Latest news with #MikeLauritsen
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
City leaders ‘would like to have a prison in Mitchell'
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Project Prison Reset's task force is recommending existing Department of Corrections facilities or the Worthing or Mitchell areas for new men's prison construction. Mitchell city leaders want the group to consider Davison County. City leaders from Mitchell said they've already gathered support when it comes to listing Davison County as a possible location. DOC: Contraband attempt stopped at State Penitentiary 'The chamber and development corporations both passed resolutions separately to bring a prison to Mitchell. The county commission has supported a prison in Mitchell,' Mitchell Chamber and Development CEO Mike Lauritsen said. The Mitchell City Council approved a resolution on Monday that expresses interest in having the facilities built in Davison County, citing the need to meet criminal justice system demands. Lauritsen hopes the city's efforts to inform the public about possible economic opportunities will set them apart from other potential sites. 'This would be huge for our community. That's why we've done all of this work. We want it to go to Mitchell,' Lauritsen said. 'I know there's been struggles in other communities, and I think that's the reason we've made these steps.' The proposed site is a couple miles south of town. Mitchell leaders said the location would have minimal impact on the community but would be close enough to offer rehabilitation resources to inmates. 'If you want to do rehab programs, we've got some of the best programs in the state right there,' Mitchell Area Housing President Terry Sabers told the task force Tuesday. 'Dakota Wesleyan University is there. If you want more advanced programs, they are another three miles away.' They also asked the task force to consider Mitchell's secondary water system. 'Having that secured, our vision plan ten years ago was to have enough water for 130 years plus growth. So, we are really well situated there,' Davison County Commissioner John Claggett said. There were no final decisions made at yesterday's task force meeting, but it did serve as another opportunity for input and consideration. 'We'd like to have a prison in Mitchell,' Lauritsen said. At Mitchell's city council meeting Monday night, some residents expressed concerns about community safety and increased crime if prison facilities are built there. On Wednesday afternoon, the Mitchell Development Corporation announced it will hold three community forums to discuss the proposed site. The organization said in a news release a Mitchell Prison Task Force, made up of city and county officials, community leaders and representatives from the Governor's office will hold the following forums: Tuesday, June 17th, 2025: In-person forum at Mitchell Technical College Auditorium, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18th, 2025: Virtual forum at 7:00 p.m. (Access links will be available on the City and Development Corporation websites) Tuesday, June 24, 2025: Community Debate at Dakota Wesleyan University, 5:30 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mitchell earmarked for $1 million economic loan
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Mitchell will get an expected $1 million boost from a USD loan and grant program to develop a new industrial park. The Mitchell Area Development Corporation (MADC) said in a Friday news release it had received preliminary approval for the $1 million no interest loan. Keeping Farmers Farming for generations to come The loan is for 10-years, Mike Lauritsen, the CEO of MADC said in the release. The industrial park will be located in the city's southwestern corner. MADC has already signed a purchase agreement, according to the new release. Construction of paved roads, water and sewer lines, and an electrical network is set to start yet this year. The loan and industrial park are part of an overall plan to grow the city, Lauritsen said in the release. MADC its partners has had success with a program that offers and incentive for families to move to Mitchell. MADC is also working to add 100 new homes to the community. The city of Mitchell is doubling water capacity by 2027 and tripling sewer capacity by 2026 in anticipation of growth, according to the news release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
