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Dell Rapids City Council Appoints New Mayor

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DellRapidsTowerThe city of Dell Rapids has a new mayor until April 11th, 2017.  During their regular meeting on Tuesday, September 6th, the Dell Rapids City Council appointed an interim mayor.

Councilman Mike Geraets made a motion to nominate Tom Earley as the interim mayor of the city of Dell Rapids.  The motion was seconded by Councilman Gary Haak.  No other nominations were submitted to the council for vote.  The motion was unanimously voted by the council.

With the move to mayor, Earley submitted his resignation as Ward 2 Alderman.  The council unanimously accepted Earley’s councilman resignation.  Earley was then sworn in as interim mayor of Dell Rapids.

“Thank you for your support.  The only thing I want to say is that I think we have an excellent council here.  My one and only goal is to continue to work with you and ask for your support as we move ahead with the city, and we do the things that need to be done and do them right.  I think everyone sitting here has that goal, intention and spirit,” said Earley.

The open seat on the council left by Earley was filled by an appointment by the city council.  Councilman Mark Crisp made a motion to nominate Barry Berg to fill the open seat.  The council unanimously approved the appointment.  Berg will serve as Ward 2 Alderman until the April 11th, 2017 election.  Berg was also sworn into the council.

The council had three options on how to fill the vacant mayor role that was left when Mayor Scott Fiegen resigned on August 15th.  The first option was to continue to act without a mayor and have the board president assume the duties until the April 11th, 2017 election.  The second option, which is the option the council chose, was to appoint a current council member and then fill the open council seat.  The third option could have been to appoint another resident of Dell Rapids as mayor until the next election in April.

Baltic Graduate Brings Africa to South Dakota

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AfricanChildrensChoirWhen 18 children from Africa arrive in Dell Rapids this month, it will be a full circle experience for Baltic’s Heidi Moen. Four years ago, when the African Children’s choir first performed in Dell Rapids, it changed her life.

In June 2012, a group of children from Uganda performed at River Community Church in Dell Rapids. Heidi attended that event and learned about the organization sponsoring not only those children, but hundreds of others to improve their lives, and provide them an education through university level in Africa. She joined dozens of others at that concert who learned how these children are chosen from the most impoverished backgrounds, selected and trained to perform concerts throughout the country, and receive an education because of being chosen. The various choirs have toured North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. Being selected for a choir is equivalent to an African child winning a golden ticket for themselves, their family and their community.

At that concert in 2012, Heidi fell in love with the mission of the choir that showed the potential and the beauty of the African child. Shortly after that night, she went on a mission trip to Africa she had already planned with her church in Dells. She couldn’t get the African Children’s Choir off her mind, so she applied to be a volunteer chaperone. ACC chaperones guide the children through concerts, supervise, teach, and disciple their choir children 24/7 through months of their group’s tour. They stay at host homes, and help the children through every experience they encounter as they travel.

Heidi spent 13 months traveling with Choir 41 from Arizona to Alaska. “It was such a joy to see America through the eyes of these children who had so much joy in every little moment.” Heidi served that choir as Math Teacher and Sound & Lighting Technician. After being home from tour only 2 months, she couldn’t stay away. She left to tour with her 2nd choir, Choir 44, in August of 2015. This time she was the Tour Leader, and traveled the country from New York to Texas, ending her tour for the 2nd time in the U.K.

Heidi has arrived home just in time to welcome Choir 45 to Dell Rapids – coming to the same church where she experienced the choir for the first time four years ago.

African Children’s Choir (Choir 45) will perform at 7pm Friday, Sept. 23 at River Community Church in Dell Rapids; AND will perform at 9:30am Sunday, Sept. 25, at Heidi’s home church, Dell Rapids Reformed Church.

“My church and the community of Dell Rapids have been so supportive of me going on tour. I’m so excited to share the African Children’s Choir with them and for my community to experience these amazing children and the ministry I’ve been involved with for the last 2-1/2 years.”

“Touring with the African Children’s Choir has made me more patient, and taught me to take life as it comes. The children live day by day, and live joyfully in the moment. If I can learn anything from my time with them, it would be to live in every moment when it’s happening, and find joy in each day.”

Congratulations, Second Lieutenant Drew Gillogly

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The South Dakota Army National Guard welcomed 11 new second lieutenants to its ranks following an Aug. 19 commissioning ceremony at Camp Rapid.  The ceremony marks the end of Officer Candidate School (OCS) — the first step in officer training and development — and the beginning of their careers as commissioned officers.

“These soldiers endured a culmination of three intense phases of training to prepare them for the next step in their military careers,” said Lt. Col. Deb Bartunek, commander of 1st Battalion, 196th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), the SDARNG battalion responsible for conducting OCS.

