Veteran’s Day is next Monday, and there are two veteran’s Day Programs you can attend to show your support for our men and women in uniform.
Mark Williamson //Photo by Garrick A. Moritz, Gazette
The first is the student led veteran’s day program, hosted in the GHS Gymnasium and will be on Monday the Nov. 11 at 2:15 p.m. This program will feature students from all grade levels as well as the GHS High School Band and singers of all ages.
Later that same day the American Legion Post #23 is honoring one of their own as the keynote speaker, Legionary and Master of Arms, Mark Williamson.
Williamson has a long list of accomplishments in his military service, in the Order of the Purple Heart, and his service to the post and his hometown of Garretson. Just this summer he was honored at the 14U State Baseball Tournament held in Garretson on the weekend of July 27th, electing to wear his old Legion baseball team uniform from his own time as a legion ballplayer. Recently, Williamson was also selected to go on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
Social hour at the Legion starts at 6 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. Come out to support our veterans for what they have done for the freedom of our nation and continue to do philanthropically out of uniform.
Garretson may have a dog park within the next few years, if the vote taken at Monday evening's city council meeting is any indication. There, the council voted to dedicate land toward the effort, a necessary measure to be able to apply for grants. During the same meeting, Matthew "Jake" Jacobson was appointed to the Ward 2 open seat, the council again had a first reading on the off-road vehicle ordinance, and a discussion occurred on where personal property responsibility ends and city responsibility begins if a water main or sewer line develops issues.
New Ward 2 Councilor
As one of the first items of business, Mayor Bruce Brown gave a touching memorial to Tom Godbey, a long-time councilor for Ward 2 who passed unexpectedly after last October's meeting.
Matthew "Jake" Jacobson took the oath of office for Ward 2 of the Garretson City Council on Monday. //Carrie Moritz, Gazette
"I met Tom for the first time when I was running for the first time to be Mayor of Garretson," he said. "I got to know Tom very, very quickly because he searched me out and said, 'We need to talk.' And we sat and talked about what our ideas were, what our thoughts about Garretson and the things we were interested in doing, and we walked away from that pretty friendly and pretty much in line with each other.
"Tom was pretty much the backbone of the park system here in Garretson. He cared deeply about the parks, about the city, about the businesses. And over the years, Tom was involved in a lot of different businesses in Garretson. He was always promoting the town.
"I'm happy to say that a lot of things that Tom pushed for, we've managed to do."
Despite that, Mayor Brown said, Godbey still had more he wanted to get accomplished, and promised that the city would continue to take those suggestions into account in their future planning.
After the memorial and approval of the agenda, Mayor Brown introduced Matthew "Jake" Jacobson and said he was nominating Jacobson to be appointed to Godbey's seat. After the approval of the council, Jacobson took the oath of office for Ward 2.
Jacobson, a Garretson native who is the son of former Mayor and city councilor Dwayne "Jake" Jacobson, moved back to town with his wife, Heather, and two daughters a couple of years ago. According to Brown, Jacobson had approached him with questions about running for council not too long ago, so he was a good choice who had interest in the position.
Jacobson graduated from Dakota State University with a double major in Business Management and Marketing, and has experience in banking, construction, agriculture, and landscaping. Heather works at First Bank & Trust in Garretson and currently sits on the board of the Garretson Commercial Club.
A Third First Reading
First, the council passed ordinances ensuring water and sewer hook-up fees were up to date, and ensured rural districts in city limits would retain their agricultural status until the land was developed. This came about because land south of Garretson that is owned by the city, which is still farmed, was recently annexed into city limits, and land near the industrial park is still farmed.
The council then re-visited an issue that has been under discussion since the summer, when motorbikes tore up park and private property. They have been attempting to write an ordinance placing regulations on where off-road vehicles can go within city limits, relegating those vehicles to roads only.
However, consistent protestations by councilor Brayden Beaner on the necessity and wording of the ordinance continued at Monday's meeting, resulting in pushback from both Mayor Brown and City Finance Officer Paetyn Dreckman.
"The purpose of the ordinance was originally and still is, is to prevent off road vehicles and motorcycles from tearing up the parks," said Mayor Brown.
"Do we really need an ordinance?" asked Beaner. "Because I would think state law would cover the driving in the parks, or I would like to pass an ordinance more specific to just the park, so then we don't have to have any issues and whether or not we're affecting our other ordinances."
