The Dell Rapids Board of Education meets in regular session tonight (Monday) at 7:00 pm. It appears it should be a routine meeting with a couple of items that will be considered. The Haven Program will be discussed as well as the topic of resurfacing the track. There will be administrative reports as well.
Cootie Days Comes to an End
Cootie Days/Crazy Days was held on Friday, June 8th and Saturday, June 9th in Dell Rapids. The carnival in the park had beautiful weather during the day and evening on Friday. While the wind picked up on Saturday, many vendors set up booths in downtown Dell Rapids to sell everything from food, jewelry, purses, candles, toys, books and more. Pictures can be found by clicking on the Photos link under the Life tab.
Train Derailed in Baltic – UPDATE
Update: An early week train derailment in Baltic closed a primary intersection causing some detouring of traffic, but Big Sioux Media was informed by Jack Parliament of LG Everist, owners of the train cars that derailed, the roadway should be open this afternoon (Friday). Three railcars left the track earlier this week causing damage to the tracks and to the road, but no injuries were reported. After uprighting the railcars, then proceeding to fix the tracks, LG Everist then finished their repairs earlier today enabling the County Road department personnel to finishing asphalting the road for usage.
Update: Big Sioux Media spoke with Captain James Hookman of the Minnehaha Sheriff’s Department and was told that late this morning (Wednesday) the three rail cars that derailed yesterday in Baltic have been uprighted. The crews will now begin repairing track and it is possible the roads through that area could be reopened late Thursday or sometime Friday. Big Sioux Media will keep you updated on other developments as well.
The train derailment in Baltic occurred Tuesday afternoon and motorists will be detoured around the area, but are also being asked to stay away from the wreckage. Barricades were set up east and west of the derailment as the tracks run through the western edge of Baltic. No injuries were reported, but there was substantial damage to the tracks and road. More information from LG Everist and law enforcement personnel will be made available later today.
State Historical Society Awards Historic Preservation Grants
PIERRE–Historic preservation projects in Dell Rapids, Esmond, Faith, Huron, Sisseton and Yankton recently received matching grants from the South Dakota State Historical Society, as announced by Jay D. Vogt, director of the Society.
“This is the 15th year for this historic preservation grants program,” Vogt said. “In 2011 we awarded approximately $122,000 between 10 projects which will result in a total public-private investment of over $299,000. This program is designed to encourage restoration or rehabilitation of historic properties and is one more way we can promote and protect our history and culture.”
The grants are awarded through the State Historical Society’s Deadwood Fund grant program. Funding for the program is from Deadwood gaming revenue earmarked by state law for historic preservation projects throughout the state. The program is administered by the State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.
The following projects were the most recent to receive grants:
Dell Rapids: Dieson Block/Dell Rapids Museum, $6,000 for repointing and plaster repair;
Esmond: Esmond Methodist Church, $1,785 for protection of original wood siding and decorative wood shingling;
Faith: Minneapolis Brewing Company Warehouse, $9,000 for repair of roof, fascia, windows and openings, interior wood, HVAC system, and foundation;
Huron: Campbell Park Band Shell, $7,000 to stabilize deteriorated concrete base and to seal structure’s envelope by replacing deteriorated materials, installing flashing, and painting;
Sisseton: Stavig House Museum, $20,856 to seal building envelope through work on roof, gutter, windows, painting, and site drainage;
Yankton: Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, $25,000 for roof repair and replacement of slate roof.
Deadwood Fund grants are awarded twice a year with grant application deadlines of Feb. 1 and Oct. 1. They are reviewed at the spring and winter meetings of the State Historical Society’s board of trustees. For more information on the Deadwood Fund grant program, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center, 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; telephone (605) 773-3458; or website www.history.sd.gov/Preservation.
Editor’s Note: Photos of any of these properties are available upon request. More-detailed releases about each property and a photo are being sent to the property’s local media.
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The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism. The Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council, and the State Historical Society. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. The State Historical Society is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.
Bridge by City Park Reopened
As some travelers were trying to access the bridge by the city park late yesterday, they were being detoured around as the bridge was closed. Big Sioux Media was able to find out that the state was doing some borings, and a gas line was ruptured. Repairs had to be made to the gas line and the bridge reopened last night…and is open for regular use again today (Thursday).
