The Dell Rapids City Council voted to table a decision on the new comfort station during their regular meeting on Monday, July 17th.  The comfort station was planned to be built at Rickeman Field sometime this year.  The city had put the project out for bid and had received bids for the project, however, the bids came back higher than expected.

The city had budgeted $240,000 for a combined project of adding a new comfort station and expanding the campground.  The city has received a $75,000 grant from the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks department to offset some of the costs.  The rest of the budgeted amount would be covered by city funds.  Last year the city received bids of around $99,000 on a design that was not done by a structural engineer.  The council at that time felt the costs were too high and moved the project to 2017.  Over the winter the city had a structural engineer help design a building for the new comfort station to make sure the building could withstand high winds so it could be used as a safety shelter for campers.  The bids for the new design received by the city were double the bids received last year.

“I would like to table the whole thing because I don’t like it at all.  We’re going to burn $240,000 on this thing.  We already spent $12,000 on engineering this thing.  I haven’t been up there, but I’ve just heard that Flandreau recently built something in their park.  I’d like to know where.  I’d like to know if that’s subject to getting hit by a flood sometime, and I understand it was a pretty reasonable deal.  I understand Baltic has just had plans drawn.  I don’t know if they’re building it.  Their plans cost them about $300.  They’re going to be building something out by their ballparks.  I have a real problem with $250,000 tied up in a set of restrooms.  I don’t know how we got to this point.  I do remember saying no to the $12,000 worth of plans.  My opinion, I’m not in favor of it.  I think we should start over and find out what Flandreau and Baltic have done and take a look at other options.  I think it’s ridiculous to spend that much money,” said Councilman Mark Crisp.

If the council had awarded one of the bids, the cost of the project plus the utility expansion to the building would take most of the $240,000 budget and would not leave much money for the campground expansion.

“I think it’s more important to get our campground in,” added Crisp.

“These new campers have showers and bathrooms,” Councilman Gary Haak said.  “What I’m saying is that everybody that comes camping in Dell Rapids knows there are no showers.  They will have to use their own shower.”

Plans are still in place to add a couple of dump stations to the campground expansion piece of the project along with more camping spots.  The plans also include having water and electric hookups at the new camping spots.

Weiland also mentioned to the council that one stipulation of the grant from the SD Game, Fish, and Parks is the project includes showers.  He said that he’d have to talk to them if they removed the shower portion of the project.

“I think we can do this for a lot cheaper than $200,000,” Haak said.

Haak made a motion to table any decisions on the project until the August 7th meeting.  The motion was seconded by Councilman Bob Mier.  The motion was approved unanimously.