OCS is taught in a high-stress environment, where candidates are tested academically and physically, both in the classroom and in field environments. Training consisted of 16-18 months of drill weekends and two, two-week training periods for 10 of the new officers who completed the traditional program, while the 11th completed the accelerated program of eight straight weeks.

The second lieutenants of OCS Class 60 are now assigned to National Guard units across South Dakota.

The newly commissioned second lieutenants included Drew Gillogly from Dell Rapids.  Congratulations Drew!

Dell Rapids School District Free Developmental Screening

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Dell Rapids School District will be offering FREE developmental screenings for children ages 3 through age 5 that live within the school district boundaries.

September 26, 2016

If you are interested in learning more about your child’s current level of development or have concerns in the areas of personal-social, fine and gross motor, cognitive, and communication skills, we encourage you to participate in this screening opportunity.

Registration deadline is September 23, 2016

Register online at the Dell Rapids School website http://dr-k12.org/ or by calling the school at 428.5473 option 6.

 

What is screening?

  • A screening is a series of short tasks and observations in various developmental areas. The purpose is to let us know if we need to complete further evaluation of the child’s development. We usually screen 2 to 3 children during the same time period.

What age children get screened?

  • The early childhood screening is for children ages 3 to 5 who have not entered kindergarten/kindergarten-prep.

What developmental areas are covered?

  • At early childhood screening, we screen the areas of speech and language, concept development, motor coordination (fine and gross), and social development. The screening is adjusted for your child’s age.

Who screens my child?

  • Early Childhood team consists of early childhood teachers, staff, and speech language pathologists. There will be highly qualified educators available to answer questions and explain screening results.

How long does the screening take?

  • The screening usually takes about an hour, but plan on somewhat longer. If your child needs some “warm-up time”, the screening may take a little longer.

What should I tell my child before we come?

  • We suggest that you tell your child that they will be playing some games that will help everyone learn more about him or her. Try to avoid the word “test” and, more importantly, try to convey to the child that it will be fun.

Will the screening be stressful for my child?

  • Rarely. Most children enjoy the screening activities. At times, a child may need more time to warm up and be comfortable. On some occasions, a child is not able to complete all the tasks. If this happens we will talk with you to determine what to do next.

Is it okay to bring guests or siblings?

  • We encourage families to avoid bringing siblings to the screening. Young children will benefit from a quiet, relaxed environment during the screening process.

What is expected of the parent concerning the screening?

  • There is a screening questionnaire to fill out about your child when you arrive.  Also, please bring copies of any reports from individuals or agencies (such as speech therapists, physicians, occupational therapists, etc…) that you feel might be helpful to us.
  • When all screening activities have been completed, your child will be allowed to play in the toy area while we discuss the results with you. At that time, you will also have an opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have about your child’s development.

When will I receive the results of the screening?

  • The professionals who have screened your child will discuss their observations with you at the screening. There will be information available describing activities for your child in all areas of development.

What are the possible outcomes of the screening?

  • If your child’s performance falls within age appropriate limits no further follow-up will be suggested. If a child has some difficulty in one or more areas, we may give you ideas of things to do at home. We will sometimes suggest that we check in with you at a later date to monitor progress. If your child has greater difficulty in one or more areas, further evaluation may be expected. If further evaluation is recommended, it can be completed by our team. As with the screening, there is no charge for this. The purpose of the evaluation would be to determine if your child would be eligible to receive school district services at no cost.

Will the screening results tell me if my child is advanced?

  • The purpose of our screening is to identify areas of possible concern. The screening is not designed to identify advanced skills.

We hope that you have found this information helpful, and that your experience with early childhood screening is a positive and enjoyable one. We look forward to meeting you and your child.

2nd Annual Revive & Connections Family Event

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2ndAnnualRevive5k_5On an almost perfect Saturday morning in Dell Rapids, the 2nd Annual Revive & Connections Family Fun Event was held at Dell Rapids City Park on Saturday, August 27th.  The event consisted of a 5k, 10k, one mile fun run, kids relay, raffles, bounce house, fire truck, ambulance, live music, games, and crafts.  The Farmer’s Market also set up in the park during the event.

2ndAnnualRevive5k_1

Revive Fitness owner Brittani Bollock said, “It had a great turnout, and I am so thankful for people who are so involved in the community and support so much!”

Bollock will donate all of the proceeds from the event to the Dell Rapids Connections group.

Bollock, her staff, and all the volunteers put on another great event for the community of Dell Rapids!!

