Garretson 4th graders have been busy combining social studies, writing, and art skills with their recent suitcase project; POET biofuels has joined Summit Carbon Solutions on their carbon pipeline project, and will be putting their 12 ethanol plants in Iowa on the line; Garretson-area college students are excelling as are Garretson High School and Middle School students; and we catch up with wrestling and basketball, plus more!
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The GHS One Act Play troupe presented The Great American Talent Show on Sunday, Jan. 21 at the old HS gym. This play was a comedy, as mandated by this year’s contest rules, and The Great American Talent Show was a parody of television Shows like American Idol, America’s Got Talent or The Voice.
The Cast and Crew of the GHS One Act Play. Front row: Laura Guijarro Alier, Taylor Fetter, and Tasia Westover. Middle row: Abigail Fetter, Kaitlyn Steinhoff, Eliza Potter, Madison Waltman, Anna Ebbing, Briann Jacobson, and Calvin Larson. Back row: Elizabeth Roth, Jade Bertotti, Gracie Feigen, Brooklyn Trudeau, and Cecelia Feigen. Not pictured are Noah Schotzko and directors Erika Brown and Kim Macziewski. //Garrick A Moritz, Gazette
No single cast member was a lead, or traditional main character, as the play was written and directed in such a way that every student actor was given their moment in the spotlight and an opportunity to shine onstage. That said we did have some favorite moments and will showcase them in some of the photos below and on page 3.
Each contestant in the talent show had a particular set of skills, and the play takes place during the final grand prize competition when they have to go all out to win the grand prize under arbitrary conditions.
The One Act Play cast traveled to Canton on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to perform in the regional contest. Competiton in our region is fierce. The students sadly will not advance to the State Contest this year, however the contest judges gave outstading performances to the following actors: Brooklyn Trudeau, Calvin Larson and Elizabeth Roth! Congrats guys!
Abigail Fetter, playing Franny Sonderstrom (center with the keyboard), is a one woman band performer. For her finale, she enlists her fellow contestants to play “The Stars and Stripes Forever” on kazoo. It’s just as ridiculous as it sounds!
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The 4th Street construction project is one of the most important infrastructure projects Garretson needs to pursue, but that doesn't mean it's going to come cheap.
At least, that's what the council discovered at their meeting this past Monday, when they met with representatives from SECOG (Southeast Council of Governments) and Sayre Associates.
The overall project was initially projected to be broken down into three phases, but at the meeting, Cole Gebhart of Sayre presented a plan with two phases, neither of which included 5th Street or the side streets between 4th and 5th. The grand total for both phases is estimated to be just over $5.5 million, $1.5 million dollars higher than it was projected to be just one year ago.
A child watches as former city maintenance officer Ryan Nussbaum flushes a fire hydrant on Main Avenue in December 2023. The hydrants on 4th Street do not produce high levels of pressure, one of the indications that infrastructure on that street is in dire need of replacement. //file photo Carrie Moritz, Gazette
And construction costs are only going up, as Gebhart and his colleague, Thad Roberts, pointed out. They are slated to rise 8-10% per year over the next few years at least. This means kicking the can down the road will not help the city save on costs, nor will it allow the city to save much extra money prior to replacement, as the sewer and water infrastructure in the area is long past its useful life, with substantial corrosion and an increasing number of breaks.
"Before he left, we met with Ryan [Nussbaum] and he thought this is probably the most important thing the city could do," Mayor Greg Beaner said during the meeting. Between the condition of the pipes and the lack of water pressure at hydrants, it was implied that not addressing this project could end badly.
The city has received funding for the project in the form of two State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans, along with a $600,000 grant that was reported by the Gazette in the January 4th issue. One of the SRF loans contained a loan forgiveness of $1.26 million, which would bring the city's responsibility for costs down to $3.65 million before interest.
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UPDATE 1/25/24: Wording clarification in paragraph four.
