South Dakota
Lennox City Council reviews projected windfall from possible state prison sewer deal • South Dakota Searchlight
LENNOX – The Lennox City Council could pay off three infrastructure projects and eliminate a monthly sewer surcharge for its residents if it agrees to accept wastewater from a men’s prison proposed by the state Department of Corrections, according to a city official.
That’s if the state agrees to a deal similar to one rejected by Harrisburg earlier this year.
The Lennox City Council did not vote to accept an agreement during Monday’s night’s council meeting, as there’s currently no proposal on the table.
Instead, the council reviewed the financial windfall a deal to service inmate sewage could bring to the town of 2,400 if the city were offered a deal like Harrisburg’s.
Council members gave City Administrator Nathan Vander Plaats their blessing to work with the DOC to prepare an agreement.
If a deal comes together, the council could vote on the matter on Nov. 12.
“I think we need to see a deal before we make any decisions,” Council Member Chad Swier said. “We’re just theorizing numbers here.”
Harrisburg says NOPE to state prison wastewater deal
The city of Harrisburg, about six miles from the prison’s proposed location in rural Lincoln County, rejected a state proposal for sewer services after pushback from rural residents with property near the site. That deal would have dropped a $7.1 million one-time payment into city coffers, in addition to annual payments.
The prison proposal would replace the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. The building was erected in 1881, and Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko has argued that the facility is too antiquated to operate safely. Lawmakers have committed $569 million to the project, but there is no guaranteed price yet.
The project has drawn intense criticism from the proposed site’s rural neighbors. Some of those neighbors filed a lawsuit that sought to force the state to adhere to Lincoln County’s zoning ordinances. A circuit court judge dismissed that case last week.
Lennox is about 15 miles from the prison site, across Interstate 29 to the west. Vander Plaats said the city approached the state after Harrisburg’s vote against a sewage deal.
Vander Plaats presented a fiscal analysis of what a deal with Lennox might mean, based on the Harrisburg proposal. It suggests the deal could come in the form of a $10.5 million one-time payment.
That’s enough money for the city to retire its debt on a wastewater treatment facility and two clean water basins. Clearing that debt from the city ledger and adding the state’s payments would boost the city’s bottom line by $350,000 annually, according to an analysis prepared by Vander Plaats. He said the city wouldn’t see the money until 2028 at the earliest.
But that figure drops by $150,000 annually when factoring in around $4.5 million in necessary upgrades to the city’s facilities. The city would take on 200,000 more gallons of sewage each day, the analysis says.
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South Dakota
The Salvation Army of Aberdeen, South Dakota, starts Red Bucket campaign in mid-November
The Salvation Army’s relationship to Christmastime goes back more than a century. This holiday season, the charitable organization will be out in Hub City beginning on Nov. 14, where residents can see the familiar red kettle street campaign around the area.
Last year, the Salvation Army of Aberdeen raised nearly $129,000 during several hundred hours of volunteer work. Captain Joseph Hixenbaugh says the group has new goals for 2025 and is aiming to raise more than $121,000 and hopes for about 1,400 cumulative hours of volunteering.
These funds help the Salvation Army continue to provide essential services to families and individuals in need across the local community during the season of giving, as well as beyond.
Some of the important items the Salvation Army provides with the money received include food boxes, backpacks, lodging, prescriptions, transportation, rent and utility assistance. This year, its leadership told the Aberdeen News the local Salvation Army seeks “food and volunteers to fill the many hours of time this Christmas.”
Hixenbaugh and his wife, Kendra, are new administrators for the Salvation Army of Aberdeen. They began here this autumn after previously working in Indiana.
Hixenbaugh says it is simple to become a volunteer. Interested parties can go to registertoring.com and type in the zip code 57401.
As a whole, the Salvation Army plans to bring hope and joy to those who may be struggling during the upcoming holiday season. The bell ringing around Hub City concludes on Christmas Eve.
What are SNAP benefits and what happens during a shutdown?
SNAP helps 41.7M Americans afford food, but a shutdown could halt benefits starting November 1.
With the status of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in flux, food banks in the Sioux Falls area are gearing up for the possibility that they may be more crucial than ever.
On the afternoon of Oct. 31, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to continue providing the benefits using contingency funds and asked them to report on Nov. 3 about the progress made toward distribution.
Here’s a look at some local options for hunger relief.
Feeding South Dakota
The statewide nonprofit allows you to enter your location and find hunger relief, ranging from mobile food distribution or programs aimed specifically at children or seniors. The organization is also urgently seeking donations as the effects of the government shutdown continue. Call 605-335-0364 for assistance or email info@feedingsouthdakota.org.
Helpline Center
The organization maintains “food calendars” that list where food giveaways can be found.
The Salvation Army
The organization’s emergency food pantry is open on weekdays 9-11:30 a.m. and 1-3:30 p.m.
Faith Temple Food Giveaway
The organization gives away food on most Fridays between 4-6 p.m. at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds.
Food to You
Charis Ministry Partners distributes food on Thursdays at a rotating list of locations. Doors open at 5 p.m. and food is distributed 6-7 p.m.
- First Thursday: East Side Lutheran Church, 1300 E. 10th St.
- Second Thursday: Messiah New Hope Church, 5001 E. Madison St.
- Third Thursday: Augustana Lutheran Church, 235 North Prairie Avenue
- Fourth Thursday: St. John Lutheran Church, 1912 W. 13th St.
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