Latest news with #MitchellAreaDevelopmentCorporation
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Davison County Sheriff reverses course, opposes state prison proposal for Mitchell
Jun. 9—MITCHELL — As the consideration of a potential state prison in Mitchell intensifies, one Davison County leader has reversed course on his support. Davison County Sheriff Steve Harr issued a statement Monday saying he has decided not to support a possible $600 million prison plan that is being considered by the state's Project Prison Reset task force, becoming one of the most prominent Davison County leaders to oppose the plan. Harr said the change of heart came after the feedback he's gotten from residents in Davison County who are against the prison plan. "Since Davison County made the cut at the last meeting, it has become quite clear that there are a very large number of residents that are opposed to the prison coming to our county," Harr wrote in a statement. "I have heard very little from anyone that is in favor of it. That is why it was important to get a conversation going. It is unfortunate that it didn't happen earlier, but better now than after a decision has been made. In an interview with the Mitchell Republic on Monday afternoon, Harr said he made the decision by listening to the constituents of Davison County. "The majority of the public just doesn't seem to be in favor," Harr said. "They're pretty adamant that they don't want this." In his letter, Harr said he initially signed a letter of support for the prison because he hoped Mitchell's plan would advance and there would be conversations about the idea. "It was not done as a statement of "we need a prison in Mitchell." Well, as you know, this was successful, as the conversation all over town is on this topic," he wrote. Harr, who initially began working for Davison County as a corrections officer in 2000 and was a longtime deputy, has been sheriff since 2021. "I did not make this decision lightly, as there are people in this county that are supportive of bringing it here. However, the clear majority do not. My job as sheriff is to look out for the citizens of Davison County and I feel that is what is being done by coming to this decision," Harr wrote. "I would like to thank everyone that has reached out or made your concerns known in other ways. Without an open conversation, nothing gets accomplished. To the people that are in favor, I hope you understand how I came to this decision." Harr was one of 10 individuals or entities in a June 4 press release from the Mitchell Area Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce listed as formally expressing support for Mitchell's inclusion as a prison site. In addition to MADC and the Chamber itself, the others included the Mitchell City Council, Davison County Commission, Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson, State Rep. Jeff Bathke, Mitchell Area Housing, Inc., Randall Community Water District, Central Electric Cooperative and Mitchell Technical College. "I can see the plusses and minuses that come with the prison. But when it comes to something of this magnitude, we need to listen to the public that lives here," Harr said in an interview. Asked about the third-party consultant report that described the Mitchell location as a sub-optimal location because of its site near a major interstate, a rail line and the James River, Harr downplayed the concern and said he's skeptical about how often true prison escapes occur. "I would like to know about the last escape from the South Dakota State Penitentiary. Movies kind of glamorize that. Inmates sometimes don't return when they're out on work release, but I can't remember the last escape from the prison." Following the June 3 meeting of the Project Prison Reset task force, Mitchell was named as one of the finalists for the prison location along with a site near Worthing and state land on the grounds of the Mike Durfee Prison in Springfield and at the penitentiary in Sioux Falls. The proposed Mitchell site is 160 acres located south of Interstate 90 near the city's sewer lagoons and landfill. The MADC said last week that the project would generate more than 440 full-time jobs with an annual payroll of more than $36 million. The task force is working on a short timeline. The state engineer and contractors are expected to present new prison designs that meet the new parameters before the state task force's July 8 meeting. Legislators will convene for a special session at the state Capitol on July 22 to consider approving a plan.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
10 things to know about a potential state prison site in Davison County