The new President of First Bank and Trust in Garretson has already started at the bank, but he will be taking over officially on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. His name is Jason Long and he’s originally from Harrisburg, SD.
Jason Long
“I started in the banking business back in 2012 at Wells Fargo,” Long said. “I’ve worked for business banking and Ag banking down in Beresford. Nine years ago, I moved to First National Bank up in Brandon, and four years ago my wife and I moved to a place just four miles west of Garretson.”
Long is a family man. He and his wife Kayla have two small children, Morgan who’s 3 years old and Rilee who’s one. With their kids at that age, he said they keep him on his toes most of the time.
“You sleep when you can,” he said ruefully, “But they’re amazing and I’m truly very happy and very lucky.”
Long said that he recognized right away the opportunity of this job for him and is very happy to take it up.
“Ron is one of those people that’s irreplaceable,” he said. “I can do the job, but because they’ve developed such a culture of excellence and professionalism, that I can easily transition into the role. Just in my first days here I could clearly see that First Bank in Garretson is people and relationship driven. It’s a great staff that’s already easy to work with and I’m fitting right in. Our focus is on local customers. Ag is very important, and that’s certainly an area I’m experienced with. My focus first will be getting to know all our customers and what their needs are and how we can match what we do to those needs for their success. Garretson is a great town, just an excellent place to live, to do business and make a living. I want to see the town continue to thrive and succeed, and help our customers find new and interesting opportunities they can capitalize on, and I hope to be a big part of that for many years to come. Like any profession, you get out of it what you put into it and I intend to put my very best into making this bank and my customers succeed.”
But Long is not all work and no play. He said that he’s all for anything outdoors, which with the amenities in Garretson as they are is just ideal.
“I love anything outdoors,” he said. “Spending time out on the lake, hunting, fishing, outdoor sports, anything outdoorsy, I’m in. I’m also a huge Vikings fan, with all the pain and disappointment that can bring. And as an SDSU grad, I also love to Back the Jacks.”
Long takes over as the new President of First Bank and Trust in Garretson this Friday, Jan 26. Rod Wolforth has a retirement party going on from 1-3 p.m. that day at First Bank and the Garretson Commercial Club is hosting a mixer party in his honor at the Sports Cabin across the street starting after business hours at 5 p.m.
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The Garretson School Board had a meeting on Jan. 8th, and though we’re a little late on publishing this story we did want to do a quick news brief to go over the highlights.
Board member Jodi Gloe was absent from this meeting as her mother had recently died, so the board expressed their condolences to her and her family.
One item of note in the regular business of the meeting was that there were no diesel price fuel quotes on offer to be approved by the board because, simply, one wasn’t needed. With the main three routes handled by the new electric busses and the propane fueled bus, they didn’t need to purchase additional fuel.
Post meeting, and post the sub-zero condition blizzard that canceled a few days of school this month, the Gazette spoke with Superintendent Guy Johnson about the performance of the electric busses.
One of three electric school buses received by Garretson School District. The three buses successfully made it through the first major cold snap without any issues, making their routes with just a quick charge in between school drop-off and pick-up hours. //file photo Carrie Moritz, Gazette
“There were no surprises with the sub-zero climate,” Johnson said. “The manufacturer told us what we should expect and they were completely correct. The batteries did drain faster on the sub-zero days, but a quick charge between routes was all that was needed. The busses themselves had no problems on the ice and snowy roads, it was all pretty routine for winter, we got the kids picked up on time and home safe on time. They’ve performed admirably, and I will say that when our old timers, guys who’ve been driving bus for the district longer than I’ve served here tell me that they absolutely love and enjoy driving their new bus, well you as an administrator tend to make note of that. In short, they are performing well.”
Other issues the board talked about were the school’s copy machines. Supt. Johnson reported that they were near the end of their service contract, with a little less than a year to go. The district has leases for the machines and services with Access Systems out of Sioux Falls.
