Notes from Commissioner Robert Heidgerken

The Meade County Commission met February 8, 2017 and the highway department dominated the discussion.  At a special meeting on January 30, we voted to buy a snowblower to mount on one of our loaders.  The snowblower was delivered and should be in service by the end of the week.  This will be used to blow back many of the huge piles of snow along many of our northern and eastern county roads.  Lincoln Shuck, our highway superintendent, borrowed a city type snowblower from Sturgis.  This blower only blows windowed snow, so a blade is used to pull snow back onto the road and then blown away.  Between the two blowers and the help of Mother Nature, maybe we can be ready for the next round of snow.  We are only one week past halfway through winter.

We are still discussing the scope of the Elk Vale / Elk Creek project.  Funding is always a concern.   

Crews will be working on tree removal from right-of-ways in the parts of the county not covered in snow.  If adjoining land owners need some wood chips for bedding ask the tree crew when they are on-site. 

The Commission voted to send a letter of opposition to HB 1163.  This bill is An Act to revise certain provisions regarding the board of county commissioners.  The bill states “If any commissioner is physically absent more than two meetings per calendar year without permission of the majority of the members of the board of county commissioners, exclusive of the commissioner in violation of this section, the office shall be declared vacant and such a vacancy shall be filled pursuant to chapter 3-4.”  There are many questions we have as to how this would work.

The Commission motioned to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between Summerset and Meade County for on-site wastewater inspections. We authorized the Chairman to sign the same with the amendment to the second paragraph to include the re-inspection per Meade County Ordinance #33.   Summerset does not have anyone certified to do these inspections.

We also made a motion to accept the professional appraisal and set the hearing for sealed bids for April 12th at 1:00 p.m. for a permeant Cell Tower Easement at the northeast corner of the county shop lot.      

Interest in the 4H shooting sports and other programs has convinced the Meade County Fair Board to vote to build a new building at the High School location.  The Fair Board does not yet have a non-profit corporation status.  We suggested to Jenny Voigt, the SDSU 4H advisor, that she contact Black Hills Resource Conservation & Development (BHRC&D) to see if they could use their non-profit status to pass-through funds for this worthwhile project. 

JAN 2017 Veteran of the Month: Mr. George W. Blair

Meade County Veteran of the Month - JAN 2017

Mr. George W. Blair from Pleasant Valley
U.S. Army: Service years / 1943-1945

Mr. Blair heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while he was at the Tilford ice skating rink. Like a legion of other patriotic Americans, this attack called him to action and he became a pilot. To be a pilot required a two year college degree - but his advisor told him to ignore it and enroll in classes because soon enough - America might lower that standard. Mr. Blair did just that and enrolled in classes and flight lessons. He was eventually sent to Randolph Field, TX for flight training. Mr. Blair said that he went to his uncle (who had also been in the military) for advice before he left. His uncle told him, “stand in the back row, keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut.”

He was transferred to South Carolina for 6 months training on a bomber unit. He was one of the units that was able to fly the new shiny B25. He earned his flight wings in August 1943; sixteen months after joining the military - he was sent to join the fight. 

His first combat missions were against a Japanese airfield. He can recall seeing black spots in his vision; seconds later realizing he was being shot at. For close to a year, he flew 46 more combat missions. 

March 28, 1945 found him on an immense mission. During that mission, his fleet was dropping 27 bombs at max speed from low altitudes and using their .50 cal machine guns. The return fire created an oil leak in the starboard engine. Mr. Blair decided to shut down the engine and try to continue on a single engine, 15 miles back to mainland. It was no longer a good idea; if they had landed, they would become Prisoners of War. In a last second decision, they decided to take to the water in hopes of a US rescue. Another flight had radioed in for them and dispatched a US submarine that was patrolling around. As the bomber was skimming across the water, he hit his head on the gunsights and lost consciousness. Soon after, Mr. Blair woke up and the other crew members were already in the water. He had to inflate each side of his vest while fighting the 10 foot swells. Wave after wave would hit him making it difficult to breath. Just when he thought he was going to give up; he looks up to see Viola (sweetheart) in color with the sky in the background. He told himself that if he wanted to get home to see her, he better start fighting for his life. Soon thereafter, the US submarine showed up and pulled him to safety. That was Mr. Blairs last combat mission. 

After healing from many stitches in his head and other responsibilities, he was able to come back to SD. He and Viola were married, but only after the war was over in November of 1945. He sent a telegram home to his parents requesting they send him his best suit. He only bought her a wedding ring - due to how expensive the engagement rings were. Fast forward 20 years later, Mr. Blair asked her what she wanted for an anniversary gift? She replied an engagement ring, which she got that year. Not long after, they bought their first ranch and would fully retire in 1995 on their Pleasant Valley place. 

They have 9 children, 25 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. 

Mr. Blair served in the SD legislature from 1978-1986. Mr. Blair’s hobbies include: baseball, crosswords, playing scrabble, and ultimately spending time with family. 

Mr. Blair has been awarded the Purple heart, Asiatic-pacific theatre medal , Air medal, American campaign medal, WWII victory medal, Philippine liberation medal and Bronze star.

Notes from Commissioner Linda Rausch

News from the Meade County Commission Meeting held January 25, 2017

Winter is half over and I think we are all hoping for spring with lots of rain instead of snow.