Jun. 4—MITCHELL — Great prisons come with great responsibility. The Mitchell City Council, during its regular meeting on June 2, unanimously approved a resolution expressing interest in the construction of a state correctional facility in Davison County. Here are 10 facts and questions discussed about the potential Mitchell prison site. No. 1: The city's resolution shows interest in the prison, but is non-binding The resolution was introduced by council member Tim Goldammer on the eve of a Project Prison Reset Task Force meeting to follow on Tuesday in Pierre. The resolution states that a correctional facility "would create significant economic opportunities, including the creation of stable, well-paying jobs, increased demand for local goods and services, and long-term infrastructure investments." In addition, the resolution cited interest in collaboration to ensure "public safety and community well-being" from local law enforcement, community leaders, the Davison County Commission and economic development organizations. The resolution also promises "open dialogue, careful planning and engagement with residents to ensure that concerns are heard and solutions are implemented." No. 2: A final prison decision will be made in July July 8 is to be the final meeting of the prison search commission, according to Lauritsen. Lauritsen says a special session of the South Dakota legislature will meet on July 22 in regards to the prison. No. 3: Wherever is chosen as a prison site will receive a boost in employee spending. Mitchell Area Development Corporation CEO Mike Lauritsen told the council that a prison will bring an estimated 441 new jobs with an annual payroll of $36.7 million and an average wage between $25 and $30 an hour. The annual operating budget for the new prison is estimated at $55 million per year. Lauritsen said a prison taking three to four years to build allows time to plan ways to address the state's second lowest unemployment rate, but did not go into specifics. "We have an opportunity in front of us to grow this community, for our businesses, for our housing developments," Lauritsen said. No. 4: A third-party ranked Mitchell fourth out of six potential prison sites. A study from Arizona-based Arrington Watkins Architects put the existing Lincoln County site owned by the South Dakota Department of Corrections as the top option. According to a Mitchell Area Development Corporation state prison proposal, a $2.88 million 160 acre potential prison site is located near the Mitchell Regional Landfill, and is owned by James River Farms. The location is outside of Mitchell city limits in Davison County. No. 5: According to Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson, those inmates who are from Mitchell will be released to Mitchell. Hanson addressed concerns about released prison inmates ending up in Mitchell, but did not have any official documents from the state promising that other parolees would not be released in Mitchell. Rehabilitation, space and counseling is a big expense for the state with a new prison site, according to Hanson, who says that the present state prison is overcapacity "As far as releasing prisoners, they're going to get paroled back to where they either got arrested originally, where they were tried, or into the larger cities," Hanson said. No. 6: The potential Mitchell site makes for an escape-friendly location. Davison County resident and Mitchell business man Scott Studer reminded the council that the South Dakota Department of Corrections wants the prison site to be away from Interstate 90, a highway, and a waterway. "We just put it at the corner of Jim River, I-90 and Highway 37," he said. "So good luck trying to get them to go for that." No. 7: Davison County residents are concerned that property taxes may rise. Davison County resident Michelle Studer said she lives within 2 miles of the proposed Mitchell site. "You're taking 160 acres out of the tax rolls," Michelle Studer said, "because I'm assuming that the prison is tax exempt. Where's that money going to come from?" No. 8: Davison County residents are concerned that they don't have a say in denying or approving the potential prison site. Mitchell resident Dwight Stadler expressed many concerns, the theme of which is that the prison would increase property taxes in Davison County. "Davison County voters should have a say on a ballot," Stadler said. No. 9. The construction itself will cost almost $1 billion, according to Lauritsen. The $825 million prison built could be placed near another high-cost construction site in Davison County. To put this in perspective, the High Plains Processing soybean plant south of Mitchell, still under construction, is estimated to cost about $500 million. In comparison to the proposed 160-acre prison site, the soybean plant sits on 148 acres. 10. City leaders acknowledge the prison is a dividing topic. Hanson and Lauritsen urged residents to not get heated during the night's discussions. "If we're eliminated (from consideration), we fight (over) nothing. We divide this community for nothing," Lauritsen said. Lauritsen offered to field any questions and pass them on to the South Dakota Governor's Office.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Latest report shows housing, child care remain issues for Mitchell area economic health
