Jamestown  (CSi) Jamestown Tourism Director, Searle Swedlund is hoping a middle ground and compromise can be reached concerning the issue of keeping open, or closing the entrance gate to Frontier Village.

On Tuesday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2 Swedlund said an issue is how to protect the Village from vandals and burglaries, while keeping it accessible to visitors and tourists, and still sending a message that the Village is open year ‘round including access to the Buffalo Statue, and National Buffalo Museum.

The Village has security cameras in operation, and police regularly patrol the Village.

Swedlund added the importance of winter access to the Village.

The Frontier Village Board, and City of Jamestown have held discussions on the gate issue, and at a recent City Council Finance Committee meeting, it was decided that a committee consisting of the Police Department, National Buffalo Museum, Tourism, and the Frontier Village, and City Council representative discuss the issues, and report back to the Legal Committee.

City Attorney Leo Ryan has said the access roadway needs to be open, and that city has options of having the police chief declaring the access road, it a “play street,” or the city may do so, to keep access through the Village. Ryan said if the gate was to be opened or closed, it would need to be done by a city employee.  The  North Dakota Century Code indicates that any gates be closed overnight.

The possibility of having the gate operated electronically has also been discussed.

 

Also  on our show Tuesday, Swedlund pointed out that the roadway and retaining wall project repair project has started adjacent to Frontier Village’s, amphitheater,  with the work anticipated to be completed this month.

Grant money from the North Dakota Department of Transportation has gone toward the project costs, to shore up the wall, while filling in the large hole in the pavement next to the wall.

Swedlund said that Tourism continues to work on promoting sites in Jamestown that are available to tourists, not found anywhere else, in addition to the Buffalo Statue.

He suggested that connections to Jamestown may include having private industry and businesses becoming more involved in promoting Jamestown.