3.2.3 Region 3 - Devils Lake

Region 3 is a six-county region located in north central North Dakota (Figure 3.11). Counties in the region include Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Ramsey, Rolette, and Towner. The region has a total surface area of 6,875 square miles. With 43,168 residents, the region has 6.3 residents per square mile.

The region's largest city and primary shopping and medical center is Devils Lake.

With an estimated 2003 population of 6,971, Devils Lake is, by far, the state's smallest regional hub. Many of the area's residents travel to Grand Forks for medical services. A copy of the minutes from Region 3 Focus Group meeting is presented in Appendix G.

The region encompasses two Native American reservations. The Turtle Mountain Reservation is located in Rolette County and the Spirit Lake Reservation is located in Benson, Eddy, and Ramsey Counties.

Figure 3.12 illustrates number of people within the region who are potentially transportation disadvantaged. The potentially disadvantaged include three groups of residents: 12,075 disabled residents or 28 percent of the population, 6,991 senior residents or 16.2 percent of the population, 8,862 low-income residents or 20.5 percent of the population. There may be some overlap as these are not three separate and distinct groups.

This region's low income population, at 20.5 percent (8,862/43168) is significantly larger than any other region, Figure 3.12. The next highest is Region 1 at 15.9 percent and then Region 8 at 12.7percent. Over 29 percent of Benson County's population is classified as a low-income; 31 percent of Rolette County's population is low-income.⁴⁷

There are no fixed-route bus systems in the region. Intercity bus and rail services are available on a daily basis between Devils Lake and Grand Forks and between Devils Lake and Minot. Taxi services are available in Devils Lake.

Eleven entities provide public transportation services in the region. These entities, as shown in Appendix A, are loosely coordinated through a brokerage service - North Central Planning Region. While North Central assists each operator with grant applications and certain administrative functions, each service operates independently. Except for the taxi operators in Devils Lake, these services are primarily local dial-a-ride/paratransit systems which provide local transportation and trips to Devils Lake. As Table 3.5 indicates, the region has 28 vehicles which are being operated to provide local public transit services.

Region 3 has seven nursing homes, four basic care facilities, three assisted living homes, and four residential facilities for developmentally disabled residents. Several of these entities operate vehicles to provide transportation services for their residents.

Table 3.5 Number of Vehicles by Agency in Region 3

* NH = nursing home, BC = basic care, AL = assisted living, DD = developmental disabilities, and T = transit.
NR = No Response to Survey
† = They coordinate rides with Senior Meals and Service

Table 3.6 summarizes the amount of money is available to support public transportation services in Region 3. With only $394,054 available, only Region 1 has less money to support local public transportation. This level of support equals $9.57 per capita. State aid is the region's primary funding source, followed by Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 monies.

Table 3.6 Region 3Transportation Dollars

As is the case with all of the state's eight regions, additional money flows into the region to reimburse area residents for transportation costs incurred to access various federal programs, including auto repair and insurance premium for personal vehicles. These reimbursements for vehicle repair and other transportation costs amount to:

• Vocational Rehabilitation (DHS) - $5,732
• TANF and JOBS (DHS) - $495,388
• Workforce Investment Act (JSND) - $2,539

As indicated earlier, there is a loose degree of coordination among the region's public transportation services. This coordination exists solely because of the grant application and administration services brokered through North Central Planning Services of Devils Lake. Except for this affiliation, the region's public transportation services operate independently from one another.