Please see the attached news release concerning an upcoming large force
exercise in the Powder River Training Complex, currently scheduled for March
30-31. This release serves as the official public notification of the event.
We appreciate any assistance you can provide in raising awareness of the
upcoming exercise.
Questions or requests for additional information may be sent to the 28th
Bomb Wing Public Affairs office at 28bw.pa@us.af.mil, or by calling (605)
385-5056. Normal office hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until
4:30 p.m., Mountain Time.
Notes from the County Commission
by Galen Niederwerder, District 1 Commissioner
The Meade County Commission met in regular session Wednesday, February 24th in what was a pretty routine meeting.
I don’t know if you’ve been to a Commission meeting lately, but we always begin with the Pledge of Allegiance and then one of the Commissioners says a prayer. Bob Heidgerken led us this time with a heartfelt prayer. It’s a great way to start, and Bob did a great job.
The county received no bids for the liquor license that’s available, so the Commission set the first-come first-served price at $225,000.
County Highway Superintendent Lincoln Shuck brought right-of-way agreements for what the Commission calls the Elks Project (the rebuilding of parts of Elk Creek Road and Elk Vale Road) which were approved.
The Commission approved the purchase of the property located at 1333 Willard Street, which is located just south of the Erskine Building and west of the old elementary school, for future expansion. We discussed declaring the house on the property as surplus, and plan to auction it off at the county/school surplus auction in May.
And, believe it or not, we lowered some fees the county charges. Mainly the fee for the Mobile Home Building Permit, but some others as well. Thanks to Bill Rich for his work on that.
At Commissioner Heidgerken’s request, we had lunch at the chinese food place which is right next door to Dick & Jane’s Naughty Spot. We made sure not to linger on the combined porch too long on our way in and out, lest someone should happen by with a cell phone. (Hmmm, I’ll bet nobody can tell you the name of the place, but I’ll also bet everybody sure knows how to find it.) Bob really likes chinese food, and has been suggesting the place for years, but we never had the guts to go before.
Another vacancy has opened up on the Metropolitan Planning Committee. Commissioners Aker and Heidgerken will be talking to potential replacements; if you live in the MPO area and are interested in serving on this committee, please contact one of them.
Well, that’s about all there was. If you’re in Sturgis for lunch or dinner sometime, try the chinese food place. I had the sweet and sour chicken, it was really good. Whatever the name of the establishment is. (I think if I owned it, I’d just change the name of it to The Chinese Food Place Right Next to Dick & Jane’s.)
God Bless Meade County.
Career Opportunity - Communications Operator with Meade County Dispatch
Job Posting 2016-01 - Communications Operator
Close Date: 03/04/2016
Salary: $15.12 - $19.73 per hour DOEQ
Full Benefit Package
Job Description:
Full-time position responsible for answering all calls for emergency services and maintaining radio contact with the Sheriff's Department, Police Department, Fire Department, Ambulance Services, and all other public entities relating to emergency services.
Applicants are required to have high school diploma or equivalency, and the ability to be certified in Medical Priority Dispatch, CPR, and Teletype.
Preferred - one year of experience with law enforcement, communication or related field, and experience with computers, telephones, and radio equipment is required. Must have ability to communicate, organize and multi-task effectively.
Please mail or email a resume and Meade County Application to: Meade County Human Resource Department, Attn: Jerry Derr, 1300 Sherman St. STE 212 Sturgis, SD 57785.
Meade County Veteran of the Month - February 2016
Mr. Paul Speed: From Union Center
Service years: 1966-1968
At the age of 20, Mr. Paul Speed was drafted into the Army into the supply career field. He completed basic training at Fort Lewis Washington. Fun fact: Fort Lewis had been closed as a training facility since the end of the Korean War, until it was reopened in 1966 as a personnel transfer and training center for the Vietnam War. From there, Mr. Speed was sent over to Dugway Proving Ground for in Utah for additional training.
His initial orders were to work as a veterinary technician because his reputation as a “farm boy” preceded him. Unfortunately, the position was filled before he arrived, so he found a new position within the hospital working in one of the wards. Eventually, he was transferred to Medical Supply.
Shortly thereafter in June 1967 he was called up for a year-long tour of duty in Vietnam. He worked in communication supply as a clerk under the Unit commander.