Two out of the three machines are performing well, but the elementary machine has had frequent problems of late and needs to be serviced frequently. Johnson said that he and the staff have been happy with the contract, and that Access Systems has been diligent and fast about repairs and service. However, he said it was time to send the elementary machine back and get a new one.
Copiers and service to them is a highly competitive market in the area, and Access Systems, as a stipulation to the district getting a new machine, has pitched a new renewal contract to the district. Supt. Johnson and President Shannon Nordstrom reminded the board that the District pitched a Request for Proposals a few years back that resulted in the excellent contract they had accepted with Access Systems. They could go through that process again, however, Supt. Johnson said that the terms of the new contract were still excellent for the district, and that Access Systems had gotten along well with the staff, students and technology coordinator and since the price tag was well under the threshold for needing a bid, Johnson’s recommendation was to renew the contract with the presented terms as of that date. The board voted to do so.
Supt. Johnson in his report noted that a 4 percent increase in state aid to SD schools was put on offer from the Governor’s State of the State address and that was positive, but he and other school administrators were distressed by the presentation legislation favoring school voucher program once again, a program that dilutes funding for public education.
The last item of note would be that school elections would be coming up this year, seats held currently by Andy Hulscher and Jodi Gloe were up for election. Gloe, reportedly, is not seeking another term.
PIERRE—After fighting off two attempts in the 2023 legislative session to change the definition of a legal newspaper, the South Dakota Newspaper Association has changed its name and its attitude toward free newspapers.
On Friday, the Senate Local Government Committee unanimously endorsed SB75 which makes the changes necessary to the definition of a legal newspaper to allow free publications like The Dakota Scout of Sioux Falls and The Aberdeen Insider to publish public notices.
Speaking in favor of the bill was David Bordewyk, executive director of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association. Formerly the South Dakota Newspaper Association, Bordewyk said SDNA now represents the state’s newspapers as well as various digital-first outlets in the state.
“This bill recognizes the change in trends occurring in the news environment nationwide and also in our state,” Bordewyk said. “It’s a good, proactive step toward keeping pace with those trends.”
Bordewyk explained that the bill allows free distribution newspapers to become the official newspaper for local government entities like school boards, county commissions and city councils. The criteria for a free distribution newspaper to publish the minutes of meetings and bid notices is that it must have a print publication of at least 500 copies, at least 200 online subscribers and have its circulation audited annually by a recognized auditing agency.
Free distribution newspapers must also meet the same criteria as subscriber-based newspapers on frequency of publication, percentage of news content, maintaining an office and office hours and publishing an annual statement of publication.
“Senate Bill 75 contains strong safeguards to ensure that public notices are delivered to an intended audience and community served by the newspaper,” Bordewyk said.
Last year’s attempts to change the definition of a legal newspaper were accompanied by complaints about daily newspapers in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen and Watertown that are owned by Gannett. Corporate decisions have led to those newspapers cutting staff as well as local news content.
Speaking in favor of this year’s bill were representatives of The Dakota Scout and The Aberdeen Insider.
Troy McQuillen, publisher of The Aberdeen Insider, said his publication has been contacted by schools, the county and the city about the possibility of placing public notices in his free weekly newspaper.
“We are experiencing a tremendous need in our community for the ability to post legal postings,” McQuillen said.
Also testifying in favor of the bill were the South Dakota Municipal League and the South Dakota Association of Towns and Townships.
There was no testimony in opposition to the bill.
Committee member Randy Deibert, R-Spearfish, said he has witnessed a trend in which ownership of local newspapers by large corporations leads to less local news.
“If we can reinvest in local newspapers and local news, I support that,” Deibert said.
Committee chairman Tim Reed, R-Brookings, praised the quality of the work of what he called the “newer type of news media. But we had to make sure we were protecting public notices. That’s something that newspapers have provided for years.”
The bill was endorsed on a 7-0 vote and now goes to the full Senate.
