City Maintenance Supervisor Craig Nussbaum crosses the Crappie bridge north of the dam at Splitrock Park on Thursday, Sept. 12.
Heavy rains last week made for interesting travel, and heartbreak for farmers, as flooding was experienced around the region.
Many flooding records were broken on Thursday, September 12 through Saturday, September 14, after anywhere between 6 and 11 inches of rain fell in and around Garretson in a 5-day period.
Just across the Moody County border north of Sherman, near the intersection of SD 11 & 486th Ave. 486th was completely submerged.
Several of those records had been set as recently as March of 2019, when fast snowmelt and several storms had combined to create flood conditions.
With the late summer storms, many creeks and rivers were at their lowest points prior to the rains, which meant that the water rose, crested, and then lowered very quickly. Floodwaters flowed fast, causing a large amount of damage to culverts. Bridges are still being assessed for long-term damages.
SD Highway 11 bridge between Garretson and Corson SD. Minutes after this photo was taken, the road was closed for the evening.
In Garretson, Split Rock Creek overflowed its banks, quickly rising to fully submerge the Crappie Bridge near the dam in Splitrock Park. Long-time locals talked to by the Gazette could not recall that ever happening before.
Water levels just south of Jasper, MN were measured at 99.94 ft at 3:45 pm on Sept 12, breaking a prior record of 98.5 ft that had been set in 2014. South of Garretson, Split Rock Creek crested at 18.7 ft at 10:00 pm in Corson.
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
The September meeting of the Garretson City Council was contentious. With two council members absent, the remainder of the council deadlocked on at least one decision regarding a septic tank, and had trouble making a decision on another issue regarding drainage.
The Garretson Parks Advisory Committee (GPAC or Parks Board) presented on their recommendations for the budget, which included moving ahead with the curb and gutter project at the JC Complex, security cameras at Splitrock Park and Devil’s Gulch, and beginning to set aside funds for upgrades to the playground equipment at the JC Complex. They also gave recommendations for upgrading the roads at Splitrock Park, though the council was unwilling to move forward on that.
GPAC also presented plans for a “lights in the parks” event, which would encourage local families to sponsor and decorate campsites in Splitrock Park and businesses to sponsor and decorate the entrance, bathhouse, playground, bridge, and picnic shelter. All proceeds would go toward the new picnic shelter that is planned for next summer by the playground in Splitrock Park. GPAC is planning on utilizing fundraising and grants for the entire project, and thought this would be a unique way to get the community involved plus continue tourism to the parks during the winter. The lights would be available for viewing on Friday and Saturday evenings from Thanksgiving to Christmas. They were requesting the go-ahead from the council to pursue this event and would work with the Commercial Club on this event, if the Commercial Club was willing. The council initially refused to come to a decision as a whole. After the council meeting, GPAC received permission to continue working on the plans for the event, however.
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
In this photo from Sept 8, 2018, Nordstrom's Auto celebrates the grand opening of Nordstrom's 2.0.
Dear Editor:
While it is hard to put a finger on the exact date when Art and Marie Nordstrom started farming “cars” on the Nordstrom family dairy farm in rural Garretson, one visit and you will see that a lot has changed in 50 years. The first advertising for the business, was the “Nordstrom’s Special”. This unique 1951 Ford 8N tractor with a V8 hot rod Ford car engine was built 50 years ago in 1969 and was part of the landscape at Husset’s Speedway for years. This tractor is now enshrined in the lobby of the families’ recently completed Professional Automotive Recycling facility, Nordstrom’s 2.0, built on the family farm, just a few minutes northeast of Sioux Falls.
