june 2014

Sturgis Addressing Housing Shortage & Future Land Use

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Via the City of Sturgis: In January of 2014, the City and Sturgis Economic Develop‐ment Corp (SEDC) hired a team of planners, architects and engineers from KLJ, an engineering company located in Rapid City, to provide a comprehensive Land Use Plan for several areas of undevel‐oped city owned parcels, as well as, an area of land sur‐rounding the Sturgis Brown High School. With limited space available for development and growth, the City has set a goal of de‐veloping several of these proper es in the coming years. In accordance with guidelines set forth in the City's Comprehensive Plan,

several needs had already been iden ‐fied. The need for sin‐gle and mul ‐ple family housing, the need for rec‐rea onal are‐as with ade‐quate park‐ing, the need

for a mul ‐use facility and more space for commercial expansion were all iden fied. By iden fying the highest and best use for each property, a Comprehensive Land Use Plan will assist the City with planning for these needs and will provide an orderly and effec ve road map for future development. Initial Findings JD Nash, a land planner with KLJ Engineering was assigned to the project in February, 2014. His first step was to gather data on each proper‐ty; this included iden fying areas effected by the flood‐plain, areas where historic items and/or ar facts may be present, connec vity via

roadways and trails, current u lity infrastructure, soils and drainage pa erns. In addi on, Mr. Nash met with City staff, Council mem‐bers and various commi ee groups to discuss specific needs of the community such as recrea on areas, afforda‐ble workforce housing to meet the demand of new and exis ng businesses and areas suitable for future commer‐cial development. Within the past year, more than 100 new jobs were cre‐ated in Sturgis and employ‐ees report not being able to find adequate housing to fit their needs. A re‐cent Housing Study found that Sturgis has less than .7% vacancy rate for rental units. A healthy vacancy rate is 8% in most communi‐es. Most rental agencies in

Sturgis have no available units and have a wai ng list. Ul mately, the intent is to address these challenges. For details on the land‐use and housing studies, visit the city’s website at Sturgis‐SD.Gov.

Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau

JD Nash

Familiarization Tour

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On Sunday, May 18, the Chamber & Visitors Bureau hosted tour operators from across the US and Canada. The familiari‐za on tour, coordinated by the South Dakota Department of Tourism, made their final stop in the state here in Sturgis. The visited Bear Bu e and the Full Thro le Saloon, in addi‐on to, driving tours of Fort Meade and

several of the large campgrounds. They enjoyed appe zers and a short Sturgis Rally documentary at the Sturgis Dinner

Theater before touring the Motorcycle Museum and wander‐ing Main Street. The night culminated with supper in the lo of the Loud American Roadhouse. While we couldn’t hit all our stops in a short few hours, they all went home with informa on on our member businesses and future development. They were especially excited to hear more about Belle Joli and the Knuckle Brewing Company. □

Share the beauty of our state via Social Media. Ad - SD Department of Tourism

New Members Renewing Members

Membership

Black Hills Power Cer fied Folder Display Service Inc Deadwood Connec ons High Plains Spiritual Life Center Meade County Commission SHOPKO of Sturgis Taco John’s of Sturgis T&M Photographic Studio Tri‐State Livestock News

NH Business & Tax Service 2275 Lazelle Street Sturgis, SD 605.720.2130

Thank you. You make what we do possible.

Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary 12165 Highland Road Hot Springs, SD 605.745.7494 WildMustangs.com

Scott Peterson Motors named Hills Small Business of the Year Congratula ons to Sco Peterson Motors. It was recently announced that the Belle Fourche‐based dealership has been named the Black Hills Community Development Small Business of the Year. Last year, the organiza on expanded to Sturgis. Just months later in October, Storm Atlas damaged the roof of their building ‐ making it unusable. Early in 2014, there was a groundbreaking for their new facility at Exit 32 near the mouth of Vanocker Canyon. In addi on to the new dealership, addi onal retail and green space is being developed. Sco and Susan Peterson will be recognized at Black Hills Development’s annual mee ng and banquet on Friday, June 6, at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center LaCroix Hall, Rapid City. □

In case you missed it, it’s worth re‐pea ng: South Dakota made the United Van Lines’ inbound migra on list for the first me. United,

the largest commercial household goods mover in the US, has been track‐ing na onal state‐to‐state migra‐on trends since 1977. In 2013

