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BATA Taking over Dell Rapids Transit on October 1st, Holding Bus Naming Contest

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Dell Rapids Transit will be under new management beginning Thursday, October 1st, 2020. Brookings Area Transit Authority (BATA) will be taking over the responsibility.

The ticket system for rides are now tokens.  When a ride is purchased, a token will be give.  Tokens for rides can still be purchased through Dell Rapids City Hall or from the bus driver.

All rides starting on Thursday, October 1st will need to be scheduled with BATA Dispatch toll-free at 855-962-9120 or online at www.BrookingsAreaTransit.com.   Questions can be emailed to bata@brookingsareatransit.com.

As part of the change to BATA, the City of Dell Rapids is holding a contest to name the bus.  Name ideas can be submitted to city hall until Monday, September 28th at 5:00 p.m.  The new name will be announced on Thursday, October 1st.  The person who names the bus will receive 20 free rides.

Dell Rapids Chamber to Help Celebrate Small Business Week

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The Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce celebrates #DellRapidsSmallBusinessWeek to highlight area businesses and organizations that truly make it possible for Dell Rapids to be known as the Little City with Big Attractions.

The City of Dell Rapids also shows their support for this celebratory week as Mayor Tom Earley signed a proclamation, officially announcing September 21-27, 2020 as Dell Rapids Small Business Week.

“We appreciate the support and contributions our small businesses give to our Dell Rapids community. These last six months have dramatically shown us their strength and their importance in the life of Dell Rapids. Hopefully Dell Rapids Small Business Week will remind all of us about the value of spending our money locally,” noted Mayor Earley.

Dell Rapids Small Business Week will be held in conjunction with the Small Business Administration’s national Small Business Week celebration, which is typically held in May. However, due to the impacts of the coronavirus, the SBA has rescheduled their online event later this month at sba.gov. The Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate the small business owner of Rapid Fitness, Matt Beukelman, as he will be honored as SBA South Dakota’s 2020 Young Entrepreneur of the Year next week during the South Dakota Small Business Week Awards Ceremony held online, September 22nd.

In regards to his efforts over the last year, Matt Beukelman noted, “I’ve worked really hard to adapt to the changing demand for our services. Pre-COVID, I expanded the gym into a larger space to accommodate for more bodies and growing services. During COVID we have brought a lot of services online. Virtual classes, nutrition and exercise manuals, coaching materials and more are available through our new mobile app and website (RapidFitnessOnline.com). I look forward to more opportunities in the future to serve my community and expand into other areas utilizing the online platform and other emerging services that we are offering.”

“Adaptation, innovation and recovery has been the theme of 2020. The Dell Rapids Chamber is there and will continue to be for our members to support and promote their business or organization. We want to thank the Dell Rapids Community for supporting our local businesses. Their support will help our community continue to grow,” expressed Dan Ahlers, Dell Rapids Chamber President.

As so many small and locally owned chamber members sponsor youth sports teams, make community events possible through chamber memberships and sponsorships, and provide services unique to the Dell Rapids area, the chamber wanted to find a fun way to challenge the community to show their support and spotlight the businesses, organizations, and amenities offered within Dell Rapids.

During Dell Rapids Small Business Week, the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce is hosting a #DellRapidsSmallBusinessWeek $20.20 Gift Card Giveaway. To enter the giveaway contest, entrants are given six different options to show their support for area businesses and organizations from shopping local, attending events, sharing posts and following social media pages, as well as, leaving online reviews and visiting a chamber business or organization. After completing a challenge, entrants are asked to snap a photo of their completed challenge, message them to the chamber on Facebook or email them to office@dellrapidschamber.com, and share them on social media using the tag #DellRapidsSmallBuinessWeek or @DellRapidsChamber. All entrants who complete the three steps required for the giveaway will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of several gift cards. For more information about the #DellRapidsSmallBusinessWeek $20.20 Gift Card Giveaway, please visit www.DellRapidsChamber.com/SmallBusinessWeek.

Dell Rapids Library Receives New Item and Expands Hours

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Picture from Dell Rapids Carnegie Public Library Facebook page, used with permission by Library Director Brittany Moeller

The Dell Rapids Carnegie Public Library recently made two announcements on their Facebook page. 

The first announcement made was about a new book sanitizing machine.  According to Facebook announcement, the library was able to purchase a Liva Book Sterilizer machine through a Covid grant the city received.  This machine uses UV light to kill 99% of germs, bacteria, viruses, mold, and bed bugs.  All library materials can be used in the machine.  With the addition of this machine to the library, the quarantine time for returned library items  will be shortened from seven days to one day.

The other announcement made by the library was new updated hours.  Starting on Monday, September 14th, the library will be open on Mondays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and then open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  Saturday hours will be coming soon.  The extended hours add an extra 30 minutes of open time on Mondays and an hour and a half on the other days of the week.