 

The winners of the 10k and 5k divisions were:

10k
OVERALL WOMAN:   Summer Schultz (overall everyone & 40-49 woman)
OVERALL MAN:   Travis Ahlers (30-39)
20-29:   Elizabeth Johnston (F)
30-39:   Amanda McMillan (F)   Travis Ahlers (M)
40-49:   Summer Schultz (F)     Terry Pederson (M)
50+:    Lisa Schroeder (F)
2ndAnnualRevive5k_2
5k
OVERALL WOMAN:   Kirsten Church (20-29)
OVERALL MAN:   Kyle Finn (overall everyone & 20-29)
0-19:   Elaina Haugaard (F)    Joshua Fletcher   (M)
20-29:   Kirsten Church (F)   Kyle Finn (M)
30-39:   Heidi Thoreson (F)    Jeff Thoreson (M)
40-49:   Shauna Hoglund (F)   Will Boever  (M)
50+:   Lisa Schroeder (F)   Dennis Erkfritz   (M)
2ndAnnualRevive5k_4

School is Back in Session

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SchoolCrossingThe 2016-2017 school year is set to begin on Wednesday, August 24th.  As a reminder to the school year starting again, the school zone speed limits are 15 mph.

This year’s school year will see two new teachers to Dell Rapids St Mary.  Joni Smith returns to St Mary and will teach K-12 vocal music, 5-12 band, and be student council advisor.  Marsha Weiland will teach K-2 reading class.

Dell Rapids will have eight new teachers this year.  They are Michelle Wharton (4th Grade), Sarah Anderson (4th Grade), Maddie Merriam (4th Grade), Amanda Button (5th/6th Grade Special Education), Bryan Timperley (5th/6th Grade Band), Mark Honerman (5th Grade Science and Language Arts), Natalie Eggers (5th Grade Social Studies), and Peggy Hancock (Special Education).

Along with the new staff, the three projects of the new locker rooms, new science rooms, and new entrances are nearly complete. NewDROfficeEntrance

10th Street Project Now Underway

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The 10th Street project has officially started.  A pre-construction meeting was held on Tuesday, August 9th with T&R Contracting, their subcontractor, the city, DGR, and the property owners affected by the project.

10thStreetProject

All of the questions from the property owners were answered, and the city has received all the needed permanent and temporary easements associated with the project.

City Administrator Justin Weiland updated the Dell Rapids City Council during their regular meeting on Monday, August 15th, about the project.

“T&R Contracting is full bore and ready to go.  The signs got placed, and they are starting removals.  10th Street is now officially closed.  They (T&R Contracting) provided a schedule that shows them completing it this year, that’s if everything falls in place perfectly.  I’d anticipate that probably won’t happen, but that’s the initial schedule they provided us with,” commented Weiland.

Dell Rapids Will Have New Mayor

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DellRapidsTowerThe city of Dell Rapids will have a new mayor as Mayor Scott Fiegen submitted his resignation during the regular Dell Rapids City Council meeting held on Monday, August 15th.  The resignation was accepted by the council and was effective immediately.  Until a new mayor is found, Dell Rapids City Council President Mark Crisp will assume all the duties and responsibilities of the mayor. Fiegen’s resignation comes due to him moving outside of the city of Dell Rapids.

City Administrator Justin Weiland presented three options to the council on how to move forward with the open mayor seat.

Weiland said, “The first option is the board president could just continue in the role as acting mayor until the next municipal election in April (2017).  That means the board president would assume both the duties of the mayor and president until the next election.”

“The second option we put together is the council could appoint a sitting city council member to fill the role.  It should be stated that this council member would have to relinquish their existing seat to take over the full mayor’s roles and responsibilities.  That appointment is only good until the next election in April.  That would create an open seat in the that ward where the council would have to look at appointing a new council member to fill that open seat.”

“The third option is to appoint another resident of Dell Rapids.  That appointment to mayor would only last until the next election in April.”

There was potential for a fourth option.  The city could have taken petitions for mayoral candidates and held an election with that elected person holding the position until April.  However state statute says the city would have to have an ordinance adopted that governs how the special election would be held prior to the vacancy occurring, and the city of Dell Rapids does not have such an ordinance in place.

City council member Tom Earley said, “I firmly believe that the city needs to have somebody in position of mayor to operate until April. I think we have capable people on this board who are well versed and well aware of what’s taking place in the city right now with various projects and some potential things down the road. This council has operated with a vacant seat in the past many times. I would think that hopefully at the first meeting in Sept that we are able to agree on who we want to appoint as mayor of the city of Dell Rapids. I think it’s a position that somebody needs to be in to give it the proper attention full time.”

City council member Mary Klockman motioned to table a decision until the September 6th meeting (in hopes a full council will be present), seconded by council member Mike Sterud.  The motion carried.  Council members Mike Geraets and Gary Haak were absent from the meeting.

Fiegen had been serving as Dell Rapids Mayor since 2009. 

Small Company Pursues National Market

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FlagShooter’s Product Makes Placing Utility Flags Easier

GARRETSON, S.D. – In less than a decade, FlagShooter, Inc. has grown from a concept into a company that does business in 46 states.

