Organizer Loren Konda gave the Gazette an after-action report for the Garretson Tractor Ride 2022.
“We had 34 tractors participate with 11 extra riders,” Konda said. “Down a little from last year when we had 39 tractors. We had people come from Sioux Center and Orange City Iowa, Hurley and Wessington Springs South Dakota, as well as a lot of local folks. We ate at Marvin’s Manifolds in Garretson, where he and his sisters provided lunch for all. We had a morning pit stop at Boucher Prairie, and our afternoon pit stop was at Palisades Lutheran church for cookies and a water break, and they sure rolled out the red carpet for us too. We returned to Kibble John Deere by way of 4th Street Garretson for root beer floats for everybody at around 4 p.m. It was a fantastic day for it and it turned out about as well as I could have hoped.” Photos contributed by Tara Dee Hough.
A solid run of wins put the Garretson amateur baseball team in the Class B winner's circle as they cinched the State Runner-up title on Sunday in Mitchell against the Dell Rapids Mudcats. Despite the 2-5 loss, the BlueJays were ecstatic, as the team did not make the State tournament in 2021.
Nick Bonte. Photo courtesy Blue Jays Baseball
Jays win again in Round 3!
On to the semis for the team that didn’t even make state last year! The Jays won 2-1 against the Mt. Vernon Mustangs on Thursday, August 11.
The game started with Tayson Swatek throwin' BP in a cut off intimidating the opposing team right from the start.
Trey Buckneberg and Brady deballs led the way with a burger before the game, can’t win on a empty stomach. Nick Bonte was on the bump and threw the first 5 innings of great baseball. The first inning a ball was hit and the Mustangs tried scoring, but not on Jesse Brockhouse watch throwing him out by 5 feet. The guy tried a Busch league move and next time we decided Brady Bonte will just break him in half rather than being nice and trying an easy tag.
Labrie did his thing driving in our only two runs and then coming in in the 7th and pitching 3 shutout innings. After the game, Oran Sorensen gave us a pep talk on “go and try to win the whole damn thing” so why not try I guess. From last to to final four is a huge accomplishment to us and the fire in Garretson for baseball is back!
Jays beat Lennox 7-2 to make the championship game!
Tayson Swatek. Photo courtesy BlueJays Baseball
The game started with gourmet burgers and brats made by the legends Jay Swatek and Jason Bohl. They said they are looking at opening a burger joint in Garretson called the Two Dudes! Jack sparo said he would bus tables for them.
Dustin Steckler started on the mound and pitched a hell of a game throwing gas and only giving up 2 runs in 8.3 innings. He’s been awesome for us all year.
Tayson Swatek hit a double off the wall in the 5th to tie it up 1-1. The rookie has been great! I can’t really remember what happened after that cause it was all a blur and we were super nervous and excited, but I know a ground ball bounced .5 in over Vanhove’s glove to tie it 2-2 in the the 8th. Everyone said he needed a higher vertical, but the announcer confirmed he got up about 33 inches.
The next inning was wild and we scored 5 runs off of hits and errors! Brady Bonte was amazing behind the plate, has caught every game for us this year. Aaron Labrie closed the door again for us! Joey Fitz, Jesse Brockhouse and Nick Bonte had multiple hits. Scott Splett sold corn in the morning and then hit a double in the game.
Runner up State Champs
This will be the last write up of the 2022 season. The Jays fell 2-5 to Dell Rapids in the state championship. The game started out great with Labrie starting on the bump for us and being an absolute workhorse for the team. We got up 2-0 with a smash to left by pick up player Robin Chute.
The Dells Mudcats battled back and got up 5-2. We saw two pitchers that were both drafted and we out hit them with 9 hits. We had our chances and just couldn’t quite bring it home.
The team made great strides, from not making state last year to making the championship this year.
We were also awarded the sportsmanship award that also speaks for our team and how we just like to play baseball and love the game.
After the game, Jack sparo got an ice cream cake and celebrated a season of many victories! The Blue Jays have their annual golf tourney this Saturday, we hope to see everyone there! Thank you, fans, friends and family, for all the support and love you give us. #JaysFlyTogether
The roster for the 2022 season of BlueJays Amateur Baseball included #2 Jesse Brockhouse, #3 Nick Bonte, #4 Ryan Patrick, #4 Dylan Kindt, #5 Aaron LaBrie, #11 Jacob Fitzgerald, #13 Dustin Steckler, #13 Cole Koch, #19 Scott Splett, #20 Ryan Flanagan, #21 Brady Bonte, #22 Trey Buckneberg, #23 Joey Fitzgerald, #24 Austin Vanhove, #25 Travis Williamson, #28L Tayson Swatek, #31 Colby Buseman, #69 Brady DeBates, #1E Robin Chute, and #30L Jayse Miller. Aaron Vanhove was coach.