South Dakota was iden fied as a rac ng residents with a 57% inbound rate, placing it in the top five. States are classified as “high inbound” if 55% or more of the moves are going into a state. Another first ‐ South Dakota was ranked the “Best State to Re re In” by Bankrate.com. Bankrate weighted weather, cost of living, crime, quality of health care, state and local taxes, and general well‐being. There’s more ‐ South Dakota was named the “Top State for Doing Business” by CNBC. CNBC weighted business friendliness, cost of doing business, infrastruc‐ture, workforce, quality of life, cost of living, educa on, etc. What does all of this mean for Sturgis and Meade County? We are poised for con nued growth. The US Census Bureau recently placed Meade County in their Top 10 list of fastest grow‐ing coun es in the na on. While

we can speculate on how much of this ranking is an adjustment of the 2010 Census, it remains a fact that our area is growing. We are ready for con nued growth. The City, County, Cham‐ber and SEDC have each taken deliberate steps to prepare. The County implemented the 5‐year commercial property tax abatement in 2010, and expand‐ed it to include 4+plexes. They set up a revolving loan fund in 2012, adding to it in 2013. The County now has $140K available for economic s mulus projects. The City annexed 40+ acres and put infrastructure in place at Exit 32. It is now ready to develop from the new Sco Peterson Mo‐tors retail complex to the Belle Joli Winery. Council authorized SEDC to administer $500K in eco‐nomic development funds to ex‐pand or a ract targeted retailers including furniture, apparel, gen‐eral merchandise, and lumber/building materials. The City previ‐ously enacted downtown ordi‐nances to encourage year‐round retail by allowing building set‐backs and residen al living. They created a BID district for down‐town revitaliza on and events, se ng aside $150K for BID fa‐çade improvement loans. The Chamber repurposed a 501(c)3 for the Downtown Sturgis Founda on to encourage tax de‐duc ble contribu ons for BID projects and events funding. They are also ac vely expanding event marke ng and promo ons.

The City and SEDC authorized a housing study to gauge current and future housing needs. With a 0.7% vacancy rate, it confirms our immediate need for all types of housing. We are working with area developers to construct housing on two parcels. SEDC purchased the Exit 32/Junc on Avenue parcel and is marke ng it for commercial de‐velopment. A retail flier was cre‐ated to assist developers in un‐derstanding our demographics and promote appeal of the 120+ acres of land available for retail growth. SEDC con nues to promote both local industrial expansions and new manufacturing, with an‐nouncements coming soon. SEDC is also partnering with Meade School District on a machining course and internship program to start this fall ‐ a “grow our own” manufacturing workforce ini a ve. Deliberate efforts of local eco‐nomic development partners em‐ploy the same weighted catego‐ries used in na onal rankings ‐ business friendliness, cost of do‐ing business, infrastructure, workforce, quality of life, cost of living, educa on. By taking this well rounded approach together, we posi on our region as “poised and ready” for con nued growth. □

Pat can be contacted at

605.347.4906 or [email protected].

Pat Kurtenbach, President SEDC

SEDC Update

In May, members of the Chamber staff traveled to Missoula Mon‐tana to par cipate for the first me in the Rocky Mountain Inter‐

na onal (RMI) Round‐up. RMI was formed more than two decades ago to coordinate the interna onal tourism ac vi es for the state tourism departments of Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming and North Dakota. By coordina ng their efforts, the states are able to compete with other American des na ons in the interna onal market. Today, the organiza on is head‐quartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming with offices in London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris and Milan.

The Round‐up was an opportunity for des na ons and a rac ons in those states to connect with 43 tour opera‐tors and recep ves from all of the world. Countries represent‐ed included: Bel‐gium, the Nether‐lands, France, Germany, Switzer‐land, Italy, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Nordic Region (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Fin‐land, and Iceland.) The Black Hills was a favored des ‐na on among those we spoke to and every one of them had heard of or had a ended the Sturgis Mo‐

torcycle Rally. Many, though, were surprised to hear our close prox‐imity to so many Black Hills a rac‐ons and the year‐around a rac‐ons the Sturgis community, itself,

offers. Most of those we spoke with stat‐ed they’d marke ng our Sturgis area to their clients.

Rock Mountain International Show

The Sturgis Public Library Summer Reading Program Children I Tweens I Teens

Sign-up open until June 18

Primary Election Approaching The flowers are blooming on Junc on Avenue and so are the campaign signs. In most cases, the primary elec on held on Tuesday, June 3, will decide the races for many offices. Only the Register of Deeds in Meade County has someone running on the Democra c cket to face the Republican

winner(s) of the primary in the General Elec on. The Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau does not endorse any candidate or par‐ty, but we do encourage you to take the me to vote.

Visit the South Dakota Secre‐tary of State’s site at sdsos.gov. There, by entering a few basic pieces of informa on, you can find your polling place, get in‐forma on on absentee vo ng, and view a sample ballot. These races decide who works with us and for us in the com‐ing years. □

Remembering Crazy Horse Memorial’s Ruth Ziolokowski

The Hills will feel a li le empty this tourism season. At the age of 87, a rich life ended. Wife of Zorckzk Day, Crazy Horse Memorial’s sculptor, Ruth Ziolokowski was a moth‐er of 10 and a fixture at the monument since is concep on. Since his death in 1982, she served as Chief Execu ve Officer of the Memorial’s Founda on. Many of their ten children adopted their parents’ vision

and have made the monument their life’s work, as well. The monument, like Ruth, serves as a reminder ‐ that great dreams and hard work are not remnants of some past genera on. Big things, im‐portant things are s ll possible. S ll necessary. The monument, too, reminds us all that these Hills are touched by more than one na‐on. And we’re be er for ac‐

knowledging that .Thank you, Ruth. Rest well. ‐Heidi K.

