Options for Old Middle School explored during past two years
In 1936, fire destroyed Sisseton’s brick school building which stood on the same location where the “old” Middle School building still stands. A grant from the Federal Public Works Administration (PWA) rebuilt the school following the fire with the new building opening in January 1938 with all grades, K-12, meeting in the same building. The two-story brick building had two major additions added years later. The first addition was made in 1942, and the second addition in 1951. The building covered 66,823 square feet following the second addition.
With an increasing student population, Westside Elementary School was built on the west side of the city, and classes for students in Kindergarten through Sixth Grade began in January 1968 in the new structure. Later that year, groundbreaking was held for a new high school building, also located on the west side of the city. The new high school facility was completed in 1970. Middle School students continued to attend class in the 1938 structure until May of 2007. A consultant, hired by the Sisseton School District in 2001, evaluated the structure and said it no longer provided an adequate learning environment for students. Plans were developed to build a new Middle School facility at the same site as the High School, and classes began in the new structure in the fall of 2007. With students no longer walking the halls of the former school building, school officials sought other options and ideas for utilizing the 70-year-old building. Since 2007, school and city officials have sought ways to save the historic structure, but have not been able to find any viable options.
Private Developers
In looking at successful building renovation projects in the region, school and city officials learned of a renovated high school/middle school building in Brookings, SD. The project had been overseen by John Mills, head of Mills Construction Inc., also of Brookings. Since the project seemed similar to Sisseton’s situation, the Sisseton Economic Development Corp. invited Mills to Sisseton on July 2, 2008. Mills and his son met with city and school officials, and a representative of the First District Association of Local Governments in Watertown. In a meeting at City Hall, Mills explained how the $2.5 million Brookings project came about, what funding sources were used, what private development was involved, and how “the right people and opportunities came together at the right time” to make the project work. The building is owned by a private developer (Mills and his partners) and the county rents space for two or three offices there. Mills also owns his own property management company that oversees and maintains apartment units in several communities, including this project. Following the meeting at City Hall, the group toured the old Sisseton Middle School building. Mills was able to see the entire building as a possible redevelopment project. Although given an opportunity, Mills showed no further interest in pursuing a project in Sisseton. When questioned if any grant opportunities would be available to redevelop the school building, the First District representative said he could not think of any that would apply to this type of project, but offered to research potential grants and loans.
Preliminary Plans for Redevelopment
Although Mills did not express interest in the project, school and city officials continued to look at potential uses for the vacant building. One option considered was to remodel part of the former school to accommodate new offices for Sisseton’s City Hall and Police Department. Sisseton’s current City Hall building (built in 1942) is not handicapped accessible and must become ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant for the city to continue to receive federal grants and loans. Local officials contacted Dean Marske from HKG Architects in Aberdeen. Marske had been a member of the Design SD team which had been in Sisseton earlier in 2008 to evaluate physical structures in the community and make recommendations for future development. He offered to draw a preliminary plan to renovate the old Middle School into apartments on the east side and city offices on the west side. His plan included 18 apartments (five one-bedroom apartments; 12 two-bedroom apartments; and one handicapped-accessible apartment). Six of those apartments were located on the first floor and 12 of them located on the second floor. The area designated for City Hall included four offices, a meeting room and a community room. The Police Department was located in the “basement gym” area. Marske estimated the cost of renovating the old Middle School building for apartments, city offices and the police department at a total project cost of approximately $1.8 million. While initially it looked like a good use of space, those that would be using the facility examined it closely and had many concerns. Office space allowed for city offices was not adequate for their needs. Storage space was limited, and privacy and security was an issue. “If we are looking at developing a facility for City Hall use in the future, the design would not have met the needs now, or in the years ahead,” said Mayor Frank Karst. The gym space was proposed as a “community hall” area which could be rented for private receptions and similar events. A limited kitchen area was proposed in the area under the seats on the east side of the gym. However, access to this kitchen from the outside was a concern. The kitchen would have been on a second level from the “alley” area on the south side of the gym, which would mean caterers would have to carry food and serving equipment up and down a flight of stairs for access. Or, they would have to bring everything in through the same front doors that guests would be entering and leaving from. With the Police Department on the lower level, communication between their offices and city offices would not have been convenient. With a goal of having a facility that would meet the city’s needs for the next 50 years, it did not seem adequate. In looking at the possibility of utilizing apartments in the east side of the building, city and school officials consulted with Lori Moen, Director at the Northeast South Dakota Community Action Program, who works with developing multi-unit housing projects. In evaluating the proposed plan, she expressed a concern with the size of the apartments. (The one-bedroom apartments were approximately 540 sq. ft. in size, and the two-bedroom apartments were approximately 700 sq. ft. in size.) Discussion was held on various size apartments and amenities. If the proposed project of apartment use was pursued, city officials realized they would need an entity to manage the facility. Dr. Stephen Schulte, Mayor Frank Karst and Lori Moen met with the Sisseton Housing & Redevel-opment Commission (SHRC) in November 2008 to show them the proposed plan and determine their interest in the project. Estimated costs of the project, as well as costs for heating, cooling, and low-interest loans that might be available, were entered into a formula sheet for determining the cost of rent that would need to be charged per unit to allow repayment of the loan and building maintenance. It was determined that a minimum cost of rent would be almost double the “Fair Market Rents” for this area. (According to 2008 HUD statistics, the “Fair Market Rent” value in Roberts County for HUD purposes is $403 for one-bedroom units, and $529 for two-bedroom units.) When presented with the proposal, the consensus of the Sisseton Housing & Redevelopment Commission was not to participate in the project.