The Garretson Blue Dragons hosted a jamboree on Saturday welcoming teams from Colman-Egan and Arlington. This is a controlled scrimmage for offense and defense, no special teams were ran.
“Every season has the early evaluation period to see how the squad has developed from last year. We had some good surprises and will make some adjustments going forward,” said Coach Weiland. The home opener versus Chester, Friday August 19, should prove to be an exciting evening. Photo contributed by Coach Weiland.
by Mr. Guy Johnson, Supt., reprinted from the August School Newsletter.
From the Gazette archives, the first Day of School for 2021
Welcome back! We are excited to be getting ready for the 2022-2023 school year! We have been busy over the summer preparing the schoolhouse for the arrival of our students. Tile floors have been shined, carpets have been shampooed and much of the building has a fresh coat of paint. The custodial crew has worked hard to get things looking good for our students and staff.
The District welcomes a number of new staff members this year. Leading the work over the summer has been our new Head Custodian, Melissa Jensen. Mel comes to us with a variety of work experience and a strong desire to learn the ins and outs of how the building functions. We welcome two new principals to the district this year. Mr. Chris McGregor comes to the district with administrative experience in both Parker, SD and Scotland, SD. He has been a principal for the last 11 years, and is looking forward to getting started with our middle and high school students and staff. Mrs. Katie Hoekman will step into the role of elementary principal. Mrs. Hoekman comes to us from the Baltic School District, where she has taught first grade for the past ten years. While this is her first administrative post, Mrs. Hoekman is excited to get the year started. Three new teachers will be joining this district this year as well. Mrs. Amber Schroeder will join the district as a first grade teacher. She has been teaching in the Harrisburg school district, but is excited to come home to Garretson to teach in the elementary school. Ms. Jill Whalen is also stepping into the role of first grade teacher. Ms. Whalen has taught first grade for the past nine years, both in SD and in the Twin Cities metro area. She’s excited to be coming back to her more rural roots in SD. Ms. Whalen will also serve this year as an assistant soccer coach, working with MS and HS students on the field. Mrs. Amanda Nelson rounds out our teachers who are new to the district. Mrs. Nelson completed her student teaching in the Garretson School District three years ago. Since that time, she has been serving as a teacher in the Tri-Valley School District. When we had an opening for a kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Nelson was hopeful to have the opportunity to come back to Garretson. We look forward to seeing the impact that our new staff will have as work to create a great learning environment for our kids.
LYONS, NEBRASKA – In what the Center for Rural Affairs calls a win for rural communities, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 on Friday, August 12. Included in the package is funding for working lands conservation and investments in clean energy for rural communities.
“This package will positively impact rural people across the country,” said Johnathan Hladik, policy director for the Center for Rural Affairs.
Included in the Inflation Reduction Act is $3.25 billion for the Conservation Stewardship Program and $8.45 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program through fiscal year 2026. This funding will provide farmers interested in implementing conservation practices a better chance at receiving funding.
“We know these working lands conservation programs have been severely underfunded and oversubscribed,” Hladik said. “This funding will address the backlog of farmers who have applied for financial assistance and not received a contract due to lack of program resources.”
The Inflation Reduction Act also provides significant investments in the energy sector by allocating roughly $30 billion in grant and loan programs for state and electric utilities to accelerate the transition to clean electricity. The package contains a special focus on rural electric cooperatives.
“These investments in localized, renewable energy will result in energy cost savings for consumers and increased reliability of the electricity sector,” Hladik said.
Johnson Statement on the Inflation Bill
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the U.S. House passed the $739 billion Inflation Reduction Act on a party-line vote:
“This week’s 8.5% inflation report is a resounding alarm the Left continues to ignore,” said Johnson. “Americans are facing record-high inflation – more spending is not the answer. In the last two years alone, I’ve opposed nearly $10 trillion in government spending. This bill further risks increasing prices of goods across the board.
“Congress should turn its focus to solutions that will solve the supply chain crisis, increase domestic energy production, and get workforce participation back to pre-pandemic levels. The majority of South Dakotans are feeling the pressure of inflation every time they have to take out their wallet. The alarm bells have been going off for a long time – it’s time to listen.”
South Dakota Democratic Party Celebrated the Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act
SD Democrats say that the Inflation Reduction Act, will lower the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance, and energy and fight inflation.
