Palisades Township will be receiving funds to re-build the road to Palisades State Park after a nail-biting legislative session, a large crowd was in attendance at the Summit Carbon Solutions PUC meeting held last week, and three Garretson Middle School students received accolades at the District Science Fair in Brookings. Plus, an open house will be held at the Food Pantry this Saturday from 8:30-11:30 a.m. to encourage the community to learn more about its programs, and more!
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By the Gazette Staff and Oran Sorenson, Palisades Township
After a long hard battle to secure funds for the Palisade Park Road, a major victory was scored in Pierre this session due to the diligent work of many parties.
Pictured are Steve Larson, Joe Vandersnick, Craig Nussbaum, Oran Sorenson, and Jim Kurtz, who went to Pierre to champion Palisades Township's cause.
After the announcement about the expansion of the Palisades State Park to the south, the Palisade Township Board came to realize that the State was no longer going to be a major player in the upkeep of the very road that was paved in the first place to improve traffic to the park. While many thought it was time to turn the road back to gravel, the township board felt it very unfair to the people and the golf course who had built along that road.
The Park Road, also known as 485th Ave, was originally paved in 1989 for only one reason: there was a terrific amount of traffic going to the State Park. Realizing it was still a township road, the township too has put money into it. Minnehaha County has oftentimes been a real lifeline, doing much to help across the years. In 2016 there were many major blowouts, and the road became quite unsafe for travel. The County and Palisade Township split that repair bill of almost $80,000.
At that point, Palisade Township was told by Game, Fish, and Parks that plans would need to soon be made for a total rebuild of the road, as they determined that the base of the road was insufficient. This was discovered by boring holes through the road surface to determine what lay underneath and why there was surface breakup.
For almost two to three years, the township waited to hear of the new rebuild, but received nothing. Then finally, in or around the year 2019 when plans were made for an extreme expansion of the Palisade Park, it was leaked out that the old entrance to our beloved park was being moved one mile south onto a gravel road in Red Rock township. To their delight, Red Rock township will forever pay zero for any cost in paving the approximate one third mile of gravel, or any upkeep what so ever! But now Palisade Township was left with a paved road in need of a major rebuild with no economic help, since the state no longer needed the road.
Feeling rather abandoned, the township began appealing to those who would listen to ask for help. No township is allocated enough funds to rebuild even one mile of paved road. The State did offer some money to patch, but once again the Minnehaha County highway engineer said, “That is simply throwing your money away. The life of the road has passed.”
The County was good enough to offer to do the engineering to help in a total rebuild, but offered no money. Now the township began shifting its attention toward Pierre. “You’re wasting your time,” many or most people said. But many who lived along the road were not deterred. Besides keeping a paved road, it was unanimous by acclamation at a large public meeting held in 2020 at the golf course to also try to convince GF&P to please consider an exit only along the old park road. This would encourage park users to continue their trips into Garretson to buy goods, dine, or financially support our town in any way. Believe it or not, there were many persons in positions of power in our town who refused to fight for this exit and the good that could come from it.
At this time, the State has promised they will consider an exit only somewhere along the existing road. Our local firefighters and ambulance too would like to see a quicker way to respond to accidents in the park rather than the long trip south and then having to travel back north through the park to act when time is short.
At a meeting called by the township at the River Ridge Golf Course, all three legislators from District 25 were asked to be in attendance. Both Representatives Tom Pischke and Jon Hansen, as well as Senator Marsha Symens, all agreed we should not only ask to keep the road paved but also request that GF&P allow an exit only from the park into Garretson to encourage trade and keep a pipeline for economic development open to the businesses in town.
Above, Joe Vandersnick, District 25 Sen. Marsha Symens, District 25 Rep. Jon Hansen, District 7 Rep. Rich Basgaard, Jim Kurtz, Oran Sorenson, Steve Larson, Craig Nussbaum, and District 25 Rep. Tom Pischke. Below, Governor Kristi Noem, Craig Nussbaum, Dawn Sorenson, Oran Sorenson, and Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden.
