargo:

May 17, 2021

The Fargo Fire Department swore in five new employees on Friday, May 14. Logan, Zach, Josh, Jake and Chad are the 507th to 511th firefighters to be employed by the Fargo Fire Department since it became a career fire department in 1903. The new employees all have previous firefighting or paramedic experience. The Fire Department will be conducting entrance level testing the week of October 18th. Those interested should fill out job interest information on the City of Fargo website.

As of May 13, Fargo Cass Public Health has administered 46,230 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and currently conducts twice-weekly COVID-19 vaccine clinics at its main location on 25th Street South. Vaccine is available to anyone who is currently eligible. Walks-ins are welcome but appointments are preferred. FCPH also continues to administer vaccine to individuals who are homebound as well as to those at the Cass County Jail and will complete its rural Cass County mobile missions in June. Residents are strongly encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves, family and friends.

This year continues to be a vibrant construction season with building permits up 39% to date over 2020, with residential units up 47% and new commercial permits up almost 600% at $120 million to date. Permits for the new Prairie St. Johns psychiatric hospital have been issued. The $34 million hospital is going to be constructed on the same site and will house 128 beds.

The Fargo Public Library’s outdoor temporary StoryWalk continues on the plaza near the Sodbuster statue. May’s featured book is “What Does Bunny See?” by Linda Sue Park. The temporary StoryWalk will be up from through May 31. The Library is gearing up to host the annual Summer Reading Challenge and this year’s theme is “Tails and Tales.” Participation is free and anyone interested in participating can register online starting June 7.

The Fargo Police Academy began today. The diverse group of 20 men and women will partake in an intensive, 12-week academy where they will learn about criminal and traffic laws, procedures and receive specialty training such as cultural awareness and crisis intervention. The class is expected to graduate on August 6. The department hopes to fill its vacancies with academy graduates. On May 7, two Fargo Police Officers graduated from the Police Basic Motor Operator Course in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The department will be utilizing motorcycles for traffic enforcement, directed patrols and community engagement. The department has seven trained motorcycle officers, three motorcycles and one electric bike.

During Cleanup Weeks this year, crews collected 1,087 tons of curbside debris compared to 1,201 tons in 2020. There were 669 loads of curbside debris collected; additionally, 75.63 tons of debris was hauled to the residential transfer station along with 344 carloads of debris.

Allconnect has ranked Fargo number seven on its list of the top 50 connected college towns in 2021. High-speed internet is an essential resource for college students and the degree to which students rely on the internet has increased significantly since the start of the pandemic as millions of students have been required to take courses online. The ranking was based on several factors including student population, download speeds, connection type and percent covered by highest serviceable internet type. The No. 1 connected college town was State College. Grand Forks made the list at No. 43.

This evening, we will show a video detailing the fifth and final theme of the 2021 State of the City video, which is “Leading the Region.” This is one of the five overarching strengths, which will power a STRONG 2021 for Fargo. I hope you enjoy!

This press release was produced by the City of Fargo. The views expressed here are the author’s own.