They argue that South Dakota Republicans Sen. John Thune, Sen. Mike Rounds, and Rep. Dusty Johnson voted against the Inflation Reduction Act - choosing to side with Big Pharma and the ultra-wealthy instead of South Dakotans and our ag industry.
“While Democrats are focused on fighting inflation and tackling the climate crisis, South Dakota Republicans have repeatedly voted against legislation that would better the lives of their constituents. South Dakotans deserve leaders who will pick people over special interest groups and help lower costs for families,” said SDDP Chair Randy Seiler.
They said that this legislation will also benefit South Dakota farmers who play an important role in ethanol production with provisions for the production of clean fuels and infrastructure for higher biofuel blends. They also said the Inflation Reduction Act will take significant steps to reduce inflation, address the climate crisis, and make health care, especially prescription drugs, more affordable.
There are currently tens of thousands in SD that have jobs but do not make enough money to afford health insurance. When people don't have health insurance they tend to avoid going to the doctor because it's very expensive, even with coverage. Sometimes health conditions or pain become too great to ignore and people will finally breakdown and go to the ER. This is the most expensive way to receive health care. Currently, Sanford tends to write off the bills and pass the cost on to everyone else. Avera on the other hand chooses to sue Minnehaha County. The county is required to provide health care services to those who can't afford it based on poverty level formulas. Millions of dollars worth of unpaid medical bills have been settled between Avera and Minnehaha county in the last year.
SD is the only state in our region that doesn't participate in expanded Medicaid which would cover the working poor. When we pay our federal income taxes we don't get a discount for not participating. Instead we pay full federal taxes and that money goes to other states and then we get to pay those health care bills again through our property taxes or higher rent.
ND passed expanded Medicaid for a short period of time. It has worked so well for them that they have renewed twice more.
If hard working South Dakotans had access to this affordable health care plan they would save us so much money by not waiting until it's an emergency. Sanford would no longer need to pass the cost along and Avera would no longer be suing the counties to get reimbursement. Maybe that is why so many groups like our health care systems and EMS departments are supporting Amendment D?
Just last week SD closed the doors on yet another nursing home. Nursing homes don't pay the best and many don't provide health insurance as a benefit. How many more nursing homes will we lose because their workers need to find jobs that provide health insurance? How many more small businesses will lose their employees because they cannot afford to provide expensive private health insurance plans? The ripple effect to our communities, small businesses and tax payers is significant, but it doesn't have to be this way. This past June a partisan group of legislators tried to stop us from having a say in our own government. They wanted to silence us but it didn't work. Voters showed up in record numbers for a primary and said No to amendment C. The legislature has been holding us back from solving this problem but we can use our voice and our vote and send them a message again this November.
The name changed. The organization is the same. Our club, which now exceeds 70 years, goes way back to the 1950's when the group was organized.
The rural youth organization was for many, an out-growth of 4-H. Our county group was Minnehaha County, member of the state and national organization.
The four goals for the Rural Youth organization were the four S's, Specialize, Socialize, Study, Serve.
Specialize was contests at the state level for speaking contests, forums, anything that was helpful to be better trained to be a community leader, such as school board, county board, 4¬H leaders and judges, church leaders etc.
Socialize - The Rural Youth group was comprised of young and peppy folk who square danced, circle danced and line danced. Meeting places were usually complimentary at city halls and town halls, The Fenn's Ice Cream Room, and members' homes. Every meeting had food. Young homemaker members always wanted to serve a fine lunch. Many times, they used a new recipe that all would enjoy and share the recipe with each other.
Every summer would include the club family picnic. Because the group had 50-60 members at the time with the group's kids invited, the attendance numbers could swell to over 100. Basket socials were an annual thing.
Study - We very often had speakers that were current on subjects that appealed to our group. Any young male high school graduates that grew up on a farm, became farmers to follow in the footsteps of their fathers. Some did attend college. The girls either worked as an office secretary, attended a teacher's college and after limited training began teaching (often in a rural school), and a few became nurses. However, a majority of the girls married at a young age, married a farmer and before you knew it they were a farmer's wife; they became the operator's assistant. Young couples soon added to their family. The numbers of children in each family were larger than they are now.
Serve- Young families were busy with their farming, wives helping the farmers, household duties and child care but still found time to help the organization serve lunch at farm auctions. The money earned was always given to individuals or groups that had need. The groups provided workers to help serve lunch at ag-related organizations. For years the group judged 4-H record books and gave prize money for the best books. When national extension participants met in Sioux Falls and they had a scheduled side tour to the Black Hills, a representative from our group hosted the group. Through the years, members were from every area of Minnehaha County and surrounding area.