According to Palisade Township Supervisor Oran Sorenson, “It has been a disappointment in the struggle to secure our goals for this road that some of the major players in positions of power in our city have not supported us fully and have not stuck up for the very town that they are supposed to represent. We should never be afraid to simply ask for what we think is fair.”
It would be Representative Tom Pischke that we owe the gratitude for drafting and sponsoring HB1166, which asked for one million dollars from the state and to declare an emergency. What the emergency would do is bring forth the dollars by July 1st. The bill was co-sponsored by Hansen and Symens.
“We knew the bill would be a long shot, but with Covid money pouring into all states why not give it a shot,” said Representative Pischke. A contingent of present and past Palisade Township officers made the trip to Pierre to speak on behalf of the bill on February 10th in front of the House Transportation Committee. The bill would face many obstacles already that first day.
First was a motion to send the bill to the 41st day. This move kills the bill because there are only 40 days in the session. That motion had only one vote. By the end of the hearing, the bill was tabled. The committee chairman said he was disappointed that GF&P was not there to testify and did express that Palisade Township had been “aggrieved” by the state in the lack of cooperation on this issue.
While tabling a bill is oftentimes the death of said bill, one week later it was removed from the table in House Transportation and passed by a vote of 9-1 and sent to appropriations, the all-important committee which determines if there is enough money in the coffers to support the needs of the bill.
A huge sigh of relief came from back home when the House Appropriations passed the bill on to the House floor with a strong 8-1 vote. Two days later the entire House passed the bill 52-15. Now the bill would have to go on to the Senate and face the same scrutiny, but we were half done.
With the help of some great supporters in the Senate, things started out quite well there. The bill went in front of Senate Appropriations, where it got a huge boost by Senator Jack Kolbeck when he moved to amend the bill to add on an extra $65,422. This was thanks to the quick thinking of Supervisor Craig Nussbaum, as the contractor was asked to submit a new bid, knowing the cost of this project might have gone up over the winter. The amended bill then received a 9-0 vote in committee before going to the Senate floor.
While the Senate seemed to be in strong support of the bill, a move was made by leadership in that house to combine the road bill with another bill asking for a gun range in Meade County. The new combined bill was then passed 35-0 and sent back to the House to approve or not approve the changes in the bill. When the House/Senate Conference Committee couldn’t agree on a compromise, the bill was officially dead with just one day left in the entire session.
“What happened the next day was truly a miracle,” said Sorenson, who is also a former State Representative. “The supporters of the bill combined it in a last-minute effort to Senate Bill 60, which called for many of the main spending bills already approved in the legislature. This bill was passed by a strong veto proof majority in both Houses in the last hour before all 105 state legislators would board their automobiles for the exhausting trip home after a marathon session.”
There was one hurdle left for the new bill to cross. All bills go before our Governor for approval or veto. Governor Kristi Noem signed the bill into law on March 10th. In the final bill, some changes and concessions were agreed upon. Instead of the State putting up the entire one million, they would agree to $600,000, Game Fish and Parks $200,000, and Palisade Township $100,000. With the extra $65,422 amended into what the State will pay, we believe that we can cover the most recent bid from the contractor at the grand total of $965,422.
The job before the Township Board now is to collect the money, release bids, and establish dates to ensure construction. A meeting of all people living along the road and other interested persons will be scheduled sometime soon to let all know the details of the project. Stay tuned.
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DaNann Williamson Tirrel (right) with Cheryl Lyngen
Henry G Fix Unit #23 of Garretson, SD is pleased to announce DaNann Williamson Tirrel as our Unit Member of the Year for 2021-2022. DaNann joined our auxiliary in 2018. Her membership is due to the service of her father, Dean, a VietNam Era veteran.
While DaNann is a relatively new member, this hasn’t stopped her from becoming involved in the many activities of our Unit. She is currently our Vice President and has stepped up when necessary in our President’s absence. At one of the meetings she presided over, she took it upon herself to wrap Hershey candy bars with thank you notes and hand out to the Legion members in attendance.
On Veterans Day, our unit served meals to the veterans and their spouses at our local nursing home. DaNann volunteered to help deliver the meals and visit with the residents. Later that evening, DaNann along with another member, presented excerpts of our unit history as we celebrate our 100 years of service to this community.
