The Garretson City Council met on Monday, February 1. At that time, they approved a new configuration for tent sites and day use sites in Split Rock Park, a major change in the City of Garretson website, and discussed likely upcoming marijuana ordinances.
The meeting began with a report from the Park Board, who gave their final recommendations for tent site configurations in the north end of Split Rock Park. They were adding one more space in the middle, and one more space along the water's edge/west side of the tent area. They had initially recommended at the prior meeting to add a second site on the west side, to the northwest of the new day use site, but they were pulling that recommendation in favor of leaving it open for public use. This would allow campers on the north side of the park to have water access for kayaks. There was also discussion about potentially placing more parking along the north end of the tent area, so campers and kayaks were not blocking the roadway or parking in grassy areas.
They also finalized their recommendation to remove the tent site located along the water's edge to the north of the bridge (former site #28) to convert the entire area into a day use/public access area. They requested the current fire ring and picnic table remain, and said they intended to install more picnic tables and fire rings as funds were available. Council member Tom Godbey asked about other potential day use sites, and Park Board members Carrie Moritz and Colleen Collier outlined two more spaces that were currently in progress; one that is planned for this summer and one that will be installed within the next few years.
With the changes, they were requesting the council also approve re-numbering all of the tent sites on the north end of the park.
The council approved all of the recommendations.
Next, the council moved onto a resolution requesting the current smaller entrance/exit from Palisades State Park remain, instead of being closed off when the new entrance is built. The resolution had been initially requested in early 2020 by township member Oran Sorenson, and it had been tabled in favor of trying to work more closely with the State while those entrance plans were made. Sorenson was requesting it be passed, as he intended to bring the resolution to a meeting in Pierre. As a former State legislator, Sorenson is well-equipped to help ensure the local connection to the park remain, and he wanted the weight of the City behind him.
The resolution brings up the history and attachment the city of Garretson has to Palisades, and notes that the two areas are very closely interconnected. It also points out that moving the main entrance may have a negative impact on the growth of the town, and while the City fully supports the expansion of the park, it requests that the smaller entrance stay intact, even if only as an exit where park-goers can easily access the town.
Council members Richelle Hofer and Bill Hoskins had some concerns with the way the resolution was worded. Council member Hoskins wanted to ensure the State understood the City is "enthusiastically" behind the expansion project, while Hofer wanted more clarity within the text. Mayor Greg Beaner requested he be allowed to work closely with Sorenson to ensure those areas of concern were taken care of. The council approved the resolution and gave Mayor Beaner the go-ahead.
New website host approved
The council then approved a tax abatement, and moved onto a presentation by City employee Jessica Fueston about a new City of Garretson website. If approved, it would replace the current website the City already has, and would move onto a new system with a new URL.
The proposed site would go through a web manager called GovOffice, a popular content management software (CMS) system utilized by several municipalities across the state, including Baltic and Brandon. Baltic highly recommended the system.
GovOffice states it delivers a solution with less hassle and expense, and includes on-line forms, audio and video file integration, news sections, and image gallery capabilities. It is also optimized for both mobile and desktop users. The CMS is intentionally geared toward city governments, and is headquartered in Minneapolis. It also provides initial design, hosting, and security.
It would also move back-end options back into City management, so changes could be instantaneous. Currently, the City's website is managed by an outside web designer.
While much of the discussion revolved around costs, council member Hofer did bring up a concern about the intention of the initial website, which was also targeted toward potential tourists. Fueston said she had been in communication with the GovOffice team, and they were able to accommodate for that.
As for cost, the City would be paying $8,150 up front, with $500 per year after. Currently, the city pays $1200 per year for maintenance and updates to MAS Media.