More on Socialize: Eventually, after years of meeting in many sites within the county, the group decided that it would be a good idea to go by bus to the Twin Cities for an overnight and tours. A person from within the Rural Youth agreed to plan the event. With the success of the Twin Cities trip, the group attempted a similar bus outing to the Denver Western Livestock Show. When many more bus trips were scheduled, they were opened up to other guests.
As a result, the same group with a new name, YMW Alumni, was introduced. The name change came about when we (people who had aged) were introduced as Young Men and Women at a play or production, the crowd would snicker at the "Young" part, so we became Young Men and Women Alumni. Our group, plus others, enjoyed trips to the East and West Coast, the Midwest, Canada, Alaska, and Australia, with many of those trips being by air.
Seventy years later our group has 8 scheduled meetings per year. The gathering is always at noon. Individuals do not like to drive at night. The eye doctors agree. We do have 15-20 members that enjoy a different diner or steak house each month for lunch and reminiscing. We have enjoyed our children’s bridal showers and weddings and the births of grandchildren and now great-grandchildren. We have been saddened by the deaths of individuals in our group. We have been greatly saddened when we have buried members' children before their parents.
Our group enjoyed (particularly as we aged) getting together with the thinking we could solve all the world's problems. We tried but it has not worked yet.
For more information about the next meeting, please call . Most recently, the group met at El Tapatio's in Brandon on August 10th.
On Monday, August 8, the Garretson City Council heard the results from a recently completed housing study, and contemplated setback variance requests from Nachurs Alpine for the new facility to be built off Railroad and Essex.
From the Gazette archives: The red box shows the area purchased by Nachurs Alpine Solutions with the intent to build a large warehouse that will manufacture micronutrients. While the manufacturing process is considered safe and quiet, area residents were concerned about noise and smell after a request to re-zone the area from residential to industrial. Read more about the re-zoning issue here and here.
The housing study was approved by the council after the request of Economic Development Director Jessica Fueston and Southeast Council of Governments (SECOG) proposed it as an option last winter. This study not only looked at the condition of current housing in Garretson, but also the city's growth potential, commercial potential and current standings, and employability.
"It took nearly six months [to complete]," said Fueston. The study was completed by Community Research Partners, using census bureau and government sites such as AGS and ESRI, as well as personal interviews with landlords around town.
The report projected a growth of 123 residents by 2026, resulting in approximately 53 new houses, or ten per year. Unfortunately, up through 2020, there was only a 7% growth rate, which is the lowest of our area, according to Fueston.
"We have a lot of room for growth," she said.
The main concern of many Garretson residents is that the town may become a "bedroom town," where most residents work and shop in a nearby municipality (in this case, Sioux Falls) and live in Garretson. Bedroom towns can lack a cohesive community, as well as commercial opportunities that generate sales tax revenue in order to provide services.
"There are limited commercial options," Fueston recited from the report. She also stated that employee pay in town was relatively low.
Luckily, Garretson has several things going for it, including current infrastructure and the school.
"According to the report we have 424 residents that commute to the Garretson area every day," said Fueston. "Those are mainly EROS and Nordstroms, with some others here and there." Around half of those commuters drive over 30 minutes to reach their work destination.
In current housing, the researcher found 6 dilapidated properties, 3 of which were houses and 3 mobile homes.
"He was very impressed with that, for our size," Fueston said, suggesting that normally it would be a higher number.
The report recommended that the city purchase the dilapidated properties, raze the houses, and re-sell the land to a developer, who would hopefully pass on the cost savings in the form of affordable housing.
"During the course of the study, there were no rental vacancies at all," Fueston said, "so we're very short on rentals in Garretson." She also pointed out that sixty percent of the rentals in Garretson are more than 40 years old, which makes rehabilitation a costly expenditure.
"That's a tough spot," she said, "because to fix them up, [landlords] need to raise rates. But you want more affordable [housing] instead of the rate raising."
One way to rehabilitate rentals and preserve what Garretson has, is to use grants from the Housing Development Authority and pass those on to rental properties.
The report also pointed out the space available for growth. To do that, strategizing will be necessary, as will utilizing current resources such as SECOG.
Downtown redevelopment will also need to be considered and strategized, according to the report.
"Attracting more commercial development and multi-use buildings with rentals, housing and commercial" is one strategy to build more housing and commercial opportunities, Fueston said. The report also suggested mobile home park improvements, such as age requirements for those structures.