No matter what the project, DaNann is ready to volunteer her time, money or goodies. Some of the projects she was involved in was donating, packaging, and delivering goodies to our older Legion and Auxiliary members, preparing food for an Honor Flight fundraiser, or being a presenter at our Memorial Day ceremony. As DaNann is a teacher as well as a librarian, she has been very helpful in judging our Poems and Essays entries.
While DaNann is very busy with her normal schedule at school, she takes time to promote veteran recognition with various activities for her students. She also been asked to mentor new teachers on the state level. DaNann has honored veterans in her library when students stopped in and provided thank you notes for them to sign to honor their veterans which she hung in her library. She has also involved her students in working for the community and also assisting our unit in gathering items to send to our deployed serviceman. Her students are currently making Valentines for our unit which will be included in our care packages sent to our local soldiers who are in the service state side and overseas.
She engaged her students when they worked with a local business to create cards for the troops. She also asked the teachers and staff to become involved. On 9/11, her students had a 9/11 Remembrance Day in the library at school, they created patriotic centerpieces for all of the tables, had a book display with patriotic books.
She is very good about putting stories on Facebook to promote our Auxiliary as well as the Legion. DaNann has said “I have learned more from the Veterans and Auxiliary members I’ve had the privilege of meeting with each month than I would ever imagined.”
With DaNann’s many accomplishments and her desire to teach children about patriotism and respect and honor for our veterans, you can see why she would be selected as Teacher of Year by our legion as well as her school. It is with great pride that we nominate DaNann Williamson Tirrel for the Unit Member of the Year 2021-2022.
Twenty-four Garretson Middle School students participated in the 67th Eastern South Dakota Science and Engineering Fair held on the SDSU Campus, Brookings, South Dakota on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
Chloe Hermanson, daughter of Andrew and Sara Hermanson, earned a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement from the SDSU Jerome J Lohr College of Engineering, Hermanson’s physics project “Soak It Up With Wood” looked at how different types of woods handled moisture. This award included a $50.00 SDSU Bookstore gift card.
Cole Schleuter, son of Jay and Holly Schleuter, earned first place honors in the Earth and Environmental Science Junior Division. Schleuter’s project “Soil Makeup” involved analyzing soil samples taken from different parts of a field to determine soil type. This award earned Schleuter a medal and a $50.00 cash prize. He also received a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement from the South Dakota Academy of Science and a $25.00 cash prize. As a final award, Schleuter received notification that he has been nominated for the Broadcom Masters competition due to his success at the Regional Science fair. The top 10% of middle school students receive this nomination. If Cole chooses to participate, he will have the opportunity to vie for a spot to attend the national competition for Middle School students in Washington, D.C.
Cole Schleuter (left)
Austin Graff, son of Jay and Jessi Graff, received a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement from the South Dakota Academy of Science for his project “Hydraulic Pressures”. Graff looked at how viscosity affected hydraulic pressures. This award included a $25.00 cash prize.
Other participants included Natalie Brazee, Drew Chester, Isaiah Coburn, Reece Connelly, Anna Ebbing, Gracie Fiegen, Alyssa Garcia, Autumn Genzler, Brooklyn Jacobson, Aiden Johnson, Ava Ockenga, Collin Olson, Brenna Reker, Serie Risty, Elizabeth Roth, Carter Siemonsma, Jayda Snedeker, Brooklyn Trudeau, Ty Van Holland, Madison Waltman, and Emma Wolf.
Palisades Township will be receiving funds to re-build the road to Palisades State Park after a nail-biting legislative session, a large crowd was in attendance at the Summit Carbon Solutions PUC meeting held last week, and three Garretson Middle School students received accolades at the District Science Fair in Brookings. Plus, an open house will be held at the Food Pantry this Saturday from 8:30-11:30 a.m. to encourage the community to learn more about its programs, and more!
Summer is here! Well, actually spring is just rolling in, but the Garretson Community Pool Board is busy planning for the upcoming summer pool season.
While there are a few changes on the horizon, the board is excited to offer the same local summer fun as in years past.