The Nordstrom Family Dairy Farm has seen many changes over the years as it has transformed from farm, to a repairable vehicle dealer, to a multi-purpose nationally recognized Gold Seal Certified Auto Recycling Facility now selling parts all over the region and world. The thing that has not changed is our desire to serve our customers. For 50 years we have been building relationships and our business as we serve automotive professionals and do-it - yourselfers alike. If you have ever been a customer of a Nordstrom’s company or if you think that you could be, stop on out for our Customer Appreciation Celebration on Friday, September the 27th from 11am to 2pm. We will be serving lunch and there will be commemorative gifts for everyone while they last. We will have drawings for door prizes and would just love to say hello and thank you for helping our team achieve this 50 year milestone. Our core business is selling money-saving auto parts options with great warranties to automotive professionals, fellow recyclers and do-it-yourselfers across the region, nation and even around the world. We cannot do what we do without our great customers and our great team of employees now and through the years. We also rely on a deep faith in a risen savior that assures us that no matter what the situation, good or bad, all Glory goes to God. That is what PTLA is all about. We would love to have you stop in and let us say thank you!
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
This was a tough one for the Blue Dragons. MCM scored four touchdowns in a row during the first three quarters of the game.
"McCook Central is a big and physical team,” said GHS head coach Chris Long. “They executed things well on the offensive side of the ball and we didn't have an answer to them running the ball."
But MCM didn’t get everything their own way. GHS got two back to back touchdowns starting with only 3:30 seconds left in the third quarter. First, Parker Schlenker made a 31 yard run for a TD! GHS then managed to wrest control of the ball from MCM and Dylan Kindt made a 17 yard pass to Cole Skadsen for 17 yards for another touchdown. Cody Erikson made each TD count with solid kicking for an extra point. The third quarter ended 28 to 14. MCM however wasn’t done and scored another touchdown with two point conversion at the start of the fourth quarter. The Dragons managed to keep them from scoring again, but it was a brutal matchup.
Hayden Olofson
"We have to take what we do in practice to the games,” said Coach Long. “We had a lot of guys, especially on the defensive side, revert to doing things their way and not the way they were coached to do it. That makes it difficult to execute a game plan. We'll go back to working on the fundamentals this week and next in our bye week. Overall, I'm happy with the fact that our guys play hard! We just have to execute better. After our bye week we run into a tough stretch of opponents, we have to improve so we can have success in that stretch of our schedule."
The next game is away in Flandreau. The school sent out the following Public Service Announcement Tuesday Morning:
Due to water behind Flandreau's Football Complex there won't be parking behind the stadium Friday Night when we travel to Flandreau for Friday's football game. All parking will be to the south of the High School (BB/VB/WR spectator parking or to the east of the elementary school). If people park in the south parking lot, they will enter through the High School doors and leave by the loading dock area and walk around the track to some portable steps to the stadium. The concession stand and bathrooms will be in the High School – same place as if there was events hosted in their main gym.
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
The Big East in Garretson! GHS VB has 2 wins, 1 loss
Garretson Volleyball girls had two successful games out of the three played in the Big East Conference at Garretson on Saturday, Sept 14, placing them as first seed in Class A Region 3. They first faced McCook Central/Montrose and lost both sets 17-25, but were able to rally against Sioux Valley and pull off wins in both sets with scores of 25-15 and 25-16. Riding that wave, the Lady Dragons then faced Parker, winning both sets with close scores of 25-22 and 25-19. The Lady Dragons were sitting at 7 wins, 4 losses as they faced up against the Flandreau Flyers on Tuesday, Sept 17 (results unavailable at press time.)
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
The Garretson Jesse James invitational was last Tuesday!
“Overall, Garretson had a subpar performance but we have a nine-day break and we will be get better,” said Coach Jason Bohl.
Medal winners for Garretson were: Kylie Christensen (20-Varsity), Makayla Heesch (30-Varsity), Preston Bohl (4-Varsity), Sam Schleuter (13-JV), Payton Campbell (6- JV), Adair Hanisch (18-JV), Mia Christensen(27-JV).
“Our next meet will be Thursday, September 19th in Chamberlain,” said Bohl. “Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us at our home meet.”
Photos below are from the Luverne Invitational in Luverne, MN held Sept 7. Photos submitted by Amy Bohl.