Mr. Speed remembers an interesting story from his time in Vietnam: he and another soldier were driving a military jeep over to another unit to see a band perform. They parked the jeep and saw a great show. Afterwards, they went back to where they had parked the jeep… to find that it wasn’t there. It wasn’t anywhere, in fact. To this day, no one has any idea where that jeep ended up. The two were able to hitch a ride back to their post to answer the question of how- exactly- one loses an entire jeep. The silver lining is that Mr. Speed learned an invaluable lesson that he will never forget. Nor will he ever forget the exact amount of how much a jeep is worth in 1967: $2,580.00.
Mr. Speed has been awarded the:
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Sharpshooter (Rifle M-14)
Good Conduct Medal
In 1968 Mr. Speed was honorably discharged and he came back to South Dakota to the family ranch. He would go on to meet his wife while studying to be an elementary school teacher. The two got married in July 1970. After his schooling, Mr. Speed picked up work managing a ranch from 1972-1981. During that time, his daughter Lana was born and then his son Ryan a few years later. In 1981, the family moved to Union Center where he farmed and ranched until 2005 when he retired.
Even after retirement, he stayed busy working at the Sturgis Livestock, Cammack Supply, running a few cows, working as an auctioneer for fun, and assisting a neighbor in the feed business. Even though his name might not suggest it, Mr. Speed does find time to slow down and enjoy a good cup of coffee in Union Center. He enjoys hunting and fishing, but more than anything, his true love is spending time with his family, and also his 2 grandchildren.
NOTICE FOR SEALED BIDS FOR COUNTY RETAIL ON-SALE LIQUOR LICENSE
Please publish: January 27th, 2016 and February 3, 2016- Meade County Times Tribune
February 1, 2016 - Rapid City Journal
NOTICE FOR SEALED BIDS
FOR
COUNTY RETAIL ON-SALE LIQUOR LICENSE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be received by the Meade County Auditor’s Office by February 9th, 2016 @ 5:00 p.m. for one (1) retail on-sale liquor license. Said sealed bids will be opened on February 10th, 2016 @ 1:00 p.m. at the regular meeting of the Meade County Commission.
Said procedure is outlined in the following Resolution passed by the Board of County Commissioners on December 23, 2015:
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of South Dakota has provided for the approval of liquor licenses by the boards of county commissioners of the counties of said State pursuant to SDCL
Title 35; and
WHEREAS SDCL §35-4-11.1 provides that the board of county commissioners shall, on or before the first of September in each year, determine by ordinance or continuing resolution the number of on-sale licenses (other than malt beverage) it will approve for the ensuing calendar year and the fees to be charged for the various classifications of licenses; and
WHEREAS, the Meade County Board of County Commissioners has set the number of on sale
liquor dealer licenses at 14 and the fee for such license at $150,000; and
WHEREAS, Meade County currently has issued 13 on-sale liquor dealer licenses, making one such license available for issuance; and
WHEREAS the Meade County Board of Commissioners wishes to make the license available to the public in a fair and impartial manner; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Meade County Commission makes the following rules applicable to the issuance of new on-sale liquor dealer licenses:
1. The Meade County Auditor shall cause to be published twice in the Meade County Times and once in the Rapid City Journal an invitation for bids for the purchase of the available on-sale liquor dealer license. The first publication shall be at least ten days prior to the date set by the Board to open bids hereunder.
2. Applicants may apply for the existing on-sale liquor dealer licenses beginning on the date of this resolution by submitting a sealed bid packet to the Meade County Auditor.
Such sealed bid packet shall include the following:
a. Uniform Alcoholic Beverage Application. This must be completed fully and according to its instructions, and bear the necessary original signatures. Photocopies will not be accepted.
b. Application Fee. Certified check, cashier’s check, or bank draft in the amount of Fifteen Percent (15%) of the bid amount. Alternatively, the applicant may submit a surety bond in the amount of Thirty Percent (30%). Either application fee guarantees that the applicant will consummate the purchase of the on sale liquor dealer licenses if the applicant is the successful high bidder for such
license as set forth below.
i. If the applicant fails or refuses to consummate the purchase of the on-sale liquor dealer licenses within 15 days of successful selection, the applicant shall forfeit and the County shall be entitled to retain the application fee as liquidated damages.
ii. In the event that applicant who is the successful high bidder shall not be able to meet the licensing standards set out by SDCL Ch. 35-2, excepting those requirements of SDCL § 35-2-1.2, the applicant shall forfeit and the County shall be entitled to retain the application fee as liquidated damages.