May 13—MITCHELL — The latest Mitchell-area economic report is out, and its highlights reveal housing prices, child care and the rising cost of healthcare as issues to address for city development leaders and officials. The report, a joint effort between Dakota Wesleyan University, the Mitchell Area Development Corporation and the South Dakota Secretary of State's Office, was revealed to the public at a press conference Tuesday, May 13 on the DWU campus. Takeaways from the report, the data for which was gathered and parsed by 18 students in Tracy Dice's principles of macroeconomics class, include both positives and negatives on various factors that play into community economic health. Among those points singled out for attention at the Tuesday presentation was the ongoing need for housing in Mitchell. According to the report, housing prices have risen significantly, with the average home price reaching $431,000. Combined with stagnant local incomes and rising mortgage rates, affordability remains a key issue. Mike Lauritsen, CEO of the Mitchell Area Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce, said feedback confirms what the local leaders are already well aware of — to grow business, one needs to grow the workforce. That is done by making sure there is plenty of housing for those workers. "This is not unique to Mitchell. We know there is a housing shortage across South Dakota," Lauritsen said. "As we add supply, we hope that housing prices will go down. That's our goal." He noted homes are in the process of being erected or brought to housing developments in the community, and more are planned to help ease the housing crunch. The housing shortage is exacerbated by the fact that small businesses dominate the regional economy, but workforce shortages and lack of affordable childcare limit their growth. "One student looked into a report that listed all of the daycares in Mitchell and she split Mitchell up into four quadrants based on populations, and you can see at in-home daycares, 92% are in the north half of Mitchell. When you add (all daycares) together, they have a capacity of 576," Dice told the audience. "In a 20-mile radius of the Mitchell area, there are 3,026 kids who would be of daycare age, which greatly exceeds the 576. We can look at our population and see that we do not have enough daycares in our city to meet demand." Mitchell-area demographics were also highlighted during the presentation. Rising healthcare costs, a shortage of healthcare professionals and an aging population strain regional resources. Because of that, telehealth and mobile healthcare units have started to address rural access issues, but the state faces ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining healthcare workers. Gender wage gaps also persist in the healthcare field, with men earning an average of 15% more than women across Mitchell, Huron and Yankton, the data showed. In a surprise under the public transportation section of the report, Lauritsen said numbers appear to indicate that Mitchell provides more rides through public transport than its neighbor Huron, but does so at a lesser cost. Finding out exactly why that is could lead to answers for cost-saving measures in other sectors. "This is some of the information that comes out of this report where you say, 'Oh, this is interesting.' And then you start to dig in to figure out why. We don't know the answer to that, but this is something we thought was very interesting that the students found," Lauritsen said. Other highlights included a notation that 70% of Mitchell's city revenue comes from sales tax, with half of consumer spending driven by visitors outside the city. That data reveals Mitchell's role as a regional hub, but it also underscores the need to continuously invest in community amenities, housing, and economic diversification to remain competitive and sustain growth. The report also suggested that despite global economic challenges, including trade tensions and inflation, South Dakota continues to show resilience through strong agricultural output and favorable business environment. Lauritsen said the report is useful both for what it shows Mitchell doing well and what it shows Mitchell not doing well. The positive aspects of the report are encouraging, but it is difficult to correct problems when one doesn't know what those problems are. The report, broken down into easy-to-read graphs and charts, puts hard numbers into language understandable to the layman. He was grateful for the focus and expertise of both Dice and her students in bringing the report to life in a way that everyone can understand. Having assembled some of the economic reports in the mid-2010s himself, he is aware of how complex data interpretation can be. "I did the meat of the work on those early reports and they are rough, because I am no economist, and it's a lot of data to go through," Lauritsen said. "But we knew what we wanted to see in the future, and as you look at the reports produced, you can see the progress through the years. They get better, and better and better." Barrett Nielsen, a DWU senior who graduated Sunday, was one of the students who broke down data that was used in the report. The math major is looking to land his first job out of college, hopefully at a local financial institution, but for a portion of his senior year he was poring over numbers for the economic report. It's a lot of work, and categorizing the data and interpreting it requires focus, Nielsen