"Our city attorney says it does not affect other ordinances, so I guess it becomes an issue of, do we follow our city attorney's recommendations or not, as far as enforcing the off-road vehicles?" asked Brown. "That's what brought this up to the attention of the council, because there were people using ATVs and tearing up the grass and the parks, and when the County deputies came out and talked to them, there was nothing they could charge them with, because we didn't have an ordinance prohibiting them from doing it within the parks. So that's the reasoning why the ordinance was developed in the first place."
Beaner responded that reckless driving, driving without a license, and intentional damage to property laws should already cover those issues.
City Finance Officer Dreckman pointed out that these same issues had already been brought up, and the ordinance had been re-written at least twice, the second one with the city attorney.
"If our officers are saying they can't ticket them, then we need to have something," said councilor Jackie Rotert.
"I personally like the ordinance," said councilor Dave Bonte.
The differences between this writing and the October writing added an exception for alleyways to allow off-road vehicles, removed the possibility of imprisonment, and reduced the fine from $200 to $100, but otherwise remained mostly the same. It would ensure that off-road vehicles by non-maintenance personnel remain on streets or alleyways unless given specific permission on private property, are street-legal, and are driven only by licensed operators within city limits.
The second reading is scheduled for the December meeting, at which time the council will be able to vote to pass or deny the ordinance.
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When Brandon Schweitzer purchased a massive house in 2016 that was once a hospital in Garretson, he was a single man eager to tackle a project.
And what a project the more than 4,000-square foot home has been.
Brandon Schweitzer and his wife, Michelle, stand on the porch of the historic house which was once a hospital in the early 1900’s in Garretson. He has been slowly renovating the structure since 2016. //Photo courtesy of Jill Meyer, Brandon Valley Journal
Prior to Schweitzer buying the home, a previous owner had come in, flipped the home and sold it to a man who owned it for a year before he could no longer financially afford it.
“He had a bunch of kids and it just got trashed,” Schweitzer remembers.
Still, Schweitzer could see what the home – vacant any hint of the former hospital – could be.
Brandon Realtor Michael Gross had talked about purchasing it, Schweitzer said.
“We were talking about all of the things we were going to do it,” he recalls.
Among those ideas was having a zip line from the top floor out to the garage or digging a tunnel from the garage to the basement.
“He found it, and I figured it was big enough that it would allow me plenty of time to ‘play,’” Schweitzer said.
He gave himself an “unofficial” five-year timeline to renovate the home. Instead, his time was consumed by a relationship that kept him from those plans.
“Honestly, this place was just kind of a dumping ground,” he said. “I’d stop by and throw stuff in the garage. I was rarely here for almost a year and a half.”
A second relationship followed, and once again, little progress was made on the home.
Then, he was a single man, ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work. He tore down plaster walls and put up walls of sheetrock. He pulled up carpeting, removed radiators, walls and columns. He replaced the once-weighted windows with more efficient windows, stripped down all of the doors, replumbed the home, and put a mini-split system in the house.
“It was either that or try to HVAC the house,” he said. “There’s no way to HVAC it. You’d be building around everything, and it’s already kind of awkward enough the way that it is in places.”
He labored over the original wood floors, meticulously sanding each board. He even got creative, piecing in slats of ebony-stained maple where a half-wall – most likely the counter where patients once checked in – had been removed.
“I had to improvise,” says the machinist by trade. “I ended up buying a slab of maple. Of course, I can’t do something normally.”
Schweitzer also constructed a bench – with storage included – in the massive bay window of what is now the home’s dining room.
Schweitzer has now turned his attention to the home’s exterior. For weeks, he’s been working on the garage, removing old paint in preparation for primer and then a new coat of paint, which he said will likely happen next spring.
“We were like, let’s do the garage first and see how much work that it actually is,” he said.
He’s learned from his neighbor, Karen Rekstad, that the garage in its earliest years, served as a horse stable.
The former hospital-turned-home also once featured an elevator, which was used to bring patients from the ambulance garage up to the third-floor operating room. The basement, although no longer detectable, also housed the hospital’s mortuary. In later years, the basement space was converted into an apartment.
“I haven’t figured out when they decommissioned the hospital,” Schweitzer said.
