The Garretson Gazette

Tension between governor and GOP-led Legislature stalls $200 million workforce housing program

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November 10, 2022

Tension between governor and GOP-led Legislature stalls $200 million workforce housing program

Bart Pfankuch

South Dakota News Watch

The sometimes strained relationship between Republican Gov. Kristi Noem and the GOP-led Legislature has led in part to delayed implementation of a $200 million program aimed at building critical workforce housing in South Dakota.

housing under construction — Despite numerous housing projects in the works in South Dakota, including this upscale apartment complex in Summerset, the state is thousands of homes short in trying to satisfy demand for workforce housing. Photo: Bart Pfankuch, South Dakota News Watch

In a series of emails sent to South Dakota News Watch, the Republican governor and a prominent GOP senator each blamed the other for the failure of the program to launch on time.

The loan and grant program that was supposed to begin disbursing funds for housing infrastructure in summer 2022 is on hold at least until the next legislative session in 2023 or possibly beyond that.

In an email to News Watch, Gov. Noem’s office blamed the GOP leadership in the state Senate for refusing to work with her on the bill that authorized the spending, for changing her initial plan and instead concocting a “scheme” that put the program’s goals in jeopardy.

“We are disappointed but not surprised” the program has stalled, the governor’s email stated. “Rather than work with Governor Noem on this plan, Senate leadership preferred to draft their own scheme. Many legislators assured the Governor that this scheme would work, and she took them at their word and signed their bill. Unfortunately, we have now seen that this scheme did not work as Senate leadership stated it would, and the $200 million is lying dormant.”

News Watch shared the governor’s statements with Sen. Lee Schoenbeck, R-Watertown, who is president pro tempore in the Senate. In a subsequent email to News Watch, Schoenbeck placed blame for the stalled funding program on Noem.

“There’s nothing wrong with the law,” Schoenbeck wrote. “To accommodate the Governor’s complaints and so she will drop both of her threats to sue [the South Dakota Housing Development Authority], we have drafted a bill. If [the governor] dropped her threats, money could go out now.”

Schoenbeck declined to respond to a follow-up email seeking clarification of his statements about threats or complaints by the governor.

The governor’s office then denied that Noem used threats of any kind to derail the program.

“The Governor’s concerns about this legislation have been laid out clearly and publicly in multiple letters to the Housing Authority and to the legislature,” Noem wrote in an email to News Watch sent by her spokesman Tony Mangan. “The Board is independent from the Governor’s oversight; therefore, Governor Noem has no legal authority over how the Board uses or does not use these dollars. The Governor has made no threats whatsoever and any allegation is false.”

The squabbling between Noem and Senate leaders over the housing funds is not the first time the governor has sparred with legislative leaders from her own political party.

Earlier this year, she battled with conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives over which branch of government — the executive or legislative — should have control over disbursement of hundreds of millions of federal dollars the state received during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the session, some of Noem’s key legislative proposals on abortion, critical race theory and COVID-19 vaccine exemptions were derailed by the GOP-led Legislature. In 2021, Noem openly criticized the Legislature for not supporting changes to a bill regarding transgendered players in youth sports. And Noem has publicly fought a war of words with Republican Speaker of the House Spencer Gosch, R-Glenham, who Noem said does not like her for some reason.

“I’m screwed either way, no matter what I say,” the governor said at one point. She later added: “He’s looking for a reason to blame me for everything.”

Delaying delivery of the $200 million for a year or more is bad news for communities that are in great need of workforce housing, and for people trying to find a place to live in South Dakota, said Julie Johnson, an Aberdeen attorney who lobbies the Legislature on behalf of a number of mostly nonprofit housing agencies. The program would use $150 million in state money and $50 million in federal funds for loans and grants to developers who agree to build workforce housing in big cities and small towns across the state.

“We missed a whole construction season, and that’s a big deal because you don’t do a lot of infrastructure development in the winter,” she said.

A recent state report noted that South Dakota needs about 10,000 more homes due to growth, and added that a lack of housing is holding back businesses from expanding in the state. None of the money in the program was designated for construction of homes, only for infrastructure to expedite home construction.