Paul Carrette, the owner and CEO of FlagShooter, saw the need for a new tool in 2008 while watching a technician in his back yard locate and mark the path of a water line. Carrette figured there had to be a better way, and the success of FlagShooter, Inc. suggests that he was right.

Bob Bishop - FlagshooterBob Bishop, FlagShooter’s marketing and sales manager, was the first employee hired by Carrette. Bishop joined the staff in 2010 to help develop the company’s namesake product: a handheld tool that inserts marking flags into the ground and also can be used to paint the surface of the ground.

The Flagshooter tool is light enough to be operated with one hand, which allows a technician to hold a receiver in the other hand to locate underground lines for marking. Client companies use the FlagShooter to mark the location of their water, electricity, gas or cable lines prior to construction so that companies or individuals who dig into the ground don’t damage lines and disrupt services.

FlagShooter, Inc.’s office and production operations are based in a building on Carrette’s farm near Garretson. The company now has seven full- and part-time employees.

2010 was a big year for the company. It developed 12 prototypes before settling on its initial model. It also began contacting utility companies and taking preorders for 2011. Sales grew steadily and jumped 100 percent from 2013 to 2014. But then sales slowed.

About that time, South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions helped by connecting the company with Richard Johnson, founder and CEO of 21st Century Marketing Systems Inc. Johnson and his Utah-based company work with MTS to help train businesses to sell products.

Johnson evaluated what Flagshooter, Inc. was doing – and some things it wasn’t doing – to help transition the company from product development to sales mode. For example, Johnson helped the company develop a positioning statement that presents in an impactful way who the company is and what it offers. The statement also outlines a central marketing message.

“He helped get us in a more consistent direction,” Bishop says. “It helped us improve our phone call conversion rate.”

Johnson does a lot of work for businesses as a vendor partnering with MTS, says Wes Kelly, center director at the office in Sioux Falls. “We want manufacturers to come to us whenever they have a problem. We’ll go out and find them a solution,” Kelly says. “We want to be a trusted source for them.”

MTS is among the state business-assistance offices affiliated with the South Dakota Small Business Development Center. In addition to connecting FlagShooter, Inc. with Johnson, MTS helped connect Bishop and Carrette with Lisa Te Slaa and the Precision Leadership Group, which provides productivity courses for businesses in the Sioux Falls area.

“It was very good training,” says Bishop, who had previously worked in sales but had no formal training in the field. Bishop credits Te Slaa, Johnson and the MTS for helping re-energize sales. For the first six months of 2016, sales were up 60 percent from the first half of 2015, Bishop says.

Midco, which provides internet and networking, cable TV, phone and other telecommunications services to homes and businesses in a three-state area, is among FlagShooter’s clients. The company locates thousands of miles of existing and planned infrastructure annually in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

Erin Hayes, Director of Corporate Construction for Midco in Sioux Falls, says technicians working in the field like using the FlagShooter. FlagShooter, Inc. also provides Midco with special flags that carry Midco’s logo.

Midco employees doing location work come across all sorts of weather and ground conditions, Hayes points out. “The FlagShooter shoots through ice, and the flags stand up well. The flags help ensure that our locate sites will remain visible, which helps protect our infrastructure,” she says.

“There are other tools on the market. But those who use the FlagShooter really enjoy using it and prefer not to use anything else,” Hayes says.

About the SBDC

For more information about the South Dakota SBDC and its affiliated offices see www.sdbusinesshelp.com.

The SBDC has regional offices in Aberdeen, Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Watertown and Yankton, and satellite offices in Brookings and Mitchell. Other programs in the SBDC network include South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions, South Dakota Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, South Dakota International Trade Center, Small Business Innovation Research programs and the Enterprise Institute. The SBDC network is an outreach program of the Beacom School of Business at the University of South Dakota.

The Small Business Development Center network is funded through the support of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Small Business Administration. Additional support comes from the Citi Foundation and Xcel Energy.

Rickeman Comfort Station Put on Hold

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RickemanFieldComfortStationThe Dell Rapids City Council voted to not accept the bid for the Rickeman Field comfort station project during their regular meeting on Monday, August 1st.  The lone bid received by the city came in at $98,767.60, not including additional utility work.  The total project cost would have come around $108,000, which is about $38,000 over the budget set.  The city budgeted $70,000 this year for the entire project.

While discussing the bid to the council, City Administrator Justin Weiland mentioned that just a few weeks ago there was an announcement made that the Land-Water Conservation Fund Grants, through the Game, Fish and Parks which only come out every two years, will be available next year.  Weiland thought that the city could package the comfort station along with proposed campground expansion into an application for this grant next year.

The council voted to reject the bid.  Weiland said that he would check into costs for engineering specs for the project for the possibility of applying for the Land-Water Conservation Grant.

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