A brutal South Dakota winter two years ago wreaked havoc on the home when the pipes froze and subsequently burst, shooting “black crap everywhere.”
“All this sediment and everything that was in there, it splattered up the walls everywhere. We had rooms that were completely done and looked great, and then there was black everywhere,” he said.
With the home’s restoration well underway, Schweitzer said he felt something, more specifically, someone to share the home with, was still missing. That all changed last November when Michelle, a gal he dated 20 years ago, unexpectedly re-entered his life.
“I tell everyone that I bought this house because I was waiting for her, because I knew I was going to marry her, and I just needed something to do in the meantime,” he tells. “And then it happened.”
Michelle was living in California when she returned to care for her father after he had fallen, and help prepare his home to put it on the market.
“I messaged him, and was like, ‘Do you want to get a drink?’: Michelle tells.
He eagerly accepted the invitation, and from there, it turned into a whirlwind romance that resulted in the couple exchanging “I do’s”.
Until reuniting, Michelle had little inkling of the talents her husband has.
“When we dated 20 years ago, we both worked at Citibank, so we were both desk people. I didn’t know Brandon cold do carpentry and electrical and plumbing and all of that stuff. Oftentimes, I say that I married my dad,” she said. “I tell my friends in California that there’s literally nothing this guy can’t do, and if he doesn’t know how, he looks it up and he’ll know how in five minutes.”
Michelle’s favorite part of the home is the large, north-facing window in their bedroom.
“At night, we can open it and watch the stars from bed,” she said.
Their bedroom, which features an en suite bathroom, was the operating and recovery room when the home was a hospital.
She’s also in love with the “giant kitchen.”
“I came from a 720 square-foot apartment, so that’s basically the size of the kitchen,” she said. “And I love have a yard, too. I haven’t had a yard for 15 years, so that’s been nice.”
She’s also embracing the old home’s “quirks.”
“Especially here, where it’s so windy. The house shifts sometimes and the floors creak,” she says.
When Michelle first stepped into the massive structure, she admits she was curious why her then-single husband opted to purchase such a big house.
“He said it was for projects to keep him busy,” she said.
When Michelle moved in last November, she gave the home what it was missing: a woman’s touch.
“She took it and made it a home,” says Schweitzer’s mother, Theresa.
“It was a construction zone, and I was perfectly fine living in it,” Brandon said. “That's probably the thing I’ve heard the most since I’ve been here, is ‘It’s actually a home now.’”
Turning the massive once-hospital into a home has been a labor of love for Brandon for the past eight years, And, he’s not done yet.
“Personally, I’m never satisfied with anything. If I could go back eight years and you showed me what it was going to be, I would be perfectly happy. But that’s not to say there’s no further renovations somewhere, sometime down the road,” he said.
Addendum to the Schweitzer home
By Carrie Moritz, Gazette
The home now occupied by Brandon Schweitzer was once a hospital known as De Vall Hospital. Dr. Frederick De Vall operated his medical practice in Garretson starting in 1905, beginning in the offices above the Wangsness Store. In 1924 he purchased a large home on a corner lot next door to his residence and retrofitted it to become a hospital.
According to the 1989 Centennial Book, De Vall Hospital had an operating room, an x-ray room, lab, examining rooms, private patient rooms, and a ward.
Eddie Edmundson stopped by the Gazette to share his thoughts on Dr. De Vall, and gave us the following:
"In about 1926, my father Martin Edmundson had his right leg crushed by a water wagon. He was taken to the De Vall Hospital. His left leg was gone since he was 4 years old.
"Dr. De Vall went to medical school with one of the 'Mayo' brothers. He called them about his problem. While they had been working on fusing an ankle, they sent two silver plates, bolts, and screws.
"Martin laid flat on his back for 3 months. The procedure was successful and is in all the medical books.
"Dad (Martin) mentioned that for the six months he was hospitalized, the nurses were extraordinary."
In the Centennial book in a passage called "Do We Appreciate Our Health Care?", Carol Flanagan wrote that Dr. De Vall was a very good doctor and known for his care of broken bones.