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
SIOUX FALLS – At their Tuesday, Sept. 10, meeting, Minnehaha Commissioners gave their official support to improve rail service in the county.
Ellis & Eastern Railroad is seeking a rail infrastructure and safety grant from the Department of Transportation to work on the line from Sioux Falls to Worthington, Minn.
Dan Kippley from the railroad asked commissioners to give their support for a federal grant they were applying for to expand their line which currently runs between Ellis and Brandon.
The new line would extend existing service from Brandon to Worthington using an existing line purchased in 2017.
Ellis & Eastern is owned by Sweetman Construction of Sioux Falls and is mainly used to transport ag products, lumber and construction materials.
Kippley told commission members that with prices in the trucking industry seeing drastic increases, rail transportation is coming back as an affordable option.
He also said that the grant required a 51% match, so to get the $50 million federal money, they would need to chip in over $25 million of their own.
That money would mainly be used to fix up the tracks between Brandon and Valley Springs.
That line there is 120 years old and has not seen use in over 40 years, Kippley explained.
“We need a huge capital infusion for this,” he said. Just for that part of the project “rehabilitation will cost $1.3 million per mile.”
Commission chairperson Jean Bender wondered about the impact to people living near tracks that haven’t been used in four decades and asked if they were talking with any of the residents that would be impacted.
Kibbley said they had and pointed out that they were to meet with Valley Springs people later that same day.
He also added that they have reached out to Brandon people, but a large-scale meeting hadn’t yet been scheduled. However, he said they had met with “about a half dozen folks who had newer homes in the Brandon area, and we will continue to do so.”
On a motion by Commissioner Dean Karsky, the commission voted 4-0 to give their support to the Ellis & Eastern for the grant. (Commissioner Cindy Heiberger was absent today to attend a meeting of the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners.)
This map from the Minnehaha County Highway Department shows the part of Highway 146 that will be worked on between the two arrows. Work should begin next spring, but this week the county commissioner voted on condemning some property to allow that construction to proceed.
In other business, county highway superintendent D.J. Buthe brought a proposal for condemning property for a Highway 146 reconstruction project in Splitrock and Valley Springs Townships.
Buthe said that of the 40 owners of 62 parcels they had been working with, they had come to terms on buying land with all but eight entities who owned 18 parcels.
Basically, what the highway department is looking to do is extending current easements from between 13 to 17 feet.
So construction could start next spring, Buthe asked commissioners to condemn the remaining parcels, although he was still hoping agreements could be reached with the remaining individuals.
“I don’t think any of us takes this kind of action lightly,” Commissioner Jeff Barth said before making the motion to condemn the property, “but it needs to be done for the good of the entire county.”
Commissioners voted unanimously to condemn the 18 parcels of land.
There was no commission meeting scheduled for Sept. 18, and at the next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 24, commissioners will vote on the final budget for FY 2020.
The Minnehaha County Commission has its regular meetings each Tuesday at 9 a.m. on the second floor of the county administration building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
These meetings are open to the all, and public comment is always encouraged.
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
Severe flooding affects the area, closing roads and impacting farmers. Garretson School hires a new business manager, GHS Volleyball hits first seed in Class A Region 3, and much more! Plus, we've made this week's issue available without a paywall, which means you get to see what an on-line subscription offers to you. Enjoy, and consider getting your online subscription today!
There's a lot going on in our community. Keep up with all of it with the Community Events Calendar on page 4 in the on-line or paper version. With your on-line subscription, you can download it here and have it easy to hand! Community Events Calendar 9-19-19
Spotlight Articles
On-line Subscribers Get More!
On-line subscribers get access to a Subscribers' Welcome Area, and are able to view extra photos, articles, and an issue of this week's paper that looks like this:
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
This week's on-line issue is available for all to view! See what you're missing without an on-line subscription- a color issue, more photos, articles, and the ability to access your Gazette anywhere and anytime! Get your on-line subscription today!
