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Dell Rapids Sees More Economic Growth in 2015

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2015DREconomicGrowth_2In 2014 citizens of Dell Rapids welcomed the opening of new businesses Caseys, Family Dollar, and Revive Fitness in town, along with the re-branding of T&Cs to Local, and the move of Roemen Automotive to their new building.  Dell Rapids has had even more growth in 2015.

The Dell Rapids Carnegie Library held their dedication ceremony for the newly expanded space on May 2nd.  Ace Hardware opened their new building on July 7th and held their Grand Opening celebration August 7th-9th.  Dakota Technology Consulting, Creative Lush, Mason Jar, and Blooms on Main had ribbon cuttings this year to celebrate their businesses moving into new buildings in downtown Dell Rapids.  GoldenWest’s expansion project next to their current location downtown has begun.  Matt Beukelman purchased the former Tryon Gym and re-opened as Rapid Fitness.  Construction has also begun on a new building next to the Rocky Run Car Wash that will be home to Great Life. 2015DREconomicGrowth_1

Also announced in 2015, Midwest Fresh Logistics will be building a distribution center in the Fiegen Development Park located on the southern edge of Dell Rapids.  Ground-breaking for the new center and development park will take place in the near future.  Dairy Queen closed its doors temporarily so they could build a brand new Dairy Queen building that will be placed in its current location.  Dirt work has already begun just north of the Ace Hardware for a brand new Shopko Hometown store which is targeting a July 2016 open date.

City Administrator Justin Weiland said that along with the economic growth in Dell Rapids, the city also issued nine new home building permits throughout the year.

Dell Rapids St Mary 7-12 Principal and Activities Director Casey Michel said, “The overall growth of the town is bringing new families into our school community.”  Dell Rapids St Mary school has had new families register in their elementary and pre-school grades, and they will also have a new family coming to school after Christmas.

Bacteria Found in Water Not a Health Risk

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DellRapidsTowerDell Rapids drinking water recently had two test sites that tested positive for coliform bacteria for the month of October.  City Administrator Justin Weiland discussed the finding with members of the Dell Rapids City Council during their regular meeting on Monday, October 19th.  A letter was also sent out to residents explaining the findings.

The letter stated that coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves and that this was not an emergency.  Coliform bacteria is used more as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be present in the water.  When Dell Rapids received reports of coliform bacteria numbers being higher than standard for two of the test sites, the city did follow-up testing to determine if other bacteria that was of a greater concern was present in the water.  The additional testing did not find any of those bacteria.

The letter also stated that city employees immediately flushed the water lines following the positive tests.  More testing was completed after the flushing was completed.  The results from those tests came back negative for coliform.  According to the letter, all indicators point to no bacteria in the water, but the city plans to continue testing and monitoring the area that had the failed tests to be certain the bacteria is fully removed.

The area that had the failed tests was in the area of the new water main replacement project.  The new lines were tested for bacteria before the lines were connected, but it is believed that loose debris entered the pipe during the connecting of the lines causing the failed tests.

Residents are encouraged to still contact City Hall for additional information at 428-3595.

Strong Growth Year for Dell Rapids in 2014

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DellRapidsTowerThe city of Dell Rapids had another strong year of growth in 2014.  Over $6.5 million worth of improvements were started in 2014, which includes 15 new structures.  City Administrator Justin Weiland presented the numbers to the city council during the council meeting on Monday, January 5th.

“Another great, positive growth year in 2014.  15 new structures across the community,” said Weiland.  Weiland also mentioned that the $6.5 million was not quite the $9.4 million the city saw in 2013, but the city had several multimillion dollar projects such as the grocery store, Caseys, and Family Dollar in 2013.

The new Ace Hardware store is included in the 2014 numbers since the building permit request was made in 2014.

Dell Rapids Listed as #9 City on the Rise in South Dakota

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DellRapidsTowerNerdWallet recently published an article listing the “cities on the rise” in South Dakota.  NerdWallet is trying to find the cities and communities that are growing the fastest and why for each state in the country.  Their factors include growth in working-age population, employment, and income from 2009 to 2012.

NerdWallet found trends when analyzing the communities of South Dakota.  They found that the southeast part of the state is prospering, income is rising, and small cities are strong.

Dell Rapids made the list of the top 20 cities and places on the rise in South Dakota.  Dell Rapids was listed at #9 on the list.  The working-age population in 2012 is listed as 2,838 for Dell Rapids, which is a 22.01% growth from 2009 to 2012.  Median income for Dell Rapids in 2012 is listed as $37,845, which is a 3.15% growth from 2009 to 2012.

North Sioux City was #1 on the list, followed by Pine Ridge, Box Elder, Beresford, Spearfish, Pierre, Sisseton, Yankton, Dell Rapids, and Winner.

The full article published by NerdWallet can be found by clicking here.

Dell Rapids is Awarded a Deadwood Fund Grant

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Deadwood Grants logoHistoric preservation projects in Dallas, Dell Rapids, Fairburn, Hot Springs, Sioux Falls, Sisseton and Tyndall recently received matching grants from the South Dakota State Historical Society, as announced by Jay D. Vogt, director of the society.