After some delays and time off due to weather, the Garretson Lady Dragon basketball team was raring to go last Tuesday, January 16 when they stepped onto Alcester-Hudson's court for a double-header.
Jordyn Williams on the jump. //Garrick A Moritz, Gazette
They started the game off strong, with #24 Sydney Olson scoring the first two points in the first 90 seconds of the quarter. While Alcester-Hudson was able to soon get on the board, the Dragons pulled ahead of the Cubs and widened the lead throughout much of the first quarter. However, fouls from the Dragons continued to put the Cubs on the free throw line, where they nearly caught up and ended the quarter with the Dragons only one point ahead, 15-14.
In the first seconds of quarter two, Garretson lost the lead as the Cubs sunk a 2-pointer, and turnovers were high as the Blue Dragons had trouble retaining control of the ball, with the two teams running up and down the court. Garretson finally pulled back into the lead with a 2-pointer by #5 Jordyn Williams, and ratcheted up the game by going on an 11-point run to 28-16. They grabbed a few more baskets to go into the half 31-21.
In the third, the opponents were able to hold Garretson to 32 points while playing catch-up. The Dragons continued to let the Cubs eat away at the lead, ending the quarter 38-37.
The ladies in blue came back on the court ready for vengeance in the fourth quarter, widening the spread back out to 8 points, then 14 points up while holding Alcester-Hudson down. The Dragons ended the game 57-39, making for the sixth win of the season.
Kylie ChristensenSydney Olson
On Saturday, the team traveled to Madison for the DSU Shootout, pitting the Dragons against West River's Hill City.
Hill City came out of the gate hard, posting the first two points and grabbing the lead. Despite an attempt by Garretson to catch up, the Rangers widened the gap and did not let Garretson gain another point, ending the quarter 2-21.
Garretson worked on their catch-up game in the second and third quarters, gaining twenty-two points. Unfortunately, Hill City gained twenty, keeping the score to 24-41 at the end of the third quarter.
While both teams continued to battle it out in the 4th quarter, Hill City kept their 20-point spread, and the Dragons ended the game 31-54.
On Monday, January 22, Garretson squeezed in a make-up game against Colman-Egan in the Dragon's Lair. The home team came out victorious, taking the win 44-33.
This game was a struggle, as both teams had a full-court press with a double-team defense. Each team struggled to break through their respective walls and score. The Dragons shined at stealing the ball and getting the rebounds, and were able to finally break through in the fourth quarter. It still came down to the final minutes of the game, as the teams were sitting at 36-31, then 39-33 with 2:30 left on the clock. The Dragons and the Hawks continued to battle, with Olson making the shot for the final two points with 9 seconds left in the quarter.
Without much time for a break, Garretson will host the first two days of the Big East Conference Tournament. The tournament will begin with Parker facing Flandreau at 6:00 p.m. today (Thursday), and Garretson will be pitted against McCook Central/Montrose in game two. On Friday, game play will begin again at 6:00 p.m.
Winners will head to Beresford on Saturday to finish out the tournament, with games beginning at 12:00 p.m.
After a quiet schedule due to weather, the Garretson Boys Basketball team hit the road last Tuesday, January 16 for a double-header with Alcester-Hudson. The Dragons came home with the W, taking the game 50-45.
Ian Buettner //Garrick A Moritz, Gazette
Neither team wasted time in the first quarter gathering points, as the two teams stayed neck-in-neck throughout the first and second, going into the half 23-23.
The Dragons pulled ahead briefly early in the third quarter, and while Alcester-Hudson regained the lead, the two teams tied it up again 29-29 towards the end of the third quarter before the Dragons drove ahead. The teams stayed competitive, ending the third quarter with the Cubs up by five, 32-37. They kept that lead throughout the fourth quarter, though it was still anyone's game. With two minutes left on the clock, the Dragons closed up the gap with a 3-pointer from Ramsey Schweitzer, tying the game 45-45. With one minute left, Garretson's Blaine Trower grabbed two more points with a lay-up, and the final points were gathered by successful free throws thanks to fouls from the Cubs.