Cory Van Duyn Selected as Top Investor
Barron’s is an American weekly newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company founded in 1921. It covers U.S. financial information, market developments, and relevant statistics. Each issue provides a wrap-up of the previous week’s market activity, news reports, and an informative outlook on the week to come
Barron’s publishes four financial advisor rankings each year: The Top 100, The Top 100 Women, The Top 100 Independents and The Top 1,000, in which advisors are ranked on a state-by-state basis. The rankings are based on data provided by individual advisors and their firms. Advisor data is confirmed via regulatory databases, cross-checks with securities firms and conversations with individual advisors.
Congratulations to Cory Van Duyn of Edward Jones in Dell Rapids as being selected as one of the top five in the state of South Dakota. (http://online.barrons.com/
Vandalism in City Park
The Dell Rapids Garden Club spent one summer afternoon placing flowers in the 11 planters at the main city park. The club has purchased, planted and maintained the planters for over 20 years as part of a beautification project for the city of Dell Rapids. But it can be a time consuming task since the club takes the time to water these planters three times a week. However, one club member explained, “We want to share our joy of planting and growing flowers with the city.”
Sadly there have recently been problems with this project … vandalism! Twice in the two weeks since the flowers 
were planted, several plants have been pulled out and thrown. This week the plants were destroyed by someone walking on the top of the flowers which meant the flowers had to be replaced.
The Dell Rapids Garden Club intends to keep beautifying the park with plants and color and they ask for your help. If you see someone playing in the planters, please tell them to stop. If you see something happening and you feel like you don’t want to say something, you can call the Sheriff’s department, they have been notified of these incidents and will be patrolling the park more often.
Please help us keep our beautiful park a safe and joyful, beautiful and fun place for all citizens of Dell Rapids.
City Council Meeting Minutes
Dell Rapids City Administrator, Justin Weiland, told Big Sioux Media the permit requests that were on Monday night’s agenda were all approved for special events in June. Also, the council discussed and passed a resolution pertaining to opt-out of the property tax to help pay for the addition and renovation of the local library. The following is the resolution posted by the city including an election date in July:
ATTENTION TAXPAYERS:
NOTICE OF
PROPERTY TAX INCREASE
OF $60,000
RESOLUTION FOR OPT OUT
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DELL RAPIDS, SOUTH DAKOTA, do state that the City Council is unable to operate under the tax limitation measure currently in state statute. We therefore OPT OUT of such tax limitation in the amount of $60,000 per year starting with calendar year 2012 taxes payable in the calendar year 2013. This opt out will be for 20 years, which will be through taxes payable in the calendar year 2032. This action has been taken by the City Council and approved by at least a two-thirds vote of the City Council.
As provided in SDCL 10-13-36, the City Council has elected to refer the proposed opt-out to a vote of the people. The referral election will be held on July 17, 2012.
If the opt-out is approved by the voters, the county auditor will be authorized to spread an excess levy to raise tax dollars in the above stated amount.
Polls Open until 7:00 pm
An important day for South Dakotans is today with the South Dakota Primaries. Registered voters will be going to the polls until 7pm tonight to cast ballots with one change this year. Independents can vote in the Democratic Primary for the first time. There isn’t the suspense and drama in this 2012 election as there was in 2008 when voters had the Presidential candidates making stops in the state as the race for the Democratic Presidential hopeful was still up for grabs between now-President Obama vs Hillary Clinton. Now, in 2012, people once again have choices and decisions to make….starting in the Primaries today and the General election in November.
June Full of Events in Dell Rapids
June becomes a very active month for the Dell Rapids area with events like the Downtown Crazy Days and Cootie Days going on the latter part of this week. This following a successful Little League Tournament that was completed Sunday afternoon (see results & photos under the Sports tab). By Father’s Day weekend, the Tour de Kota will start their annual bike trek in Dell Rapids (and conclude in Dell Rapids as well). Quarry Days is another huge event that continues to add to the excitement for residents and out-of-towners looking for that special family time (check out Quarry Days under the community news tab).
Chamber President, Charlie Pleskac, told Big Sioux Media that a new event added to the line-up is a concert following the baseball game between the two amateur baseball teams. The concert will feature Kory and the Fireflies on stage Friday night, June 22nd. At a recent city council meeting discussion of security was discussed and as Pleskac told us that volunteers will staff the event. Big Sioux Media will be having updates on this concert plus other events as we draw closer to the dates including Mud Races and a Street Dance on Saturday night.