Friday morning, department heads and managers from the City of Moorhead boarded a MAT bus destined for a winding round-trip tour of Oakport Township, Tract Two, the area set for annexation into the City of Moorhead on January 1st. The tour was led by former Oakport Township Board Member Greg Anderson and Lieutenant Steve Todd from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office who oversees the patrol division and has a lot of experience responding to Oakport.
The bus tour allowed the opportunity for observing characteristics of Oakport as historical information was described during the tour, but also real-time interaction between City departments to coordinate plans for transitioning from rural township living to the new challenges and opportunities provided by living in a newly incorporated city area. The Fire Department focused on areas of access, water supply, property use, storage, and coordination with other city departments.
Chief Dusyen, one of the bus tour attendees and a resident of Tract Two, understands the concerns shared by his fellow residents. “We know that everyone is concerned about how the annexation will affect them and how they have become accustomed to living in Oakport. The Dilworth Fire Department has served residents well and we have a good working relationship with them. We will continue to serve as Dilworth has, providing service from stations that are closer and staffed 24-hours a day which will provide quicker response times. We feel that we are ready to serve the resident of Oakport.”
Anyone who has questions or fire service concerns about the upcoming annexation are encouraged to contact the Moorhead Fire Department at (218) 299-5298 or via e-mail.