“A little bit of this money goes a long way across South Dakota in helping various kinds of housing efforts right now,” Johnson said.

The workforce housing problem exists across the state but is most acute in the state’s largest city of Sioux Falls, according to Debra Owen, vice president of government relations for the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce.

According to data from the city, Sioux Falls is home to 36% of the state workforce, has seen about 23,000 new residents from 2015-2020, and has 43% of the open jobs in the state. Meanwhile, city officials estimate Sioux Falls will need 7,000 more housing units to accommodate growth before 2025 at a time when affordable housing has fallen by 15% overall.

“If you’re coming to Sioux Falls for the first time, you’re going to see houses being put up all over the place, but a lot of those houses are being built for people who moved here two or more years ago,” Owen said. “We don’t have any houses for people who are moving in now or next year, so the need is pretty great here as far as where can we find housing with good prices for these people to come to our city to live.”

On a basic level, the concerns that led to the delay of the housing program centered around who would disburse the funds and what type of housing the program would support.

The program was announced as a priority by Noem in her 2022 budget address, and the bill to provide for the funding originated in her economic development office.

Initially, Noem wanted the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to review applications and make funding awards, but the state Senate amended the measure late in the 2022 session to allow the independent South Dakota Housing Development Authority to manage the program. The amended bill that authorized the program, House Bill 1033, also transferred the $150 million in state funds to the Housing Opportunity Fund for disbursement, and transferred the $50 million in federal funds to the housing authority with some restrictions, according to Lorraine Polak, director of the housing authority.

Polak said the language in the final bill was unclear on whether the funds were supposed to be targeted to housing for low-income or moderate-income residents.

Throughout the legislative process, supporters of the program did not want to restrict the program funding for low- to moderate-income housing only.

Backers argued that workforce housing is not necessarily income-targeted housing and that the fund should not be limited to providing infrastructure for housing only income-qualified residents.

As a result of the confusion around the intent of the legislation, the authority board voted this summer to delay implementation of the entire funding program until it received further clarification on intent from the Legislature, Polak wrote.

Polak said the housing authority was aware of Noem’s concerns but was never threatened with legal action in any way.

Polak said the authority received several applications from developers seeking some of the $50 million in federal funds, but alerted those applicants that the program was on hold.

The Legislature and governor need to regroup and pass a workable measure in 2023 so developers can begin using the money to get homes built in South Dakota, said Rep. Roger Chase, R-Huron, a major supporter of the housing program.

“I was hoping we could get this done to where funds could go out year this year, and that’s why it’s important for us to get started on this so we’re ready to go in the beginning of session so we don’t lose next year’s construction season.”

— This article was produced by South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit journalism organization located online at SDNewsWatch.org.

Homeless task force votes to send recommendations to city leaders in Sioux Falls

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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Homeless task force votes to send recommendations to city leaders in Sioux Falls

By: John Hult

for SD Searchlight

The question of how best to respond to homelessness – and the cost of doing so – will soon land in the lap of the Sioux Falls City Council.

The Sioux Falls Homeless Task Force, made up of city and county officials and community representatives in the state’s largest city, signed off on its recommendations on Monday night after its seventh and final meeting.

The group wants the city to:

• Hire a street team to respond to calls for vagrancy and loitering, at a cost of $500,000 for two years,

• Launch a public education campaign on the causes of realities of homelessness for $125,000,

• Encourage wider participation in the Helpline Network of Care, with $352,000 in incentives and technology upgrades,

• Partner with the county to study a “housing first” approach to homelessness mitigation in line with the county’s Safe Home facility, and,

• Review and update the existing panhandling ordinance.

The group’s final report also suggests devoting resources to the study of shelter and mental health service capacity in Sioux Falls, taking steps to encourage a more simplified, streamlined process for new identification cards to those experiencing homelessness, and a pushing for more affordable housing units.

Long-term cost of proposals questioned

With a price tag of nearly $1 million for the first two years came questions of long-term funding.