“This is the 16th year for this historic preservation grants program,” Vogt said. “In 2012 we awarded over $106,700 between 12 projects which will result in a total public-private investment of over $233,500. 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 project was awards to Dell Rapids:
    Dell Rapids: Smith Block, $10,000 for storefront rehabilitation work on windows, corner staircase, exterior foyer, and pressed-metal ceiling

Deadwood Fund grants are awarded twice a year, with grant application deadlines of Feb. 1 and Oct. 1. Applications are reviewed at the spring and winter meetings of the State Historical Society’s board of trustees. http://www.sdhsf.org/news_events/article/2013/08/08/state-historical-society-awards-historic-preservation-grants

Evelyn Berg

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Evelyn P. (Anderson) Berg of Litchfield, MN, 95, passed away on Thursday, July 11, 2013 at the Ecumen Emmanuel Nursing Home in Litchfield after having suffered a series of strokes over the past five months. Her funeral service will begin at 11:00 AM on Monday, July 15, 2013 at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield, MN. Visitation will be from 4:00 – 8:00 PM on Sunday at Johnson Hagglund Funeral Home in Litchfield. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at church. Interment will be at Lake Ripley Cemetery immediately following the service.

Evelyn was born on Thursday, January 24, 1918 in the hospital at Dickenson, ND to Halleck and Myrtle (Tennis) Anderson, the seventh child of fourteen. Leaving North Dakota in August of 1918, the family moved back to Minnesota living in Appleton, Bird Island, south of Grove City near Arndahl Church and eventually into Litchfield where Evelyn remained for the rest of her life.

After graduating from LHS in 1936, Evelyn remained in contact with her classmates all throughout her life. After high school, she went to “Normal Training” where she earned her teaching certificate within a year. She taught three years at a one room country school located northwest of Litchfield. Although she loved her students, Evelyn left the teaching profession for she also had an undying love of numbers. She considered herself fortunate to be hired as a bookkeeper at the JC Penney store in Litchfield. Evelyn loved working there and stayed for 14 years, where she also enjoyed filling in as a sales clerk because she got to “talk to the customers.”

She met her future husband, LeRoy Berg of Atwater, on a blind date. LeRoy and Evelyn were married on July 25, 1953 in Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield. To this union were born two children, Richard and Connie. When Connie was 6 months old, LeRoy and Evelyn moved into their home on East 4th Street where she remained for the next 47 years. LeRoy passed away suddenly in September 1983, two months after they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

After taking time off to raise her children, Evelyn went back to the work force in 1966 as a bookkeeper for the Northwestern National Bank in downtown Litchfield. She remained there for a year and then went to work for the Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Assn (REA) when Gil Slinden approached her to be their bookkeeper. She worked for them for 17 years retiring in 1984. She loved working for the REA where she not only got to “do the numbers”, but she got to know where all the people in the surrounding area lived.

Baptized and confirmed in Christ, Evelyn was a very “energetic” member of Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield where she remained very active until her stroke in February 2013. She was a faithful member of her Circle and WELCA. She also volunteered in the church office for 25 years with the counting of the offering, helped serve at nearly every funeral, delivered bulletins weekly to residents at Emmaus and Gloria Dei, enjoyed “tying” quilts with the Zion sewing circle, loved visiting members in their times of need and, before her marriage, was a member of the Zion choir.

In addition to her church activities, Evelyn volunteered in the Emmaus Gift Shop for nearly 27 years, bowled for many years on the Litchfield Oil bowling team, enjoyed playing golf, played bridge and board games with her friends regularly, belonged to the Sons of Norway, attended many high school sporting events with her friends and never turned down a chance to work a crossword puzzle. She made sure her family knew she “had a happy life.”

Grateful for sharing her life, Evelyn is survived by her son, Richard (Debbie) of White Bear Lake, MN and daughter, Connie (Jim) Rueckert of Dell Rapids, SD, eight grandchildren: Annie (Sam) Burgeson, April Berg, Alethea Berg, Anthony Berg, Kristen Rueckert, Jamie Rueckert, Alex Rueckert, and step-granddaughter April (Joe) Sanchez. Her great-grandchildren: Landon Berg , Asher Burgeson, Abbie Sanchez, and Alexis Sanchez. Her brother Leo (Irene) Anderson of Forest Lake and sisters-in-law, Ruth Anderson of Rochester, Helen Berg of Litchfield, and Grace Berg of Atwater along with several nephews, nieces and many, many dear friends including Kathy Warmbier of Litchfield.

Welcoming her to heaven are many loved ones: husband LeRoy, her “papa” and “mama”, her grandparents, and her siblings Hazel, Chester, Mildred, Lloyd I., Margaret, Lloyd H., Roy, Clarice, Maurice (Bud), George, Halleck Junior, and Helen.