One thing the Pool Board prides itself on is hiring a local, dependable staff that not only gets to know the pool patrons by name, but has been known to run kids home in a pinch when the weather turns suddenly stormy. In order to do so, an increase in wages has been put on the table in order to provide wages that are comparable to surrounding pools - you really cannot put a price tag on safety.
Applications for lifeguards will be available at the Garretson School front office. If you are interested in applying but unable to make it to the school, please reach out to a pool board member to get a copy of an application.
The annual pool raffle is underway and you should see raffle tickets in your mailboxes in the coming days.
The raffle was a huge success last year and we look forward to the drawing for this year's raffle on April 11th. The community support is very appreciated!
If you do not receive a raffle ticket, but would like one, please reach out to a pool board member.
Last, but not least, as a community please keep in mind that the pool board does offer financial assistance for those unable to purchase a summer pool pass. The pool has a place for every member of our community to make a splash this summer.
Be on the lookout for our upcoming newsletter and pass application. Get your swimsuits and shades ready - summer is just around the corner!
The perfect outing in the month of March is some Irish music and dance. The Red Hatters wore green on St Patrick’s Day.
We drove into Sioux Falls, stopping at Marlins for an enjoyable meal. To our surprise, at the cash register we were told someone ahead of us had paid our complete charge. Luck of the Irish?
Next, we drove to the Court House Museum where hours of free Irish music were being played. We were able to hear an ensemble of instruments with a vocal soloist. Of course, the bag pipes and drums performed dressed in their kilts. One member explained the workings of a bag pipe.
A crowd of 500 from Sioux Falls and the surrounding communities appreciated the great music by "Maggie in the Meantime," featuring guitar, violin, piccolo, and keyboard, with many Irish songs. Also receiving many hands clapping was the Dakota District Bag Pipers, which were organized in 1998.
Last girls of all ages from SD Celtic Steps danced as taught by their instructor. They were dressed in their special performing clothes. It was another fun outing.
To join our group, contact any member.
-submitted by Mary Dorsman with additional information from Margie Martens.
Patrick's Day, leaving their red hats at home and wearing green instead to celebrate the holiday! Pictured above are (L to R): Bernice Semmen, Mary Dorsman, Julie Hight, Geneva Skorr, and Margie Martens. Photo submitted by Margie Martens.
As a lifetime member and member of a very active family of the Garretson community I'm very frustrated and disappointed. I'm writing this letter to get my opinion and frustration out.
With the events that have occurred recently in our school, all the chit-chat going around amongst our adult and minor community frustrates me. As a prior school board member what is discussed in executive session remains there and lawfully cannot be shared.
So in other words it is no different than if someone goes to the doctor and a close friend wants to know why, the doctor cannot say anything by law.
So my biggest frustration is that people are screaming and throwing fits about board decisions when in fact they probably don't have all the truth to the situation and will never.
My point is people wake up and act like decent human beings, you elected these people to run your school and if you are not satisfied then maybe you should throw your hat in the ring and run for school board. And as far as children acting up in the school because of the events that have occurred my opinion on that is as follows. I grew up in this town and my parents raised me to respect your elders and to this day I hold myself to that lesson and taught my children the same. Now I'm sure that someone is going to dislike my opinion and frankly I don't care because we don't always have to agree on everything. So enough said I feel better by getting this off my chest and if you dislike it too bad I'm not looking for a debate.
On Tuesday, March 15, the South Dakota Prairie Rose Community Fund presented their 2022 community fund awards, totaling $32,500. The fund also granted six Garretson High School students with $1,000 scholarships.
The grants are awarded to those 501(c)3 organizations that are looking to make improvements in the lives of nearby communities, such as health and wellness, education, arts and cultural activities, and more.
Gail Nelson, Garretson Ambulance
The South Dakota Prairie Rose Community Fund has been in existence since 2014 and has granted a total of $362,004 in community enhancement grants/scholarships in the Townships of Logan, Highland, Edison and Brandon. Funding is provided by Prairie Rose Wind LLC, owner of Prairie Rose Wind Farm and subsidiary of Enel Green Power North America.