The Meade County Commission held their second meeting of January on the 25th.  The State’s Attorney attended to discuss the impact of the new Victim’s Rights Bill called Marsy’s Law that was passed in the last general election.  Basically, all victims and victims’ relatives and friends must be kept informed throughout all phases of charging, the trial and the incarceration and release.  Additional staff will be required to accomplish this in Meade County.  The State’s Attorney’s office has been tracking since the law passed and they began following the new law.  The data suggests about 30 hours per week, but the State’s Attorney requested a 20 hour per week part-time staff.  He said they would try to absorb the rest of the time.  This additional staffing, which was not in the budget, was approved unanimously.  It will require a budget supplement later in the year.

A lengthy discussion was held on the staffing of the SD Community Health Program.  Currently, there is a part-time nurse on staff and a part-time assistant.  The request was for additional, non-budgeted, money to allow staffing a full-time nurse and secretary.  Representatives from the Meade Schools, the SD State Department of Health and the general public spoke in support.  The initial proposal was not approved, but a counter offer was made to the State Department of Health.  This will be presented to them for approval.  It will be back on the agenda in February or March.

Mr. George Blair was recognized as the Meade County Veteran of the month.

Mr. Ken Lee was reappointed to a three year term on the Weed and Pest Board.  He has also agreed to serve as chair of this board.

We approved two engineering contracts for summer road maintenance and agreed to call for bids for the Elm Springs road improvements.  We want to be ready when spring arrives.

The commission policy on the content of notes was discussed.  No changes were made.  We also discussed the County overtime policy on holidays.  No changes were made.

It’s been a tough winter and lots of mailboxes have been damaged while removing snow.  We approved a policy for mailbox replacement.

The burn ban was causing confusion, so we rescinded it.  The ban allowed burning when fire conditions were low, but the fact that we had a ban confused people.  So, we rescinded and will pass a new ban when dry conditions return next summer.

We directed the State’s Attorney to present one Nuisance Ordinance to Magistrate Court for failure to correct the nuisance.  If successful, the County will correct the nuisance and put a lien on the property to cover the expense.

Employment Opportunity

Employment Opportunity:    Job # 17-01Legal Secretary/ Part-time 

Posting Type:    Open Announcement    

Closing Date:    February 17, 2017

Starting Wage:    $15.23 per hour

Application Procedures:    Please submit a Meade County application to:                                                                  

• Human Resources/ 1300 Sherman Street Suite ▫ 212 ▫ Sturgis, SD 57785

Legal Secretary / Part-Time

General Statement of Duties

Under the direct supervision of the State’s Attorney, is responsible for performing complex secretarial and office administrative duties of a legal nature.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated history of success in a high-pressure, fast-paced legal environment, along with a working knowledge of criminal, juvenile, and civil procedure.  Extensive knowledge of modern office practices and procedures, and attention to detail is essential.  Minimum requirements include a high school diploma or GED and at least two (2) years experience in a legal setting.  Post-secondary education is preferred, but not required.  

Elected Officials Take Oath of Office

Four Meade County officials took oaths of office on Tuesday, January 3rd. They were sworn in by 4th Judicial Circuit Judge Jerome A. Eckrich.  

• State’s Attorney Kevin Krull
• Treasurer Susan Boadwine
• Commissioner Doreen Creed
• Commissioner Ted Seaman

State's Attorney Kevin Krull 

Treasurer Susan Boadwine

Commissioner Ted Seaman and Commissioner Doreen Creed 

Notes from Commissioner Doreen Creed

New Meade commissioners take office; board addresses statutory duties, appointments

(Note: Residents can expect a short synopsis of the Meade County Commissioners’ twice monthly meetings. Authorship of the articles will be on a rotation basis between members. District 2 Commissioner Doreen Creed was directed to write the first one for 2017. This meeting was abnormally short and limited in scope.)

Tuesday marked a significant change on the Meade County Commission. Joining the five-member board were two new members: Ted Seaman of Piedmont; and Doreen Allison Creed of Sturgis. The pair defeated incumbents Alan Aker and Bob Bertolotto in the June primary election.

The morning also marked incumbents, State’s Attorney Kevin Krull, and Treasurer Susan Boadwine being administered the oath of office by Fourth Circuit Judge Jerome Eckrich. The terms for all four positions is four years.

Galen Niederwerder and Linda Rausch were the lone candidates for the chairman and vice-chairman positions.

The bulk of the commissioners’ annual meeting centered on county management statutory requirements concerning bank depositories, publication of notices, approval of salaries adopted during the budget process last September, setting meeting dates for the year, and dozens of appointments.

The board interviewed three of the five individuals, who applied for two positions on the Meade County Planning Commission. The two residents selected for the four-year terms were: Frank Watson and Richard Liggett. 

Liggett was a member of the City of Summerset Commission for three years. He also served on Summerset’s Planning and Zoning Board. He has since moved outside the city limits. The engineer has 16-years experience in the profession working for Wyoming and South Dakota municipalities.

Watson, a two-year board incumbent, has 40 years-experience in the construction business. He is also a board member of the Blucksberg Road District.

This seven-member planning board, which includes one commissioner, meets the second Monday of each month. It serves in an advisory capacity to the commissioners on sub-division plats, variance requests and development as outlined in Ordinance 20. The county has no zoning.

Commission chair Niederwerder deferred two agenda topics to the board’s Wednesday, Jan. 25 agenda. Creed had placed both items on the board’s schedule: The rate of pay for county employees working holidays; and county’s contract with the S.D. Department of Health for a county nurse position. 

The commissioners’ regular meetings are the second and fourth Wednesdays each month starting at 8:30 a.m. in the Erskine Building. Because the board met Jan. 3 as required by state statute, it will not meet Jan. 11.