Community Center Archives - Big Sioux Media Sports Network

Community Members Visit De Smet Community Center

April 15, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

**Check out this week’s (April 16th, 2021) Dells City Journal for this story**

This past Monday, April 12th, members of the Dell Rapids Community Center Committee, along with members of the Dell Rapids community, made the 80-mile trip to De Smet, South Dakota to tour their event and wellness center.

The De Smet Events & Wellness Center features a large exhibit hall, theater, walking track, wellness center, meeting rooms, commercial kitchen, lockers, showers and separate rest rooms, recreation office, and reception area.

Rita Anderson of the De Smet Development Cooperation showed the Dell Rapids group around the facility.

“The older generation are some of our busiest users,” Anderson explained. “Our older retired community members are constantly walking every day. We have the walking track that is free to use every day and have 30-40 walkers a day if not more.”

More than just exercise takes place at the De Smet Event & Wellness Center. “It has been neat with retired people looking for things to do. They started classes and all sorts of activities,” Anderson said. Mystery dinner theaters, speakers, cards, and several other events are held at the center. On average 50 events are held in January and February alone.

“The De Smet Event & Wellness Center also hosts a concert series on Sunday afternoons where the older population takes part,” Anderson added. “There are just so many uses. Memorial services, lunches, the list goes on and on.”

When asked if the De Smet community is happy with the facility, Anderson said “wholeheartedly. It does my heart good when I hear the comments from people asking, what did we do before we had this building and this facility? When I see the skeptics that are up there using it now is great. There are very few naysayers about it now. Everybody uses it. There is always something going on in the community giving them a reason to use it.”

The Dells City Journal will continue to follow the process of the project. To show your support for the community center, reach out to your Alderman for your designated ward or express your support at upcoming council meetings. If you would like to become a member of the committee advocating for the community center please email your name and contact information to DRCommunitycenter@gmail.com and a member of the committee will contact you. With community support, this plan can become a reality.

Tammy Chamley | Editor – Dells City Journal
tchamley@ncppub.com

Community Center Vision Takes Small Step Forward

April 8, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

A plan for a community center in Dell Rapids proposed by a group of Dell Rapids residents took a small step forward with help from the Dell Rapids City Council. The council approved a resolution to support a submission by the group to the Avera Community Partnership Program application.

The group is submitting the application to ask for assistance from Avera in the form of either an in-kind contribution or financial contribution to begin the process of developing a concept design for the facility.

One of the biggest questions discussed during the council meeting was how much would a facility like this cost as well as how much would the operations of the facility be on a yearly basis. Having help through the Avera Community Partnership Program will hopefully provide the group with more formalized conceptual plans and hard costs put together by professionals.

The discussion from the council meeting can be found by clicking this link. The conversation starts at the 24:09 mark of the video.

Having the Dell Rapids City Council approve the resolution does put the any financial commitment on the city at this time with the application. The group just needed the city’s help in submitting the application because the application needs to be submitted by a government municipality or a non-profit organization.

The resolution passed by a 7-1 vote. Access to the full meeting minutes can be found by clicking here.

The group is planning to also make a trip to De Smet in the near future to tour their facility.

Discussion and Plans in the Works for Community Center in Dell Rapids

March 11, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

**Check out this week’s (March 13th, 2021) Dells City Journal for more details on this story**

Dell Rapids continues to grow and flourish with population, new businesses and so much more. Something that has been missing from our town is a community center for all to enjoy. From basketball and volleyball tournaments to batting cages or the simplicity of safe walking in winter months, the possibilities are endless.

At a recent City Council meeting, discussion was brought to the table by a group of residents ready to help make a community center a reality for Dell Rapids. Lee Bollock addressed the Council with introduction of the plans for the future community center. Bollock, along with his wife Brittani, have lived in Dell Rapids for seven years and are active in the community being on the Connections Charitable Board and Lee is an active member of the Dell Rapids School Board. “Since we have lived here, and talking with others that have lived here, this has been a topic of conversation ongoing for at least the past decade if not longer,” Bollock expressed to the Council. “Maybe part of the reason this has never come to fruition is that we haven’t had the community backing it enough and being active in the process. That is what our committee intends to do, work with City Council and the community to drive this thing home.”

The Dells City Journal will continue to follow the process of the project. To show your support for the community center, reach out to your Alderman for your designated ward or express your support at upcoming council meetings. With community support, this plan can become a reality. “The more engagement and the more push we have from the public, the more successful we will be,” Bollock concluded.