This year, Garretson organizations that received grant funding were the Garretson Ambulance, the Garretson Fire Department, the Garretson Public School, Garretson Childcare Corporation, Blue Dragon Foundation, and Grow Garretson.
“It is truly a joy for the Board to provide these funds to our communities for education, community enhancement and safety,” said Board President Steven Munk.
Ryan Longhenry, Garretson Fire Dept
Munk encouraged those receiving their awards on Tuesday to express how the Fund has helped their organization in the past.
The Prairie Rose grant fund has been a key supporter of Blue Dragon Academy, awarding funds to help with the building, storm shelter, and playground. They were also a supporter of Grow Garretson’s Park committee, awarding funds in 2021 that helped the playground shade structure to be built in Split Rock Park. They've helped in the past with the ambulance's power loader, which allows them to place gurneys into the back of the ambulance more easily, and for the fire department, the fund has helped with grassland fire gear and a rescue dummy for practice sessions. The fund has helped the Garretson School PTO place benches, picnic tables, and trash cans around the school.
The Prairie Rose Board is comprised of President Steven Munk, Vice President Steve Howe, Secretary Angela Bly, Treasurer Wayne Liester, Tom Elverson, Tom Brown, John Richard Weir, Dale Zweep, and Mike Siemonsma.
Supt Guy Johnson, Garretson School DistrictHeidi Fink, Blue Dragon Academy/Garretson Childcare Development CorpJerry Scholl, Blue Dragon FoundationSonya Swanson, Grow Garretson/Parks Board
2022 Community Grant Recipients are:
Dell Rapids Public Schools, $1500 granted towards the purchase of needed chairs, 6- and 8-foot tables, and a chair dolly
Dell Rapids Fire Department, $5000 granted towards the purchase of a 2021 Kawasaki Mule ATV to help address grass fire situations
Brandon Township, $1200 granted towards the purchase of a compressor and related tools
Brandon Valley Band Parents, $1000 granted towards the purchase of a new drum major podium for the marching band
Garretson Ambulance, $3000 granted towards the purchase of one radio package which is one of ten sets required prior to 2023
Garretson Fire Department, $2500 granted towards the purchase of a protective bunker gear fire suit
Garretson Public School, $3000 granted towards the purchase of playground equipment for school and community use
Garretson Childcare Corporation, $7300 granted towards the funding of construction for a large expansion to the childcare center
Blue Dragon Foundation, $5000 granted towards the replacement cost of the baseball field’s irrigation system
Grow Garretson, $3000 granted towards the purchase of playground equipment for ages 1-3 at Split Rock Park and the Jaycee Complex
The following individuals each will receive a $1000 scholarship that will be used for the 2023 spring semester: Lauren Fick, Amber Hulscher, Jaelyn Benson, Morgan Pierret, Samantha Shellum, and Malia Johnson, all from the Garretson School District.
For information on the Prairie Rose Community Fund go to www.prairierosesd.com
Rich Holzapfel and his grandson Finnley Seeloff are working on probably the best Grandpa/Grandson project that they can imagine.
Holzapfel and his friends with the Minnehaha Model train builders’ group have showcased their train and modelbuilding skills in Garretson for years now, and it’s always a popular event with everyone. This is why folks at the Garretson Museum and Historical Society have been super excited to have Holzapfel working on a historic replica of the Garretson area in miniature inside the museam.
“It’s not work, it’s fun,” said Seeloff. “I built that farmhouse right there north of Garretson, the railroad is going to go all the way from Sherman down to the Palisades.”
“We’re building all the historic buildings using old photos, and building them mostly from scratch,” said Holzapfel. “People will recognize landmarks and buildings that used to be there. Right now, downtown is just empty streets, but we’re going to fill it up and make it look as good and as accurate as we possibly can.”
Holzapfel says that they plan to have it about 90 percent completed by Jesse James Days for a big reveal. It will be coin-operated, lights will turn on, and the train will make circuits through the town. He’s even having a painter friend come in to do background images to give the model rail stretch depth and perspective. In short, the museum is excited about this exhibit, maybe just as excited as Holzapfel and Seeloff are to build it.