Kadyn Wittman, a task force member who works for the Sioux Falls Family YMCA, called herself a “strong supporter” the public education campaign. The community as a whole struggles to understand the root causes of homelessness and the difficulties faced by families and individuals with nowhere to stay, she said, and a public education campaign could help ease some of the tension between downtown visitors and the homeless population that sometimes mixes with them.

“This is probably the proposal I’m most excited about,” Wittman said.

Other task force members chimed in with support for the campaign as a long-term investment. Michelle Erpenbach of Sioux Falls Thrive, a former city council member herself, said she hopes to see city leaders make an ongoing commitment to education

“If this passes this group, I’d encourage that it become a standing item in our city budget,” Erpenbach said. “This problem is not going to go away, and people will continue to need to be educated.”

But city government tends to move slowly, said City Councilor Curt Soehl. Financing projects year by year can make long-term commitments of any kind a difficult sell. Ongoing funding could force the city to turn to the county or even the state for support.

“The funding might be the hiccup to some of this,” Soehl said. “The recommendations here are all great, but we’re going to be looking to (some) partners for the funding on this.”

‘It could help’

A few hours before the task force voted to send its recommendations to the City Council, 56-year-old Richard Reams and 32-year-old Michael Appleby stood smoking cigarettes about a half mile away, in a fenced enclosure just north of the Bishop Dudley Hospitality house’s front door.

As one of two homeless shelters in Sioux Falls, the Bishop Dudley factored heavily into the task force’s work. The Indiana Avenue shelter’s capacity and its management of overflow was a major talking point, particularly as the winter months approach.

Appleby and Reams both hope to be long gone from the shelter before the deep freeze sets in.

Reams is a recent parolee who landed at the shelter a few weeks ago after a rough transition from prison to community. He struggled with withdrawal symptoms when he ran out of the two-week supply of mental health medications the prison sent him out with. He eventually secured a prescription from Falls Community Health, but he didn’t have the money to rent an apartment or the identification card he’d need to get his name on a lease. Just last week, Reams got his ID. On Friday, he said, once he gets his first paycheck, he plans to move into an apartment.

“When I first came here, I was looking for help, but I helped myself,” Reams said. “That’s the first lesson I learned.”

It wasn’t simple, though. Running out of his medication without a clear path to a refill was difficult, he said, as was jumping through the paperwork hoops to document his indigency and secure an ID card without a fee.

If the task force’s plans came to be and made it easier for people like him to get back on their feet, Reams said, it could make a difference for the next person in his shoes.

“If they implement it right, it would help,” Reams said.

Appleby isn’t sure when he’ll leave the shelter. He came to Sioux Falls from St. Paul about two weeks ago, meaning to meet and stay with a friend. When he arrived, he said, his friend was gone.

“I came here on a lie,” Appleby said.

His backpack, along with his ID, electronics and other personal belongings, was stolen last week while he worked a temp job at a furniture store, he said. Now all he wants “is $65 for a bus ticket” back to St. Paul.

The Las Vegas native said he preferred St. Paul’s approach to homelessness, as well as its easier access to services. If Sioux Falls made it easier to get ID cards, birth certificates or temporary work, Appleby said, the homelessness situation could improve.

“I lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for almost two years and they have so many services. They have so many places you can go to for jobs, birth certificates, the whole nine yards,” he said.

Recruiting charge leads to work on clarifying SDHSAA policies

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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Recruiting charge leads to work on clarifying SDHSAA policies

By Dana Hess

For the S.D. Newspaper Association

PIERRE — The South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors is considering adding more specific language to its policy against recruiting student athletes from one school to another.

“We had a charge of recruiting this year,” said SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos, noting that it was the first one in his six years with the association.

While the association had a policy against the recruitment of athletes, there was nothing specific spelled out as to what sort of inducements were prohibited and what sort of punishment would await a school that was guilty of recruitment.

Swartos told the board at its meeting Wednesday that the changes being proposed could be voted on by the member schools as a constitutional amendment or treated like an interpretation of the rule and be endorsed by the board.

The more specific language prohibits school personnel or booster clubs from making special arrangements that provide a student or a student’s family with benefits not offered to other students. Those could include jobs or housing for parents, residential location offers, promises of playing time, financial aid to parents or students, or any benefit not sanctioned by SDHSAA guidelines.