said. There is little indication where the data will lead, and sometimes it reflects positive development while other times it reflects the negative. Other times, the data doesn't seem to say anything at all. That's all part of interpreting the data, he said. "The biggest thing that I learned as a math major is that data is very, very messy. Sometimes we don't even get results in general, and sometimes it's not the results we want," Nielsen said. "So it's just taking what we have and what we get and then making sure that we come to a reasonable outcome from that sort of processing." The report utilizes business data on file with the state Secretary of State office and other public sources and translates hard numbers into easy-to-understand graphics and tables. Formerly produced through Northern State University, the report later became an ongoing quarterly project spearheaded by students at Dakota Wesleyan and Dice, associate professor of business and economics at the school. The report is intended to help economic development and community leaders across the state interpret the data into useful information that they can apply to help boost both their local and statewide economy. Johnson said South Dakota and the country itself are facing uncertain times. From farm families to small businesses owners, concerns about tariffs and trade gaps abound, but so does hope. That optimism has fueled generations of South Dakotans in the past, but fair trade deals and fruitful negotiations factor heavily into that, so many of those families and owners are taking a wait-and-see approach. But Johnson said the data put together by the Dakota Wesleyan students will be a benefit for economic development leaders around the state. With solid data in hand, state leaders have a fighting chance to find a way to maximize growth and development. "This economic report, produced through a unique partnership between the South Dakota Secretary of State's Office, Dakota Wesleyan University and the Mitchell Area Development Corporation, offers valuable insights into the trends shaping our state's economy," Johnson said. "I commend the students, educators and community leaders who have contributed to this effort. Your work provides a vital lens through which we can better understand and support South Dakota's economic health and prosperity." The latest economic report assembled by Dakota Wesleyan is expected to be on the South Dakota Secretary of State's website in the near future. That page, where past economic reports can also be found, is located at
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mitchell marks progress on housing with delivery of first new home at Ridgeview on Foster
May 8—MITCHELL — Four local organizations gathered Thursday morning to celebrate the successful placement of the first new home at the Ridgeview on Foster housing development, a project that demonstrates the power of partnerships in solving Mitchell's workforce housing shortage. The home, constructed by students from Mitchell Technical College, is now placed on land donated by Avera Queen of Peace Hospital to the Mitchell Area Development Corporation. The development is being led by Mitchell Area Housing Inc., with plans to eventually have 60 new homes on the site. This initiative is part of a broader effort to grow the Mitchell community through increased owner-occupied housing options. It is one of three new homes being placed at burgeoning Mitchell developments with one at Ridgeview on Foster and two at South Lake Estates. "This is a perfect example of what can happen when local organizations come together to solve a problem," Mike Lauritsen, CEO of the Mitchell Area Development Corporation and Mitchell Chamber of Commerce, said in a press release. "We know housing is one of the biggest challenges facing our community. Thanks to Avera's land donation, Mitchell Tech's hands-on workforce training, and Mitchell Area Housing's development leadership, we're seeing real, tangible progress." The land for the Ridgeview on Foster development was donated by Avera Queen of Peace Hospital, recognizing the community's critical need for more housing to support workforce growth. "We understood that to grow our healthcare workforce, especially with the shortage of nurses, we needed to step up. Donating this land was a way for us to support the long-term health and growth of Mitchell directly. We have the second-lowest unemployment rate in the state, which means we have jobs but not enough people to fill them, said Dr. Hilary Rockwell, regional president and CEO of Avera Queen of Peace Hospital. "Providing more quality, affordable housing is part of the solution. We're proud to contribute to a project that will help our community thrive." Mitchell Area Housing Inc., the developer of the project, has committed to placing 60 homes in the Ridgeview on Foster development. "After working at Muth Electric for 40 years, I knew firsthand how much Mitchell was growing and how badly we needed more workforce housing. When I retired, I made it my mission to help solve that problem," said Terry Sabers, president of Mitchell Area Housing. "This development is the