iii. The successful high bidder shall have the application fee credited toward the issuance fee for the on-sale liquor dealer license.
iv. Those unsuccessful bidders shall have their application fee refunded immediately.
c. Deadline and Bid Requirements. All bids for the on-sale liquor dealer license shall be delivered to the office of the Meade County Auditor not later than 5:00 p.m. on the day prior to the date set by the Board to open bids hereunder. The sealed bid shall contain the Uniform Alcoholic Beverage application, the Application Fee, and the amount bid.
d. High Bid. The sealed bids for on-sale liquor dealer licenses shall be opened in an open meeting of the County Commission.
i. Each sealed bid shall be reviewed for completeness of the bid requirements.
ii. The County Commission may reject any and all bids if none of the bids are satisfactory or if they believe an agreement has been entered into by the bidders to prevent competition.
iii. If two or more sealed bids are identical in price, and are the high bid, the County Commission through the Chairman or through his designee shall award by auction to one of the identical high bidders.
iv. If not rejected as above, the application of the high bidder will be accepted by the County Commission and that applicant’s application shall be set for hearing in accordance with SDCL Ch. 35-2.
3. In the event the applicant refuses to consummate the purchase of the on-sale liquor dealer license or fails to meet the licensing standards set out by SDCL Ch. 35-2, excepting those requirements of SDCL § 35-2-1.2, a subsequent invitation for bids shall be held according to the terms of this Resolution.
4. In the event that no valid applications are received by the Meade County Auditor by 5:00 p.m. on the day prior to the date set by the Board to open bids hereunder, the on-sale liquor dealer licenses shall become available on a first-come, first served basis, subject to the statutory licensing terms regarding notice, hearing, and all license requirements. For purposes of this resolution, “first-come first-served” shall mean that the first fully and accurately completed application for on-sale liquor dealer licenses which is submitted to the office of the Meade County Auditor with the issuance fee of $225,000 in good funds shall be entitled to have their application noticed and heard in accordance with the alcoholic beverage licensing statutes.
5. In the event the first-come first-served applicant is not able to meet the licensing standards set out by SDCL Ch. 35-2, the applicant who next submits a fully and accurately completed application together with the issuance fee shall be next considered.
DATED this 23rd day of December, 2015.
APPROVED: _/s/ Alan Aker___________________
Alan Aker, Chairman
ATTEST: _/s/ Lisa Schieffer_______________
Lisa Schieffer, Auditor
Published twice at the total approximate amount of ____________________.
Notes from the County Commission
by Robert Heidgerken, District 5 Commissioner
The Meade County Commission met on January 27, 2016 for their second meeting of the year. Vice Chair Bob Bertolotto led the meeting as Chair Galen Niederwerder was absent.
The board approved a request from the sheriff’s office to purchase new software and have it installed in the computers in the jail, sheriff’s office and patrol cars. This is the same software used by most counties in South Dakota. It will aid in tracking arrests through the justice system.
Mr. John Boylan of rural Piedmont was appointed to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) committee. The MPO has representatives from several cities and counties surrounding Rapid City. He will serve a three year term.
Lincoln Shuck, Highway Superintendent and Scott Togetoff, Assistant Superintendent came before the board to discuss the asphalt plan for 2016. They will be working with Brosz Engineering on the plans for the south end of the New Underwood Road. They are also working with landowners to acquire the right of way for the Elk Vale and Elk Creek paving project.
Jenny Voigt, 4H Youth Program Advisor and members of the Meade County Fair Board discussed the need for a building for 4H activities such as shooting sports. A heated building is needed. Stay tuned to see how this turns out.
The Veteran of the Month is James E. Adams. Thank you for your service.
Meade County passed the state audit with No Deficiency Disclosed. GOOD JOB LISA!
The commission passed the second reading of the revamped Ordinance #34 - Building Code & Construction Ordinance. The changes to this ordinance should make it easer to understand and for the county to enforce.
A request was made to change the name of SEQUOIA LN. to Escape Ln. This solves the confusion in the 911 system with a similar named road in Pennington County. The request was approved by the commission.
The “Meade Moving Forward 2040 Transportation Plan” was approved by the board. This plan proposes how the roads in Meade County will be maintained, improved and built for the next 25 years. It is not written in stone and can and will be modified as conditions warrant. The plan was financed by the state DOT through the MPO. The data as to why a given road is included in this plan is part of the document.
Ground hogs day is half way through winter. We have six more weeks of winter. Let’s hope for good weather.