The proposal board members saw also spelled out ways schools or individuals may try to exert undue influence on student athletes through calls, emails, texts, letters, cards or questionnaires designed to persuade the athlete to switch schools. This includes invitations to summer camps or open gyms.

The new language spells out the penalties for schools and coaches guilty of recruiting. They include suspension of the school from regular season and post-season activities, suspension of the coach from all coaching duties or the banning of parents/alumni/supporters from attendance at sanctioned activities.

In the past “there wasn’t anything specifically laid out for the coach or the school that was doing the recruiting,” Swartos said.

There’s nothing the association can do, Swartos explained, if an employer offers a sweetheart deal to an athlete’s parents that induces them to move to that community.

According to state rules, students are allowed to transfer one time. It can be tough, Swartos said, to discern the motivation for that transfer.

“It’s really, really hard to figure that out if it’s something that they’re allowed to do,” Swartos said.

Board members will study the new language and discuss it at their meeting in January.

Students asked to lead sportsmanship initiative

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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Students asked to lead sportsmanship initiative

By Dana Hess

For the S.D. Newspaper Association

PIERRE — At some South Dakota schools, students are taking the lead in trying to get better sportsmanship at athletic contests.

monochrome photo of man wearing jacket pointing finger at stadium — *Photo by Andrzej Mucka on Pexels.com*

During a discussion on Wednesday of the association’s initiative to increase sportsmanship among players, coaches and fans, members of the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s board of directors heard a message recorded by grade school students at Hoven.

“You are our role models,” the young narrator tells the fans. “We see and hear everything you say and do. Please refrain from making any negative comments.”

The message also asks for respect for game officials and ends with this piece of advice: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

“If second and third graders can figure it out,” SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director Jo Auch said of sportsmanship, “why can’t adults figure it out?”

The association reached out to the state’s student councils to get them involved in the sportsmanship effort. The message from Hoven, as well as one from students at Hitchcock-Tulare, can be found on the association’s website.

Auch said the association hopes to make some sort of progress on increasing sportsmanship before the start of the basketball season.

“We know that everybody’s an expert in basketball, as they are in every sport,” Auch said. “Our officials are, quite honestly, tired of it.”

Auch noted an effort in Lead/Deadwood in which visiting teams are greeted by a welcome banner and gifts for the visiting players. “Little things like that go long way.”

During the fall sports season, schools were asked to recognize sports officials as part of an Officials’ Appreciation Week. Auch said that took many forms, from announcements at games to photos with the teams to flowers and gift cards.

“I think it’s just a kind gesture on our part and a very easy way to say thanks for what you guys do,” Auch said, noting that there would be appreciation weeks Jan. 23 to 28 for officials in winter sports and April 10 to 15 for officials in spring sports.

The efforts to promote sportsmanship are needed as board members learned that ejections from games have increased dramatically this year. SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director Randy Soma said there were 30 ejections in the entire school year last year. This year, in just the fall sports, there have been 58 ejections.

Last year the ejections were seven in boys’ basketball, 10 in boys’ soccer, four in boys’ wrestling and nine in football. So far this year there have been 24 in boys’ soccer, 25 in football, three in girls’ soccer, three ejected coaches and three ejected fans.

“We have really taken it to another level,” Soma said, noting that these are just the ejections that have been reported to the SDHSAA office.

Infractions that lead to ejections in games include illegal hits in football, language, talking back to officials and fighting.

“It starts with our coaches and our kids,” Soma said. “Our kids have to be respectful and so do our coaches.”

SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos said the staff would try to work out a best practices plan for school districts to use when they have to remove an unruly fan from the stands.

Soma, a former athletic director in Brookings, knows how difficult it is to confront a fan. “It’s a hard situation, as an athletic director, to walk up to somebody you know in the stands and get them removed.”

Obituary: Valentine (Val) Charles Rush

Obituaries

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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Valentine (Val) Charles Rush was born July 8, 1949, in Flandreau, SD, the son of John J. and Evelyn M. (Valentine) Rush. He entered the presence of his loving Savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, November 6, 2022.