result of that effort, and it's incredibly rewarding to see it taking shape." The land is currently owned by the Mitchell Area Development Corporation, which continues to spearhead strategic projects to support Mitchell's growth. Ken Schlimgen, President of the Mitchell Area Development Corporation, said the process of addressing housing needs in Mitchell is moving in the right direction. "We have so much momentum right now in Mitchell. Receiving the Community of the Year award from Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden is a testament to the great things happening here, and housing is part of that. This partnership is a model for how to get things done," Schlimgen said. Mitchell Tech plays a key role in this partnership by giving students real-world experience in building energy-efficient homes. The Architectural Design and Building Construction program has provided the workforce and expertise to make these homes a reality. "This project aligns perfectly with our mission to prepare students for successful careers. It gives them the opportunity to build real homes using the latest energy-efficient technologies, while contributing to a meaningful solution for the community," said Theresa Kriese, president of Mitchell Technical College. The project is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Mitchell is currently undergoing a surge in development, having seen building permit values jump from an average of approximately $20 million to $114 million two years ago and $50 million last year. The community is also home to High Plains Processing, the largest value-added agriculture economic development project in South Dakota history. The $500 million soybean processing facility is expected to generate significant long-term economic benefits for the region. The partnership between the four organizations has Mitchell ahead of the game when it comes to providing housing for a needed workforce, Lauritsen said. "While many communities are just beginning to address housing shortages, Mitchell is taking action now," Lauritsen said. "Thanks to this partnership, we're seeing solutions become reality, with three new homes already placed on our two housing developments and many more on the way. This is what progress looks like."
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Project Prison Reset Task Force hears about Mitchell as potential prison site
Apr. 29—SPRINGFIELD, S.D. — South Dakota is considering building a new prison. One question is where to put it. Could Mitchell be the answer to that question? That was the topic Tuesday afternoon in Springfield, where the Project Prison Reset Task Force met to discuss a number of potential candidate sites, including Mitchell, for a prison that was at one time set to be constructed in Lincoln County before public pushback and legislative funding issues derailed the project. A recent proposal to build a new state prison in Lincoln County faced significant setbacks and was ultimately put on hold, with the state moving on to exploring alternative sites. Funding for the project was rejected by the South Dakota House of Representatives in February 2025. Despite spending or obligating nearly $51 million on the Lincoln County site, the state is now re-evaluating potential locations. A working group, known as Project Prison Reset, was formed by Rhoden to determine the best path forward for a new prison. "We've received the message that the current prison plan does not have buy-in this legislative session. We've also heard agreement from pretty much everyone that we need a new prison," Rhoden said in a statement in February. "This working group is our 'reset' button. Everything that came before is in the rearview mirror. From now on, we're looking forward." The task force has been meeting every four weeks since April with the design of answering three main questions: whether the state needs a new prison, how big it should be and where it should go. Mike Lauritsen, CEO of the Mitchell Area Development Corporation, wrote in his cover letter for the site information request that Mitchell is ideally located to provide high accessibility for a facility such as a prison. "Located at the intersection of Interstate 90 and State Highway 37, Mitchell is within 35 miles of U.S. Highway 81 and 22 miles to Highway 281 and 70 miles from Interstate 29," Lauritsen wrote in his cover letter for the information request. "Market access is further extended by access to two rail lines and Mitchell's world-class communications technology, including fiber-to-the-premises broadband and gigabit speeds." Information provided on the potential Mitchell location indicates the James River Farms property as a candidate site. The property, which is located in southeast Mitchell, has approximately 160 acres available for development with additional property adjacent for future development. The property is specifically located east of Highway 37, south of Spruce Street. This would place the property directly west of the city treatment plants and sewer lagoons. The property is a mile from State Highway 37, a main two-lane highway, and is less than three miles from Interstate 90 exit 332. The