"I can remember," she wrote, "one time when my brother went to Garretson with a team and sled in a severe snowstorm and brought Dr. De Vall out to care for my Uncle, Mart Brennan, who was having a kidney stone attack. This did not seem very un-American to me. Dr. De Vall, his wife and family really deserve a great deal of respect and gratitude as we look back." (Earlier in her entry she wrote that during World War I, a vandal had painted a large yellow patch on his office building on Main, which was a dirty slam relating to Dr. De Vall's Americanism.)
Flanagan noted that back in the early days, it was a near impossibility to get to Sioux Falls for hospital care, but as the city grew much of the hospital health care services transferred there.
His only daughter, Lois, also became a doctor, and helped him in his clinic for a time during World War II.
Dr. De Vall passed in August 1951. He practiced for 45 years.
I am going to deviate from my normal monthly column this month. I want to talk a little about my colleague and friend Tom Godbey. Tom's sudden passing came as a shock to all of us.
Tom's businesses and support of Garretson are pretty well known. I learned a lot from his obituary about things that he was involved with, but I want to talk about other things you may not know about Tom.
When I moved to Garretson I attended council meetings to learn about the town. I met Tom when he, Greg Beaner and I ran for Mayor many years ago. I ran into Tom at Big Ern's one afternoon and we talked at length about our ideas, thoughts and visions for Garretson. All three of us had similar ideas and agreed on most things, but we had significant differences in styles and priorities. Greg won the election and Tom and I reflected on what to do next. Tom had been very active in city government and encouraged me to run for city council. (Along with Jake Jacobson) When I won a seat on the council Tom was the first person to congratulate me. We often disagreed on how best to get things done, but we talked it out, listened to each other and came to a compromise.
When I ran for mayor last year Tom was the first to want to sit down and talk to me about things he thought needed to be done. It was a long list! The only thing he asked of me was to appoint him to the parks board. I gladly did that when I was elected.
Tom truly loved Garretson's parks and described himself as a “tree hugger” and to him the parks came first! Well before all this happened I was out helping cut up neighborhood trees that had been blown down by the severe windstorm. When I finished with those I drove out to Split Rock park, because we had an outdoor church in one of the picnic shelters a couple days later. The shelter had 2 trees that had come down on one side of it and when I pulled up Tom was there cutting them up. We worked together for a couple of hours to clear the shelter and make it usable for our Sunday Service.
Many of you may not know his “giving” to the parks. Every year Tom purchased a large number of trees and had them delivered to the city. He also built the newest picnic shelter in the park and paid for it himself! He just did things that he thought needed to be done and never asked for recognition or praise. Tom is responsible for pushing the reconstruction of the park’s roads and suggestions on developing new campsites and places where people could just enjoy the parks. Several months ago Tom gave me a list of things that he wanted to see get done. We spent time discussing them and prioritizing them. (Tom didn't really like that much, but understood we couldn't do everything at once.) His list and ideas have become part of our plans for the parks.
At the council meeting the evening before Tom passed away, we had our usual banter as well as serious discussion after the meeting. The last thing he said to me before he went home was that he liked short meetings like the one we just had. I consider that a high compliment.
I consider myself fortunate to have known and worked with Tom and I will miss him greatly. He was ALL Garretson ALL the time!
Karla has asked that donations be made to the Fire Department, Ambulance Service, the Blue Dragon Foundation and the American Legion. I think he would want donations for trees!
UPDATE 11/7/24: Garretson Volleyball will be playing Baltic in Baltic at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 7. The winner of this game will be a SoDak 16 qualifier.
Garretson Volleyball got to end its regular season with a bang after taking home the win against Madison on Tuesday, October 29.
Tayler Benson on the dig. //Carrie Moritz, Gazette
It was a hard-fought win as the two teams battled, with the Dragons taking the first, fourth, and decisive fifth set in overtime play.
In the first set, the Dragons managed to overpower the Bulldogs and take it 25-22, starting off on a strong note. However, the Bulldogs came out for revenge and took sets two (20-25) and three (13-25).
Now fighting for their comeback, the Dragons battled back and managed to squeak ahead in the fourth set. A kill by Bella Sysa sent them onto the fifth set (25-22).
The fifth set was a nail-biter as the teams fought, with Madison pulling into the lead for a time. Garretson caught up and tied the game, and there it stayed, 13-13, 15-15, 18-18, 19-19. Then, sitting at 20-19, Maci Rotert sent an ace over the net, cinching the win for the Dragons (21-19).