Val spent his days on the farm after graduating from St Mary's in Dell Rapids and then Dakota State in Madison. Before he even saw it, God's grace was apparent in his life. On September 10, 1977, he married Teresa (Hessaa) Molskness, and they recently celebrated their 45th anniversary.

During their marriage, they had three children, Aaron, Sarah, and Jonathan. Val spent many days planting and harvesting corn and beans. But in 1987, those days came to an end. Not knowing what would come next, his career moved to the insurance business. But he began sowing seeds other than corn, beans, or insurance.

God called him to make the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ known. His call to ministry started when attending the Egan United Methodist Church at the age of 43. Several Egan Church ladies asked Val to teach their adult Sunday School Class.

He loved and continued teaching God's Word, revealed through the Bible. Later the members of the Egan church encouraged Val to attend seminary and become a pastor. It was not an easy decision, but it turned out to be very wise in the end, as obedience to God is. He attended North American Baptist Seminary starting in September 1992 and completed his degree in Divinity in May 1995.

After his first year of seminary, he received a call to serve part-time at the Garretson United Methodist Church and later served full-time after adding two small churches in Minnesota. After seven years in Garretson, Val stated that he and Teresa would be willing to move anywhere except North Dakota. They soon packed their bags to head north to Bowman, North Dakota. Then twelve years later, they moved to pastor the Winner United Methodist Church in South Dakota. After retiring from 5 years of ministry in Winner, they moved to a farm near Canton and, lastly, Sioux Falls.

In retirement, Val pastored the Methodist Church in Viborg, SD, worked as a volunteer hospice chaplain, and part-time chaplain at the Avera Heart Hospital. He entered into his eternal rest and has now truly retired. The remarkable grace of God marked Val's life.

Living by those words of Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." He longed that everyone would come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Grateful for having a part of Val's life are his wife, Teresa; Children, Aaron (Liz Rush), Avon, SD; Sarah Rush, Sioux Falls; and Jonathan Rush and Heather Rieger. Sioux Falls. Grandchildren Kuyper Rush, Zane Rush, Charles Rush, Finley Rush, Ezra Rush, Brooklyn Rieger, Ellianna Rush, and Evelyn Rush. Siblings: James Rush (Ann), Omaha, NE; Margaret Rush, Sioux Falls; Jack Rush (Gayle), Philip, SD; Mary Jane Hover (Brad), Kansas City, MO; and Richard "Dick" Rush, Omaha, NE. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother David Rush.

Funeral services will be 10:30 am Friday, November 11, 2022, at the Egan United Methodist Church, Egan, SD with burial in Hillside Cemetery, Egan. Visitation will be Thursday from 5:00 – 7:00 pm with a time of sharing at 6:30 pm at Skroch Funeral Chapel, Flandreau.

http://www.skrochfc.com

From the Desk of Commissioners Heiberger and Beninga

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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From the Desk of Commissioners Heiberger and Beninga

gerald beninga — *Minnehaha Commissioner Gerald Beninga. (Photo by Dave Baumeister)*

Providing a secure, safe space for youth who are moving through the criminal justice system is a unique problem. At the Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center (JDC), our staff work with youth who are in crisis. The JDC serves as a regional facility, providing secure detention for 15 partner counties and the South Dakota Department of Corrections.

Commissioner Heiberger — *Minnehaha Commissioner Cindy Heiberger*

The JDC opened in 1969, with renovations in 1988 and 1995. The JDC has 40 secure rooms, two classrooms, a courtroom, a multipurpose/lunchroom space, a gym, administrative offices, and an outdoor recreation area. The JDC maintains a legally required 8 youth to 1 staff ratio, which plays a significant role on staffing and programming in the facility. While the facility is able to meet its need, it does not conform to industry best practices and there are significant inefficiencies that cannot sustain long-term.

The age of the building is beginning to show as much of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life. Beyond the age of the building, the physical layout poses unique challenges for staff. The sleeping rooms are arranged in long hallways. Youth at JDC may have mental health conditions, including feelings of suicide, which make response time critical to ensuring safety. When staff need to separate youth, whether based on issues occurring in the facility or based on their charges, there are limited options to effectively separate them. The long, narrow hallways also increase the risk of fights between youth while staff are taking them to and from their room.