In her last days, Evelyn especially wanted her family and friends to know how much she loved all of them and enjoyed her life. Her wish to all who survive her is that you “live a Christian life and be happy until we meet again.”

Safe Routes to School Announces Funding Awards

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PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Transportation has awarded nearly $900,000 in grants to ten South Dakota communities as part of the Safe Routes to School program. These communities will also provide $24,720.00 in local or in kind matches.

The largest award of $199,692.50 went to the City of Elk Point for sidewalks and ADA curb ramps, as well as education and incentive items.

Other community awards are as follows:

  • Alcester – $115,743.76
  • Big Stone City – $173,356.00
  • Centerville – $8,225.00
  • Dell Rapids – $50,298.00
  • Estelline – $106,531.25
  • Iroquois – $5,878.00
  • Madison – $35,501.00
  • Valley Springs – $131,466.75
  • Viborg – $11,931.70

Applicants were asked to create a unique Safe Routes to School program to address specific concerns within their community. The programs include activities that encourage walking and biking, as well as small-scale construction projects to fill gaps in existing bicycle and pedestrian routes for school children.

Construction projects can include sign and crosswalk improvements, driver feedback signs, pedestrian and bicycle connective paths.

Non-infrastructure projects include incentive programs, safety and health education, law enforcement assistance, safety campaigns, bicycle rodeo activities, bicycle physical education programs, in-street yield signs, walking school buses and bicycle trains.

Safe Routes to School was created as an effort by Congress to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes. One cause of this epidemic is the decrease in children’s physical activity. To promote physical activity, Safe Routes has three goals:

  • To enable and encourage all children to walk and bicycle to school.
  • To make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age.
  • To facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities which will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution near schools.

For more information about the program, contact Marilyn Patterson, Safe Routes to School Coordinator, at 605-773-6642 or marilyn.patterson@state.sd.us.

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– See more at: http://news.sd.gov/newsitem.aspx?id=14683#sthash.GzJOYcKz.dpuf

Dells Rapids to Benefit from South Dakota Tobacco Control Program Grant

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PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Tobacco Control Program awarded $325,000 in grant funding to 13 community/school partnerships statewide.

Each partnership was granted $25,000 to improve tobacco prevention and control efforts in their communities. Coalition activities focus on one of the three tobacco control goal areas: preventing initiation of tobacco use among young people, promoting tobacco cessation among adults and youth, and eliminating nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke. This is the third year of community/school partnership grant funding.

“Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and South Dakota alike. The work that the coalitions accomplish through these partnership grants can help reduce tobacco’s impact on our communities,” said Colleen Winter, director of health and medical services for the South Dakota Department of Health.

Community/school partnerships carry out a variety of tobacco prevention activities throughout the year. Past efforts have included working with local school districts on tobacco-free buildings and grounds policies and evidence-based tobacco prevention curriculum, working with local parks and recreation departments to provide education on the importance of tobacco-free youth recreation, and disseminating information to housing managers and childcare providers about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

“The steps these communities are taking to prevent and control tobacco use have a positive influence on the lives of adults and children alike. Every step taken to reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure throughout the state is a step in the right direction,” Winter said.

The Department of Health’s Tobacco Control Program coordinates state efforts to reduce death and disease caused by tobacco use. The program’s efforts include: providing technical assistance and support to individuals, businesses, healthcare providers, and educational institutions; offering funding and support to local entities; conducting statewide public education campaigns; operating the State’s tobacco QuitLine; and conducting surveillance and program evaluation.

Reducing tobacco use is a key objective of the department’s Health 2020 Initiative.

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See list of awarded partnerships below:

Partnership Name

Communities Served
Coalition for a Drug Free SD Canton, Harrisburg, Sioux Falls
Rural Sioux Empire Coalition for Youth Colton, Dell Rapids, Lennox, Hartford, Tea
Canli Coalition Dewey and Ziebach Counties
EMPOWER Coalition of the Southern Hills, Inc. Fall River County
Milbank Tobacco Coalition Milbank
Mitchell Tobacco Prevention Coalition and Unfiltered Reality Mitchell
SET-Free Coalition Sioux Falls
Spearfish Community Coalition Spearfish
Spink County Coalition Spink County
Action for the Betterment of the Community Coalition Sturgis
Watertown Tobacco Free Coalition Watertown
Michael Glynn Memorial Coalition White River
Yankton Tobacco Coalition Yankton

Dell Rapids Featured in New Book

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Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series will be releasing a new book Dell Rapids by local authors Teri Fiegen and Luke Tatge.  This 128-page book is a pictorial history of Dell Rapids that has more than 200 images.  Big Sioux Media had the opportuntiy to preview this book, and it’s a wonderful book that depicts Dell Rapid’s history as a town.  This book is interesting for both new and long-time residents alike.  The authors were assisted by the Dell Rapids Society for Historic Preservation, as well as by many other supportive individuals, organizations and groups.  Images of America Dell Rapids will be available for purchase starting Monday, August 6th.

Dell Rapids, $21.99, Arcadia Publishing.  Available at local retailers, online bookstores, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665.

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