On Saturday, Garretson hosted Colman-Egan in a make up game. It was a brutal and bitter game, with the Dragons keeping up with the Hawks until the very end. If they had been able to get into position to make a 3-point shot, it would have gone into overtime, but it was not to be. The Dragons gave the Hawks a very tough fight, ending with a score of 65-68.
The team traveled to Flandreau on Tuesday (results not available at press time), and will be participating in the Dakota State Classic at DSU on Saturday. They'll be back on the home court on Friday, February 2.
The JV Boys Team was finally able to get back on the court January 16th, 2024, as they traveled down to Alcester to take on the Alcester/Hudson Cubs.
From the JV game on January 16, Treyton Decker on the jump block. //Photo by Mona DeckerCarter Siemonsma on the free throw. //Photo by Mona Decker
The Blue Dragons were a little rusty to say the least coming off a two week break from their last game, but managed to defeat Alcester/Hudson 32-20.
“I assumed that we would come out slow, but we were able to find a little rhythm as the game went on to come out on top at the end,” stated Coach Tad Heitkamp. “We were on a two-game losing skid prior to this match-up with Alcester/Hudson, so it was nice to get back in the win column.”
Cole Jessen had the hot hand for the Blue Dragons as he netted 10 points, which included two 3-pointers.
“Cole hit two big shots in the 3rd quarter that gave us a little breathing room…nice work young man!” said Coach Heitkamp.
Collin Olson and Carter Siemonsma did a nice job adding 8 points each, while Treyton Decker and Tyler Erickson finished the night with 4 and 2 points each.
There aren’t many hills in Lake Norden, so when snow began to pile up during winter our sledding opportunities were limited. Usually, we waited until the city maintenance crew finished plowing the streets because they always deposited the snow in two huge piles: one across from the fire hall and another next to the auditorium. That’s where kids gathered to play King on the Mountain or create an elaborate network of snow tunnels or just have an old-fashioned snowball fight.
Thirty years later, my own kids could choose among several sledding spots in Yankton. I don’t know how many times we loaded the car and snaked through the concrete driveways of the Yankton Cemetery, where a long and unobstructed slope on its west side provides a perfect downhill run. Morgen Park is another fun spot, as is the earthen slope of Gavins Point Dam, where it rises above Pierson Ranch Recreation Area west of Yankton.
The January/February issue of South Dakota Magazine includes a feature on popular sledding hills around the state. It seems that no matter where you’re growing up, you’re not far from an iconic or favorite spot for winter fun.
Hilger’s Gulch near the state capitol in Pierre is a popular sledding spot. Photo by Chad Coppess.
Families in Aberdeen love the modest slope in Baird Park, a gentle, 25-foot hill that city officials created just for kids. Custer’s Pageant Hill of one of the finest family sledding spots in the Black Hills. The hill is the summit of Big Rock Park, which also includes hiking trails and a disc golf course. St. Ann’s Hill in Watertown is a sledder’s delight, taking advantage of an abrupt change in elevation behind Prairie Lakes Hospital on 10th Avenue. (It’s called St. Ann’s Hill because that was the original name of the hospital.)
People in Lemmon realized that it was less expensive to build a small hill for water storage rather than a taller tower. It didn’t take long to see that it could also be a sledding slope with a warming shack. Called Tank Hill, it’s easy to spot on the city’s west side.
Another example of local ingenuity can be found in Wessington Springs, where an old homemade invention with an electric motor powers a 1,200-foot rope lift. Locals jokingly call it the “Rube Goldberg ski lift,” but it has carried thousands of happy children since the 1950s.
Such innovation and know-how are nice, but they are not often required in South Dakota. Sometimes all you need is the city maintenance man in a payloader.
John Andrews is the editor of South Dakota Magazine, a bi-monthly publication that explores the people and places of our great state. For more information, visit www.southdakotamagazine.com.