The courtroom and adjacent spaces pose additional layout inefficiencies. There is one hallway which judges, attorneys, defendants, parents, and visitors all use during court proceedings. These hearings can become tense and emotional and the existing layout does not provide a way to separate groups.

Bill Garnos, who has done population and trend projections for the Minnehaha County Jail, completed a population and trends analysis for the JDC. This analysis found that by 2026 the JDC will need between 43 and 48 beds, and by 2041 the JDC will need between 60 and 69 beds - the current JDC has 40 beds.

jdc Building — *Photo courtesy Minnehaha County*

Minnehaha County has considered the future of the JDC multiple times in the last few years. In 2009, an architect was hired to consider either a new or remodeled facility. Additional reviews occurred in 2017 and 2019, both times identifying needs including a sally port (i.e. a secure garage for law enforcement), improved healthcare areas, and renovated courtroom.

Prompted by the condition of the facility and the projected space constraints, Minnehaha County has completed a conceptual plan to either renovate and remodel or build a new Juvenile Justice Center. The remodel option results in a 57,000 sq. ft. facility (which would include portions of the original 1969 construction), constructed in 31 months, for a total cost of $48,954,000. The new facility option results in a 67,000 sq. ft. facility, constructed in 27 months, for a total cost $50,307,000. Both options include 64 secure beds.

The cost to taxpayers is a primary concern when considering projects like this. Using an estimated $50 million-dollar bond to pay for the project, the impact on a $100,000 home is estimated to be a $21.39 property tax increase. The first year of this increase would be the largest, decreasing each year as payments are made and as the Courthouse bond is paid off in 2027. This increase is in the bond redemption levy and does not include any changes to the general fund levy or building fund levy.

The cost of this project is significant, but we feel it is important to think about the benefits to making this investment in our community. This plan will allow Minnehaha County to continue to hold youth accountable for their actions while improving our ability to provide education and programming with the vision of reducing recidivism and directing them on to a productive adult life. An improved Juvenile Justice Center puts Minnehaha County in a position to provide even better services to our youth, to provide an improved environment for our staff, to create efficiencies between court services and the detention services, and to prepare for the future.

If you are interested in learning more, please visit the Minnehaha County website, presentations and frequently asked questions are available at www.minnehahacounty.org, under the Commission tab.

Bingo Fundraiser a success

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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Sponsored article

Thank-you to all who helped make our Bingo Fundraiser a success thanks to all of Garretson.

The museum relies on fundraisers and donations to pay the bills. All our staff are volunteers and receive no compensation for their hard work.

We had a very nice turnout and awarded half the ticket price back to the Bingo winners. We want to thank you for all the donations to support the museum and Sharon Kringen for supplying some nice “extra” prizes.

We also received a $500 donation from the Doug Williamson Trust awarded by Leah Jones. Every year the trust supports local projects and great projects and we are honored to have been considered and awarded.

A reminder- during the winter we are only open by reservation. You can call any member of the board (numbers on door of museum) and we will open for you or your group.

We will be open for the Home Town Christmas Celebration (Dec 10th) starting at 10 AM, with hot coffee, cider and popcorn.

-Bruce Brown, President

Garretson Area Historical Society and Museum

This article is free thanks to the generosity of those who support the Garretson Historical Society. Memberships are available by contacting any member of the board.

Sioux Empire Fair earns half million dollars in profits for their annual 2022 event

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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Sioux Empire Fair earns half million dollars in profits for their annual 2022 event

By Dave Baumeister, county correspondent

SIOUX FALLS – With a new Minnehaha County budget approved for 2023, presentations from groups funded by that start over again, and this week, three groups talked with commissioners about what they had accomplished over the past year.

First and foremost, Scott Wick, the manager of the Sioux Empire Fair, gave a report on how the fair did last August.

He was happy to report that fair revenue came in at an almost half a million-dollar profit, which was an increase of just over $389,000 from the net profit of the 2021 fair.

