Minnehaha County gifted additional $100K from One Sioux Falls Fund for COVID-related costs

By: 
Dave Baumeister, County correspondent
Dave Baumeister /For the Journal
At their Sept. 22 meeting, Minnehaha County 4-H Program Director Nathan Skadsen (upper right) spoke remotely to commissioners on how the pandemic has affected local programs and the 2020 Achievement Days. Minnehaha County 4-H serves all of the communities in this slide. 
SIOUX FALLS – The Minnehaha County Commission was short-handed Sept. 22, with both Commissioners Gerald Beninga and Cindy Heiberger absent.
 
But there weren’t any contentious issues commissioner dealt with, and the majority of agenda items dealt with receiving money, and not spending it.
 
The One Sioux Falls Fund, which presented the county with $300,000 a few weeks earlier to help with COVID-related expenses, this week gave them another $100,000 to help with those same expenses.
 
Commissioners also approved the work of the multi-cultural center to apply for a $15,000 grant to upgrade the sprinkler system at the Sioux Falls Coliseum, many of their programs are staged.
 
A third item called for commission approval to apply for a $700,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation.
 
Erin Srtska, Director of Programs for the Sanford School of Medicine at USD explained that if the grant is received the money would come over a two-year period, and it would be used for The Link (the new triage center) and other community-related projects.
 
Fairless 4-H
A Minnehaha County 4-H advisor, Nathan Skadsen, attended via Zoom video conferencing to talk about the current situation with the county 4-H programs.
 
While the big event the 4-H kids, ages 5 to 19, work for each year, Achievement Days, usually takes place during the Sioux Empire Fair, this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, that event had to be held separately.
 
But Skadsen told commissioners Achievement Days still took place Aug. 15-17, a week after the fair closed.
 
Some of the events like special foods, fashion revue, public presentations and consumer decision making were held virtually.
 
The livestock events were still held “in person,” although attendance was limited to just family, and animals were shown from their trailers and not put up in stalls, Skadsen said.
 
He also talked about other 4-H programs, as well as what would be happening this fall since many of the regular 4-H events would still be virtual.
 
Regular club meetings are resuming, but Skadsen explained they will have very strict guidelines regarding social distancing and face covering mandates.
 
Be prepared!
Emergency Management Director Jason Gearman reminded commissioners that September is National Emergency Preparedness Month, and in looking at their slogan, “Disasters don’t wait, make plans today,” he reminded those at the meeting of some of the disasters the county has seen in just the past 18 months: floods, unseasonal tornadoes and most recently, the pandemic.
 
Gearman said the priorities of his office are “to preserve life, preserve property and to maintain communication between the county and other local authorities.”
 
Meetings begin at 9 a.m. Tuesdays on the second floor of the Minnehaha County Administration Building at Sixth and Minnesota in Sioux Falls. Public comment is always encouraged, but attendees are reminded that social distancing guidelines limit how many people are allowed in the meeting room at one time.

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