Looking for Additional Input
Whatever project was explored, the questions of “Who will maintain it?” and “Who will pay the costs of maintenance?” lingered in the minds of school and city officials. During the 2006-2007 school year (the last year the Middle School building was used for daily classes) the annual cost to provide electricity to the building was over $17,000. The annual cost for heating fuel for the same year was $43,620 (21,200 gallons used). In the January 13, 2009 issue of The Sisseton Courier, a photo of the old Middle School was printed and information from the Dec. 8, 2008 school board meeting was mentioned. The last line of the cutline said, “The board decided that, since it has now exhausted its efforts to find an alternative use for the building, it may proceed with demolition unless a proposal for a viable, self-sustaining, community-enhancing project is presented.” In the six months since that information was printed, Superintendent Schulte said no one has yet come forward with a “viable, self-sustaining, community-enhancing project.” Heat was reduced to a minimal level last year, and the vacant building has begun to attract vandalism. The Sisseton School Board reached the conclusion that its only alternative would be demolition.
Grant Funds Researched
This spring, city and school officials applied for a Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) Grant that was available through the South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) to assist with demolition of the old Middle School and construction of a new City Hall and Police Department facility at the same location. Recently they were notified that NSP grant funds could not be used for construction of a new government office facility, but funds for demolition may still be considered. A final decision on the grant application has not yet been made by SDHDA. On March 19, 2009, city and school officials met at City Hall with representatives of the First District Association of Governments in Watertown and the USDA Rural Development Office in Aberdeen to discuss the possibility of various funding sources available through recent Stimulus Package opportunities. It was determined that a project of this type would require deep subsidies and funding for such projects were limited, and very restrictive if available at all. After two years of researching many different options, the Sisseton School Board sees demolition as the only remaining, viable alternative before deterioration of the facility becomes a concern of the city and the community. Dr. Schulte said, “By the school and the city continuing to work together, we hope to reach a conclusion that will best serve this community for many years in the future.”
TLC hosts annual Charity Golf Classic
More than 90 golfers and volunteers gathered for the Tekakwitha Living Center (TLC) Charity Golf Classic on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at the Valley View Country Club. The tournament in its 12th year, has raised funds for TLC to provide improvements and upgrades throughout the facility. This year's proceeds have been earmarked for the "Protecting Our Invest-ment" campaign to replace the roof. TLC Board member June Helgeson donated a quilt to be raffled off as and an additional fundraiser for the facility. The winning ticket drawn during the annual golf tournament belonged to Scott Jensen.
1st Place ~ Cahill Funeral Chapel Dennis Hutchins, Jamie Dahl, Richard Huff and Jace Hansen
2nd Place ~ Tri-State Water/Sather Farms Bob Spotts, Kenny Seurer, Randy Peterson and Kevin Laub
3rd Place ~ Roberts County National Bank/Courier Dougie Flannery, Brent Archer, Kraig Archer and Mark Nelson
Peever All-School Reunion to be held July 4
Peever Alumni Committee is hosting an All-School Reunion on Saturday, July 4, 2009. All are encouraged to stop by and sign the register with the dates you attended grade school in Peever prior to the closing of the school. Classes to be honored this year are 1958 and 1959. If you have any questions, call Paul Karst at 605-932-3837. Music begins at 9:00 p.m. and will be provided by Terry Nelson and Borderline. There is no cover charge. A free will offering will be taken. Come and dance a little, meet old friends and you may win a door prize! Sunday morning, July 5, 2009 breakfast will begin at 9:00 a.m. Sausage, eggs, pancakes and coffee will be served for a free will offering.