Wick’s figures showed the overall fair expenses adding up to $1.3 million, with $673,763 being specifically for entertainment.

The way fair admissions have worked in the past several years under Wick’s direction, that entrance fee pays for most grandstand shows, although a few shows, like Old Dominion and Nelly, did require separate ticket fees.

Still, when adding the total revenue from admissions, camping, carnival fees and separate grandstand sales, the fair made almost all of their expenses back, meaning that revenue from food and beverage concessions, vendors and exhibitors, and other fair sponsors were almost pure profit, totaling $499,157.

“I tried and tried to hit that half million-mark but couldn’t come up with the extra money!” Wick joked.

The fair management and fair board will now be able to use that money for future improvements to the fairground.

As Wick explained, what goes on at the fairgrounds is not solely limited to the annual fair but encompasses various events and rentals during the entire year.

Other presentations came from Lifescape and Forward Sioux Falls on what their organizations have done during the year for the county.

Belly up, boys!

And at this meeting, commissioners approved 18 liquor licenses for establishments operating in Minnehaha County, outside the various incorporated towns.

Two establishments, the Monarch Lounge in Renner and the Safari Bar and Grill near Renner, had to have special hearings, as both had been caught selling to a minor during a sheriff’s department compliance check in November of 2021.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the license for the Safari, but Commissioner Jeff Barth voted “no” on the Monarch license, which still passed 4-1.

He later said he wasn’t voting “no” to stop the license, as it already had three in favor by the time he voted, but he wanted to make a point that the commission does take liquor sales and violations very seriously, and he wanted to make a point that “unanimity isn’t always going to rule on this type of a thing. We do take it seriously.”

As Tuesday, Nov. 8, was Election Day, and the commission meeting room was used for vote counting, the next meeting will be at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15 in that third-floor meeting room at the Minnehaha County Administration Building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.

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Bullet Bar changes hands

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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Mike Hendrickson Darcia Hanson Katy Hendrickson in the bar

Darcia Hansen took over the Bullet Bar from her father, Don Johnson, back in 1999 and has owned and operated it with the help of her husband Dan since then. This past Saturday, Nov. 5th, the Bullet hosted a large final day bash, where Hanson handed over the operation to its new owners, who will call it Mike’s Bar. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house, with standing room only. Mike and Katy Hendrickson are the new owners and will be hosting a grand opening party of their own to be announced later. Sadly, Dan Hansen going emergency healthcare, was unable to attend.

Raelynn Marie Dowd, 54

Obituaries

Carrie Moritz

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November 10, 2022

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Raelynn Marie Dowd, 54 of Garretson, SD died Sunday, November 6, 2022 at Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD.

Raelynn was born on June 11, 1968 the daughter of Raymond and Ardys (Thornburg) Dowd in Wadena, MN. She was raised and educated in Colorado Springs, CO. Raelynn graduated from Lajes High School in 1986, in the Azores, Portugal.

Raelynn was a caregiver for Home Instead since 2017. She loved people and was always willing to help and made friends with several people she cared for. She almost always had a smile on her face and with her quick wit and slight sarcasm, she easily made others smile as well.

She cherished her nieces and nephews. She saved every photo and drawing that had been given to her throughout the years. She also adored her friends and her cats, Buddy and Harley. When she wasn’t working, she enjoyed photography, puzzles and music.

Raelynn is survived by her father, Raymond Dowd of Colorado Springs, CO; siblings, Jeffrey Dowd of Colorado Springs, CO, Jennifer (Bob) Harrison of Sioux Falls, SD and Gwendolyn (Aaron) Egbert of Colorado Springs, CO; and nieces and nephews: Jessica, Emily, Hannah, Sarah, Greg, Tim, Logan, Cullen, Cassidy, Rydgelie, Wyatt and Abby. Raelynn was preceded in death by her brother Greg, grandparents and her mother, Ardy Dowd.

Memorial visitation with the family present will be held from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Saturday, November 19, 2022 at George Boom Funeral Home and On-Site Crematory.

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Raelynn Marie Dowd, 54

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