Photo: BHBL

Rushmore Region Campaign Launched

RAPID CITY (5/15/14) ‐‐ An alliance of Black Hills business, government and economic development leaders have banded together to create a new mar‐ke ng ini a ve that will leverage the resources of 21 different organiza ons into a single en ty called the Rush‐more Region Alliance. Officials from Lawrence, Meade, Pen‐nington, Custer, Fall River, and Bu e coun es are part of the Rushmore Re‐gion Alliance. The campaign features a new comprehensive website, printed materials, adver sing and promo ons ‐‐ all under the new Rushmore Region brand. A single en ty, such as the Rushmore Region, can draw more a en on from site selectors, expanding companies and entrepreneurs who have an inter‐est ‐‐ but li le personal knowledge ‐‐ of the Black Hills business community. Benjamin Snow, president of Rapid City Economic Development Partner‐ship, said the ini a ve will primarily focus on companies in previously iden‐fied target industries, including ener‐

gy, healthcare, IT and engineering, metalwork manufacturing, small scale food‐and‐beverage processing and financial services. Research shows that

those industries have the best pro‐spects for expanding the Black Hills economy and li ing average wages in the region. “We chose the Rushmore Region name because our research showed that Mount Rushmore Na onal Memorial is our most recognizable icon,” said Bry‐an Walker, execu ve director of the Spearfish Economic Development Corp. “But Rushmore is more than an icon: We’re telling prospects that they can conduct business with the free‐dom our Founding Fathers intended. That speaks to the frustra on that a lot of business owners and entrepre‐neurs feel elsewhere.” Walker said the campaign will target site selectors and corporate reloca on execu ves, referred to as the “unaware influencers,” as well as col‐lege alumni, former residents and busi‐ness owners who have es to the area. Another regional economic develop‐ment organiza on, Black Hills Vision, funded the project. Chuck Loomis, chairman of Black Hills Vision, said the Rushmore Region Alliance is a posi ve step toward con nuing the regional coopera on and public‐private partnerships that Black Hills Vision has been suppor ng. In the past, Black Hills Vision has spon‐sored ini a ves in support of Ellsworth Air Force Base, the Sanford Under‐ground Lab, affordable housing and the crea on of a Black Hills technology corridor. Learn more about the alliance and the campaign at RushmoreRegion.com.□

Open Air Market June 7, 14, 21, 28 &

Saturdays July‐ August 9:00‐1:00

March 6,7 & 10 (Staff is a ending

Fargo Outdoor Show.)

Return Service Requested

U.S. POSTAGE PRESORTED STAND-

ARD RATE PERMIT NO. 10

STURGIS, SD 57785

Ex-Officio Board Members Kris Hubbard: Meade 46‐1 Representa ve Bob Bertolo o: Meade Co Commissioner Pat Kurtenbach: SEDC Daniel Ainslie, City of Sturgis Rick Bush: City of Sturgis Tacy Langemeier: Ag Representa ve Tim Po s: City Council Liaison

Board of Directors President: Ken Meirose, Black Hills Power Vice Pres.: Heidi Richter, Richters Tire & Exhaust Treas.: Kelly Keffeler, Farm Credit Services of America Immed. Past Pres.: Jeremy Vliem, First Western Insurance Jerrid Goebel, Sturgis Chiroprac c Chad Legner, Owens Interstate Sales J.D. Williams, First Interstate Bank Brice Rock, Pioneer Bank & Trust Adam Mar n, CORBON Shoo ng Complex

2040 Junction Avenue - Sturgis, SD 57785 Phone - 605.347.2556 Web - SturgisAreaChamber.com

Staff Execu ve Director, Heidi Kruse Events & Membership Coordinator, Kathy Christenson Membership Services Manager, Rainee Lisko

Thank you to our 2014 Platinum & Premium Sponsors. Your support is essential to our work in the Sturgis Community.

Sturgis Open Air Market Saturdays starting in June 9-1 on the 2nd Street Plaza Main Street Sturgis We’re seeking vendors and welcome: Produce, Canned & Baked Foods, Art, Concessions, Jewelry, Crafts, Furniture, Antiques, Floral arrangements, Quilts, and anything else you’d like to sell. For details & to save your spot, contact Kathy Christenson at 347-2556 or [email protected].

Visit SturgisAreaChamber.com for details.

june 2014

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