land is currently zoned as agriculture and would need a conditional use permit from the county until rezoned. The property would be served by city of Mitchell water and sewer, but extension of the city services would be required for the development in some areas. The estimated cost of the land comes in at $18,000 per acre, or about $2.8 million. Earlier this month, the Mitchell City Council approved a purchase agreement for the property to purchase the 160-acre parcel of land west of the Mitchell Regional Landfill for $3.48 million. The intention of the purchase was for the city to be able to eventually expand the nearby Mitchell Regional Landfill. Ryan Brunner, senior policy advisor and director of legislative relations for Rhoden's office, who gave a rundown of the potential sites submitted to the task force, said the Mitchell site had some positive aspects, including a clear price listed. "Mitchell has a site. They have a price. Some of these sites do not have a price on them. They have a listing of all of the utilities and some of that information," Brunner told the task force. "Some sites like Mitchell already have a price out there, (in this case) $18,000 per acre." Rep. Jack Kolbeck, a member of the task force, said he would like to hear more about what locals at the candidate sites think of the proposed facility. He noted that he had received multiple calls from members of the public and the feedback he had gotten about the proposed Mitchell site was generally negative. That feedback should be taken into consideration, he said. "I think I'll go back to one of the original comments made about the development areas around where they have proposed a site, and I'll just use Mitchell and Grant (County) as two of them that I have received phone calls and emails on from people that live around those areas. Some are positive," Kolbeck said. "Most around the Mitchell area are not. I'm just saying that I think that that should be directed back to those people." The Mitchell site has sewer, electricity, water, natural gas and fiber optic internet and an estimated cost lower than some other candidate sites. Comparatively, the former CitiBank site in Sioux Falls has similar amenities but a cost that comes in at around $33.8 million. The Worthing site also has similar amenities but comes in at an estimated cost of $14.3 million. Those sites come in at around 69 acres and 110 developable acres, respectively, though the CitiBank site sports 300,000 square feet of existing building space whereas the Mitchell and Worthing sites have none. Property in Huron, listed at 127 acres, also has comparable resources but a price that's listed as negotiable. Kolbeck also said it wasn't clear to him if it was or was not a good idea to build a prison next to an interstate. He asked if that were the case, should the task force remove any candidate sites based on that type of concern? Rep. Greg Jamison also asked if it was appropriate to be discussing potential site locations when three major questions the group was tasked with answering — if a new prison is needed, how big should it be and finally, where should it go? Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, who is the chair of the task force, said in-depth discussion on those factors would be more appropriate for the next meeting of the task force, which would be held after a consultant report addressing those questions is released to task force members. That should give them more information to go on, he said. "We are not making a decision at this point. We're just asking questions to make sure we understand," Venhuizen said. "But the consultant report, which addresses the first two questions that you've mentioned, will be available prior to our next meeting, which is June 3, and I agree with you that we need to talk about those first two questions and then return to these locations and see where that fits into these sites. So I do think you have the sequence correct. So this is by no means the last time we'll be talking about these." The task force later ended up unanimously approving a motion made by Marty Jackley, attorney general for South Dakota and a member of the task force, that stated that the task force believed that the state penitentiary needs to be replaced without giving any specifics to the needed size or location of any replacement facility. Sites being explored along with Mitchell, Huron, CitiBank and Worthing include Aberdeen, Grant Count and six other Sioux Falls area locations, as well as the previously considered site in Lincoln County. The task force did not select a site or finalist locations, though they expect that may occur at their next meeting. Other input heard by the task force Tuesday included presentations on the behavioral health and Life Mentoring programs at Mike Durfee State Prison, which is located in Springfield, along with a presentation on the Governor's House program, the product of which is built at the prison. Final recommendations made by the working group will be presented at a special legislative session on July 22. The next scheduled meetings for the task force include June 3 in Pierre and July 8 in Sioux Falls.