More than 8,000 Free Meals Served at Dell Rapids School District During Pandemic

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Photo submitted by Rachelle Loutsch/Lunchtime Solutions

DELL RAPIDS, SD — More than 8,000 free meals were served to the children and families of Dell Rapids School District while schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The innovations that made that possible will help Lunchtime Solutions and Dell Rapids schools continue to provide healthy meals to students into the new school year.

“We want to make sure that keeping children well-fed is one less worry for families in such a chaotic, stressful time,” said Tammy Coyle, Vice President of Operations for Lunchtime Solutions.

Under the direction of Food Service Director Deb Emmert and kitchen staff, Dell Rapids schools held their emergency breakfast and lunch program from March 16 through May 15th.  Meals were distributed in two locations from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM each weekday. The district also provided deliveries to students who were not able to get to the schools during the designated times.

These “grab and go meals” were available because the USDA granted schools waivers to run the Summer Food Service Program, which is universally free for children ages 0-18.

“It truly was a team effort to turn our regular program served in the lunchroom into a 100 percent take-out-based option, almost overnight.”

Based in North Sioux City, Lunchtime Solutions partners with 51 districts to manage their food service programs, ranging in size from over 4,000 students to under 200. Those districts together have served 2.3 million meals to their students since mid-March. Since schools were closed across the Midwest, having access to free meals that are well-balanced and taste good has never been more important for children and their families, many of whom are still dealing with a loss of income, Coyle said.

“Almost all our schools needed and requested this service, not just the large ones,” Coyle said. “The fact that our staff have served more than 2 million meals since mid-March speaks to how much this has truly been needed.”

Coming into the fall semester, Lunchtime Solutions has worked with Dell Rapids schools to provide serving solutions that fit each location’s needs, Coyle said. Menus have been modified to reduce self-service, and social distancing has been put into effect in the lunchroom area.

“Our teams will continue to successfully adapt our programs as situations change, “she said. “We could never do this without the dedicated staff who work these programs with the help of school district staff and volunteers. Providing nutritious meals to children who may otherwise not have them is very important to us, and we know it is to the schools and communities we serve, as well.”

PHOTO CUTLINE — Photo provided by Rachelle Loutsch/Lunchtime Solutions

An assortment of food, including sandwiches, salads, fruits, vegetables, cereal and milk have been available in grab and go meals being served at Lunchtime Solutions schools.

Build Dakota Scholarship Winners Recognized, One Local Student Awarded

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Students that received the Build Dakota Scholarship for the 2020-2021 school year were recently congratulated by Governor Kristi Noem.  There were a total of 313 students who were awarded the Build Dakota Scholarship across the state.

The city of Dell Rapids had one student who was awarded the scholarship.  Logan Wolles was given the scholarship as he is participating in the Building Trades Technology program at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown.

Build Dakota aims to support students entering high-need workforce programs at South Dakota’s technical colleges to fill the state’s technical career fields with skilled professionals. The scholarships cover tuition and fees, books, equipment, and other related program expenses for eligible programs within nine high-need industry areas at South Dakota’s four technical colleges. Recipients were selected by technical colleges from a total of 1,189 applications.

In-state and out-of-state students of all ages are eligible to apply. Scholarship applicants must be accepted into their approved program of interest. Recipients of the scholarship must enroll full-time, complete their educational program on schedule, and commit to stay in South Dakota to work in their field of study for three years following graduation.

Applications for the 2021-22 school year open in January 2021. Find more information on Build Dakota Scholarships here.

Click here to access the complete list of this year’s Build Dakota Scholarship Winners.

Dell Rapids Public Moves to Tier Two for Activities

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Image from CDC website

In a message that was released on Wednesday, September 2nd, the Dell Rapids Public High School is moving to Tier Two for activity attendance.  This is in place starting with Thursday’s home volleyball match against Sioux Falls Christian.

In the statement Activity Director Jeff Dvorak said that the school may stay at Tier Two for events next week, or it may move back to Tier One.

Here is what Tier Two means for those that want to attend activities at Dell Rapids High School:

  • Each athlete and coach will receive four vouchers to distribute as they choose.
  • Staff members must have and show a staff ID.  This is good for staff only.  Spouses of staff must have a voucher.
  • A middle school or high school student will be allowed into the events by being students.  No voucher is needed.
  • All other fans must have a pink game voucher to be admitted.
  • Elementary students in Grades 4 and below must have a voucher to attend the event.
  • Children not yet in school do not need a voucher and will be allowed into the event with a parent that has a voucher.
  • A voucher just allows you to be admitted to the event.  Admission must still be paid.

Economy Continues to Stay Strong in Dell Rapids

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The economy in Dell Rapids has continued to be strong through the 2020 year.  Justin Weiland, Dell Rapids City Administrator, reported another increase in sales tax revenues for the month of July during the Dell Rapids City Council’s last meeting on Monday, August 17th.