On Tuesday, the team moved into the postseason with the Region 3A Quarterfinals, hosting #6 seeded Tri-Valley (results not available at press time). The winner of that game is slated to move on to compete against the winner of the #2 Baltic/#7 Flandreau game today (Thursday) at the higher seed. Winners of that game will move on to the SoDak 16, which will be played on Tuesday, November 12.
The Garretson School District proudly congratulates the following Students and their coaches/directors for their Fall Sports/Activity Achievements.
Ben Wastell, Caiden Maack, Elizabeth Roth, Madison Waltman, Mackenzie Sanders, Anna Ebbing, Kaitlyn Steinhoff, and Tasia Westover who performed at the Big East Conference Honor Choir Concert October 21 at McCook Central High School. Director Taylor Schweitzer
Tyler Erickson, Brooklyn Roberts, Ava Adkins, Gracie Fiegen, and Emma Wolf who attended the State Journalism Convention October 21 at South Dakota State University. Advisor Kelsey Buchholz.
Alexis Christensen, Jacoby Costello, Blair Ellefson, Lane Ellefson, Chloe Hermanson, Cole Schleuter, Brooklyn Trudeau, and Dylan Waltman who attended the National FFA Convention October 23-26 in Indianapolis Indiana. Advisor Alysha Kientopf.
Carter Siemonsma who qualified to run in the State “A” Cross Country Meet October 26 at Hart Ranch in Rapid City. Coaches Jason Bohl and Jacob Heumiller.
Cortney Rogich who was named to the South Dakota Class “A” All-State Girls Soccer Team and Ava Ockenga who was named Class “A” Honorable Mention. Coaches Amber Bos and Denyelle Ageson.
The Garretson Marching Band who placed 1st at Arlington, and 2nd Place at Beresford (Best Color Guard) Luverne and Chester. Director Nick Sittig.
When you see these students and coaches/advisors at school or in the community… STOP AND GIVE THEM A HIGH FIVE!!!
Every year, the SD Department of Education collects a variety of data points for all of the schools in South Dakota. As a measure of school climate, the Department of Education uses attendance data as an indicator of a healthy school environment. The state not only collects data on the average daily attendance rate, they also collect data on students who are “chronically absent,” meaning those who have missed more than ten percent of the school days in a year. For the 23-24 school year, the Garretson School District tallied a 96% daily attendance rate, compared to the State average of 87%. The District also had 9% of students who were identified as chronically absent, a rate considerably better than the 21% rate statewide.
Attendance is definitely a critical aspect of schooling. It’s difficult for our teachers to reach students who simply are not here. We also know that students learn best in an environment in which they feel well supported and cared for. Students who feel like they are safe, cared for and that their teachers believe in them all contribute directly to our students being able to learn well. The district collected survey data from our students regarding their own perceptions of our school’s climate. While we do not have statewide data to compare it to, we do believe that collecting data from students in grades 3-12 is an important marker for our environment.
Students responded to a variety of statements and rated their level of agreement, whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree with the statement. Eighty eight percent (88%) of our students agree or strongly agree that our school is a safe place for all students. Ninety three percent (93%) of our students agree or strongly agree with the statement, “my teachers care about me as a person.” A high percentage of our students also agree or strongly agree that their teachers believe in them (92%), and our teachers have high expectations for our students (93%).
Of course, our goal is that each and every one of the students in our school feel cared for and supported. We know that kids learn best when they know that they are valued and the school staff believe in them. As a staff, we have looked at the overall survey data, and are actively making plans that we believe will help us to create an environment in which each and every kid knows very well that we believe in them and that they matter here. Our Climate serves as the foundation for students learning well here in the schoolhouse, and we take it seriously.
Volleyball heads into the postseason on a high note; Mark Williamson will be the featured speaker at Post #23's Veteran's Day Program; and a new councilor is sworn in on the council after the unexpected passing of councilor Tom Godbey. Also, Trunk or Treat photos, a historical home remodel, and more.
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Volleyball heads into the postseason on a high note; Mark Williamson will be the featured speaker at Post #23's Veteran's Day Program; and a new councilor is sworn in on the council after the unexpected passing of councilor Tom Godbey. Also, Trunk or Treat photos, a historical home remodel, and more.
