By Carrie Moritz, Gazette
On Monday, November 14, the Garretson City Council convened for its regular monthly meeting. While most of the meeting was routine business, public comments at the beginning included a request from community members to look into better separation between industrial and residential zones and a presentation on tourism opportunities for next summer.
This past June, after some tense debate, the council had passed a re-zoning request from Nachurs Alpine Solutions that changed a residential area to industrial. The goal behind the request had been for the fertilizer company to build a warehouse that would produce micronutrients, a product that is currently brought in by truck. The warehouse would be placed directly behind housing on Granite Avenue, but was in an area that had not been developed before in Garretson’s history. Neighborhood residents vociferously opposed the idea, pointing out other issues Nachurs Alpine (and its predecessor, Koch Fertilizer) has presented to the neighborhood in the past. However, since other development plans in the past had fallen through and the warehouse was not projected to increase smell, sound, or traffic, the council approved the re-zoning to industrial.
At Monday’s meeting, it was revealed that Nachurs Alpine has since abandoned those plans due to the cost of steel. This leaves the neighborhood in a lurch; while Nachurs currently owns the land, the re-zoning was not given any conditional parameters that limited land use, nor contained any barriers for use if there wasn’t development.
“If you look behind my house…it’s a bunch of chemical tubes just strewn around the property,” Ramsbey pointed out. “It looks like an industrial junkyard, for lack of a better description.”
He was concerned about not only the visual aspect, but also any possible hazards that may be posed to his two young children. “It’s only feet from my kids’ playground.”
Ramsbey, not one to complain without also providing possible solutions, described a couple that he would be amenable to.
The first solution he presented was for the council to consider re-zoning back to residential, especially if the company was willing to sell the lots. No known discussion of sale had occurred between the company and other entities prior to the meeting, but he was hopeful they may be amenable to an offer if they were no longer going to build on it.
His second suggestion was to have the city require or request some type of structural barrier, such as a fence. A fence had been implemented into the original plans upon approval of the re-zoning request, but was not a formal requirement.
The council discussed the possibility of a structural shelterbelt of some type, though there were concerns about retroactive requirements. Mayor Greg Beaner suggested research be done about the possibilities, and councilor Tom Godbey suggested inquiring directly with the company about their willingness to place a fence. He said he would be willing to speak with them. Mayor Beaner agreed, and also directed finance officer Paetyn Dreckman to do further research on their options. The council was unable to take any further action since this item was not on the agenda, but expected to come back to it in the future.
Next in public comment, Kris Frerk presented an idea to the council that would help increase tourism in the city.
Frerk, a board member for SE South Dakota Tourism, had been alerted to a town in Wisconsin this past summer that had an art scavenger hunt. Knowing that Garretson is priming itself to become an art-focused community, she felt this idea would work well while also keeping visitors in town for longer periods of time. She would like to get started with the hunt as early as next spring, if possible.
The art scavenger hunt would consist of several local artists’ works hanging in or on businesses in the area, such as the metal flag on the side of Jesse James Country Store, the stained glass and fused glass pieces in Annie’s, and the mural on the side of Garretson Food Center. Others would be added as the businesses were willing. Visitors who found all of the pieces would then be eligible for a prize.
Frerk stated that she was researching grant opportunities with the South Dakota Arts Council as well as other grants to help cover the majority of costs of the hunt, but was wondering if the city would be willing to put some money forward as well. She projected the total costs would include brochure design and printing, a large sign advertising the hunt, covering supplies for artists, and a $500 cash prize, at the very least. While Frerk projected that this coming summer would be testing the waters, she was hopeful it would be successful enough to keep it going in future years.
Finance officer Dreckman said she could look into the city's budget to see if anything was available to put toward the project, as the council thought it was a great idea.
Frerk then presented numbers from the recent Experience Sioux Falls convention, which showed numbers of visitors and top retail merchandise from Falls Park. She pointed out that in September 2022, the Sioux Falls park's visitor center had a total of 15,772 people come through. She believes Garretson is primed to capitalize on Sioux Falls tourism by focusing on our visitors’ centers, which she'd like to see staffed by not only paid employees, but retirees and volunteers as has been done in the past.
Dreckman did present some numbers from the 2022 summer season for Split Rock Park and Devils Gulch later in the meeting. Total revenue was just above $30,000, and net revenue after payout of campground supervisor, payroll, and concessions came to $7,685 for May-October, which means a park board goal of ensuring the parks be somewhat profitable was met.
During the public comment section, Frerk stated that Falls Park saw the most merchandise sales from postcards, magnets, stickers, pens, and t-shirts, and suggested Garretson take note for next season when ordering for concessions.
She also said one idea to bring people to town is to install an electric charging station somewhere in the community. While she didn't have any numbers for costs, she did say it would be an expensive undertaking, though one that could potentially pay out well in the future.
After public comment, regular business commenced with the council discussing natural gas. Prices for the month of November were presented at $1.23 per ccf, which is down from last month's $1.27.
Councilor Bill Hoskins asked if the prices would continue to fluctuate for the winter months since the price was locked in. Economic director Jessica Fueston responded they would, as it would only cover 100% of normal use. Also, while November through March were requested for locking in at 100%, Clayton Energy had only locked in December through March for this season due to high prices earlier this fall. However, due to some misunderstandings from councilors, Mayor Beaner said he would reach out to Clayton Energy to ensure everything was re-outlined and well-understood.
For parks, Colleen Collier presented results from the recent count undertaken by the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She said there were a total of 665 trees on public lands and right of ways.
"Of that, about 35%, about 230 trees are ash," she said. "165-170 are maple, and the rest are other varieties." All trees were entered into a GIS system that recorded condition and location.
The best news is that the ash borer has not been found yet, which gives Garretson another year to try and get ahead of the invasive beetle.
After approving liquor license renewals and approving a license for Annie's to sell on-sale liquor (thereby filling the 4th license in Garretson's quota), the board adjourned into executive session.
The next regular meeting of the council will be held on December 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Legion.
