Finding a place to live in the Bakken region of North Dakota can be tough. More and more oilfield workers are now living out of RVs as they work in the oilfields.
While there are outdoor RV parks in the region, the RVs can get a little toasty in the summer and quite cold in winter. But a group of local business partners is providing a solution for some lucky campers.
About one year ago the ND Indoor RV Park opened in Watford City, N.D.
“A relative of one of the partners – joking – thought it would be a good idea to park an RV inside a pole barn to escape the elements,” says Louis Bonneville, managing partner for the park. “Obviously that was not practical due to potential health and safety issues.”
But that joke got the ball rolling, and the business is now providing indoor RV parking and living in a climate-controlled environment.
“So many people thought we were crazy,” Bonneville says.
The park features 10 buildings that are sectioned into bays for fire protection, carbon monoxide and smoke detection, along with air exchange ventilation for the safety and comfort of tenants.
Each bay houses three RV pads with locked overhead doors and service doors for each pad. The buildings are insulated, heated and lit with halogen lighting. A total of 236 indoor pads are available.
“The Indoor RV Park allows our tenants to live in a comfortable and secure environment inside their RVs with shelter from the elements year-round,” Bonneville says.
The park also offers 70 outdoor RV pads to accommodate those who prefer to be outdoors. Outdoor tenants are given priority to move indoors when pads become available.
The indoor spots cost $1,250 to $1,450 per month in the winter and $1,000 to $1,300 per month in the summer with all utilities included. Outdoors spots cost $900 per month with water, sewer and electricity included.
“The significant housing shortage in the Bakken has afforded an opportunity to create a successful business model,” Bonneville says. “Many of our tenants have commented that they would move back home for the winter months if not for the comforts that we offer them.”
The RV park has also allowed many oilfield workers to bring their spouses and kids with them. “They wouldn’t have done that if they had to park in an outdoor RV park,” Bonneville says.
A large commons building is available to all tenants for socializing. Within the commons building there is a Laundromat, postal service, and gathering room with couches, recliners, large flat screen TV, pool tables, video gaming machines, vending machines, exercise equipment and restrooms.
“The children use the commons building year-round to escape the confines of their RVs,” Bonneville says. “The children also gather inside the building every morning during the school year as they wait for the school bus. The park is very family friendly.”
Plans are in the works to add a playground in the spring.
Bonneville says the park didn’t spring up overnight. There was a significant amount of time and expense with the design of the buildings to conform to the strict codes of the North Dakota Department of Health. The park is fully approved by the health department.
“To our knowledge, the ND Indoor RV Park currently is the only RV park of its kind in any state,” Bonneville says.
Business has been steady between both winter and summer months, with just as many people trying to escape the heat and humidity as there are trying to stay out of the snow and cold.
“One would think that there would be a higher demand during the winter months; however, our experience has been that there is a strong demand year-round,” Bonneville says. “Our tenants are warm in the winter and comfortable in the summer living inside our buildings. No more frozen water or sewer pipes, no RV skirting, no fire threat from heaters under their RVs parked outdoors, no snow shoveling and no propane tanks to fill – those are some of the advantages.”
The park also does background checks on tenants and the buildings provide extra security.
Currently their only location is in Watford City, but Bonneville says the partners have given consideration to building additional indoor RV parks in the Bakken and will decide at some point in the future where to go.
For more information on the park, go to www.ndindoorrvpark.com.