After finishing the summary of the report, Fueston pointed out that the completed housing study now makes the city eligible for several grants, such as funding from South Dakota Housing Authority, with the express purpose of purchasing land for development or attracting developers.
For instance, the city could use funds to install infrastructure in areas where growth is wanted, and sell the land to a developer who then does not need to use their funds to put it in place. This passes on cost savings to future homeowners.
There's definitely room for growth, and strategizing how to grow both rentals and single family and multi-family housing is needed, said Fueston.
Nachurs Alpine variance requests rejected
In June, the council had approved the request 4-2 for Nachurs Alpine Solutions to convert land off Railroad Ave./Essex St. into industrial from residential. This was done over the protestations of local residents whose land would be impacted by the decision. This month, the company was requesting variances on 3 of their 4 setbacks.
The council had opted to move ahead with the re-zoning request as nothing had ever been developed on that specific plot of land in the 130 years since Garretson was incorporated as a town, and the industry was planned to be quiet, reduce truck traffic, and not add to any smell issues that have been experienced in the past. (Further reading can be found in the May 12 and June 16 issues of the Gazette.)
As part of their 17,000-square-foot building plans, Nachurs was requesting a variance on setback requests on the east, west, and north sides of the property, reducing the setback from 25 feet to 10 feet on each side.
Despite the reluctant willingness to approve the re-zoning, city staff and the council quickly made it clear that they were not in favor of the variance requests.
"I don't think we should allow it into the west," said City Maintenance Supervisor Ryan Nussbaum. "It's going to be too close to the water main."
He requested a setback of at least 15 feet and for it not to be in the right-of-way at all.
Steve Kirton, who owns the property just north to the new proposed building, was concerned about the amount of snow that is likely to come off the roof, especially if it was too close to the designated road on the west.
"That is not an alley," he said, pointing out the road to his building was actually an unpaved portion of Railroad Avenue, a point he has made several times in past meetings.
"I tell you what, my first impression is that going from 25 feet to 10 feet is too much of a hit," said council member Dave Bonte. Other council members agreed.
"That's significant," said council member Jackie Rotert.
"It's too much," said council member Bill Hoskins.
Mayor Greg Beaner asked if there was an amount that could be negotiated, and Kirton agreed that 20-foot setbacks would be acceptable as a compromise.
"Usually industrial setbacks are 20 feet," said Fueston. "But since this abuts residential, it's 25."
The motions were made to deny the requests as written, and all passed unanimously. It is likely that Nachur's Alpine will be back at a future meeting with revised requests for setbacks.
The final piece of the council meeting held on the 8th was to set a special budget meeting for August 30. A public hearing will be held from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m., and a formal meeting after at 6:30 p.m. at the Legion building. The public is invited to attend.
The next regular meeting of the city council will be held on September 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Legion.
Residents encouraged to come to the Legion on Thursday, Aug. 25th at 7 p.m.
by Garrick Moritz, Gazette
Regular readers will recall the struggle that Palisades township has had to get the funding secured to repair and resurface the 1.2 miles of road on 485th, often referred to as the Palisade Park Road or the River Ridge Golf Course road. Township officials took their plea all the way to the state legislature to secure the funding, and by some small miracle, they managed to secure it. Recently, as published in this newspaper, they put out bids to have the road fixed. The problem is that all the bids they received were over the budget given them by the state.
“No matter how we look at it, we don’t quite have enough money to get it done,” said Palisades Township Board Chair Oran Sorenson. “We wanted to build a 30-year road, something that was sturdy and would last. We’re so close. Nobody could have anticipated what happened to the markets, with the spike in inflation and costs rising for anything and everything as they have, and well, the bids we received are all just slightly too high. I thank Craig Nussbaum for including a provision that gave us a little more money for the project in case prices went up, but even with that we’re about 80-grand short.”
Sorenson said that there are a few things they can do to make up the difference, such as modifing the project slightly and/or getting a loan for the difference. However, for that the Township Board needs the support of the residents on the issue.
That’s why the Palisades Township board has will host a special meeting on Thursday, August 25th at 7 p.m. at the Garretson American Legion to discuss and act on the final funding for the road project.
So, if you are a resident of Palisade Township, please plan to attend this meeting!
The results of a housing study are in, which found that Garretson will need to have approximately 10 new houses per year built over the next five years in order to keep up with demand; the 2022-23 school year is beginning this week, and we welcome several new faces to the school district; Blue Dragon Football has its first home game on Friday and Blue Jays amateur baseball took home the State B Runner Up title, plus more!
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