Fargo Commissioners Approve 2023 Budget, Look at Options To Save Historic House

Stern Flood Wall 100322

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Fargo City Commissioners pass the city’s nearly $112 million 2023 General Fund Budget, a 7% increase over 2022.

The biggest increases are in employee salaries and benefits.

They were also presented with a couple of alternatives to save an historic house.

John and Sherri Stern own the house built in 1958 by Elizabeth Wright Ingraham, the granddaughter of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.

It was headed for a buyout and demolition to make room for a flood levee to protect the Belmont neighborhood and nearby water plant.

One of the alternative ideas is to build the flood wall in “front” of the house.

It’s on the lower end of the plans which range from $1.1 million to nearly $5 million.

John Stern addressed the commission saying, “Financially we’d be better off taking the money and running but I don’t think the community, the city or the taxpayer would be better off.”

Commissioner John Strand thanked him for working to save a piece of history and said, “Send that message out that we embrace history, that we celebrate it and honor it when we can versus just demolishing history because it’s easy.”

Commissioners didn’t vote on an alternative plan Monday tonight but did give the green light to move the issue forward for consideration.

Two other Wright-Ingraham built houses in Moorhead were lost to flood control projects.

Categories: Local News, North Dakota News