The month of July saw a 19.36% increase in 2020 from 2019.  It was the fourth straight month, and fifth overall, of sales tax revenue having an increase this year from last year.

“We’re continuing to see those numbers stay steady.  August…we’ll see how August comes in, but doesn’t seem like anything’s going to change on that front,” said Weiland.

Through the month of July of 2020, the city has seen a 10.72% increase in revenue versus the same time period from last year, which is an increase of just over $76,000.

School and Activities Begin for 2020-2021 in Dell Rapids

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After five months since students were last in a classroom, some semblance of normalcy is returning to the area this week.  School activities have begun and classes will begin this week.

Dell Rapids St Mary will be back in the classroom starting on Thursday, August 20th.  They did not alter their school start date this year.  Teachers are having in-service on Tuesday, August 18th and Wednesday, August 19th.  An open house is also being held on Tuesday, August 18th.  A copy of their “Return to Learn” plan can be found by clicking here.

Dell Rapids public school pushed their start date back a couple of days to Monday, August 31st.  Dell Rapids will have scheduled open house times on Thursday, August 27th and Friday, August 28th.  A copy of their “Return to Learn” plan can be found by clicking this link.

Activities have started for both schools.  Sports teams are now in pre-season practice time or have already had contests.  The Garretson/Dell Rapids girls soccer team has already played two matches (Vermillion and Groton) and are currently 0-1-1.  The Dell Rapids boys golf team have three tournaments in consecutive days on August 17th (West Central), 18th (Madison) , and 19th (Dakota Valley).

The start of this school year has not been without a hiccup.  Dell Rapids St Mary announced on Monday, August 17th their football game scheduled for Friday, August 21st at Estelline was cancelled by Estelline/Hendricks due to positive Covid tests.  Athletic Director Casey Michel is currently looking for a replacement game for Friday.  If they are able to find a game, Big Sioux Media will share those details.

Dell Rapids Library Ready for Phase 2 Opening

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The Dell Rapids Carnegie Public Library will be opening its doors to the public on Monday, August 3rd.  The opening begins Phase 2 of their plans to get back to normal operations.

“We get to open back up to the public on Monday, August 3rd.  It’s going to be a little different,” said library directory Brittany Moeller.

One of the biggest changes with the Phase 2 opening is a change in hours.  The library will be open Mondays from 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and then open from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  The library will also be open from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month which will begin on September 5th.

Curbside service will continue with the Phase 2 opening.  Face masks will be strongly encouraged, but not required.  They will have masks available in the library.  Computers will only be available for adults for non-recreational use only.   The service for the books will be more of a grab and go service for now.

As the library staff gets ready for the opening on Monday, the summer reading program is coming to an end.

“It was a very interesting summer.  We learned a lot of new skills.  We learned how to use a GoPro, video editing, how to be comfortable in front of a camera or as comfortable as possible for us who are used to doing everything in front of an audience and having to pretend that they are there.  I had a really good time though.  I enjoyed being able to share my talents with the kids,” said Kinsey Griffin.

Moeller and Griffin indicated that the attendance for the summer programs, while all virtual, was still well attended and had people viewing their videos not only from Dell Rapids, but from many different locations.  They said that numbers for the summer reading program were down this year, but better than expected with the situation.  Moeller mentioned that when the finally tallies are complete for the reading logs, they anticipate to be close to about 400 participants.

The activities and crafts the library provided during the summer were also a success.

“We’ve gotten a lot of pictures and videos from parents of their kids.  They’ve had a lot of fun with it, and it’s been fun for us to see those pictures because they are doing it, they are liking it, they’re having fun, so that’s been really fun just seeing them do the crafts or join us on our Zoom activities and getting to connect with them in that way,” said Moeller.

The library will be offering fall and winter programs starting in September, and those programs will have to be done virtually like the summer program was.

Follow the Dell Rapids Carnegie Public Library on Facebook and YouTube by clicking the links.

Dell Rapids Public Releases “Return to Learn” Plan

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The Dell Rapids School Board held a special meeting on Monday, July 27th, to hear the “Return to Learn” plan for Dell Rapids School.  Superintendent Dr. Summer Schultz along with the three school principals, Drew Bunkers, Fran Ruesink, and Julie Wynja, all spoke about different aspects of the “Return to Learn” plan. 

The biggest take away from the discussions was that while the document may now be approved, that doesn’t mean it won’t change.  Things could change within the document as more information becomes available about the Covid virus, just as things have continually changed over the last four months.

Big Sioux Media recorded the meeting.  The start of the “Return to Learn” plan starts at the 9:25 mark of the video and goes until the 2:10:40 mark of the embedded video at the bottom of this story.

The “Return to Learn” document can be found by clicking this link.  The Dell Rapids School has also set up a Frequently Asked Questions page related to “Return to Learn”.  That page can be found by clicking here.

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