Locals pool ideas at community gathering

Brandon has embarked on a self-improvement plan.

After months of planning, meetings with 660 residents and gathering ideas on more than 4,000 sticky notes, the Empower Brandon group hosted its first community meeting Sunday at the high school.

Empower Brandon is a strategic planning program that puts residents in charge of identifying areas for improvement in the community and working together to find solutions. 

Around 20 community leaders on the Empower Brandon core group hosted listening sessions with residents over the past few months, filling sticky notes with ideas for improvements. Those sticky notes lined the walls of the BVHS commons Sunday afternoon as residents milled around, awaiting the start of the event. 

“I’m here to see what the decisions are – to kind of listen to what’s going on,” said Norma Doppenberg, one of several senior citizens who attended the community gathering, which also included a few teenagers and everyone in between.

Empower Brandon was structured around a series of conversations. Residents changed seats with each new topic so as to converse with as many different people as possible. Each table and conversation produced small placards of responses to create, at the end of four hours, a new wall of ideas and topics the citizens of Brandon want to tackle – the city pool, building a community center, better roads.  

Themes cropped up among the conversations throughout the afternoon: Who is Brandon beyond its school district? How can the enthusiasm for Brandon’s schools be echoed in the city? What can be created to bring the community together? How much do residents want to grow without changing Brandon’s hometown feel? What can be done to improve the infrastructure?

Amy Lawrence was one of several residents who talked about better communication.

“Brandon is just big enough to get lost, but small enough to need to get plugged in,” she said. 

“I’ve never been in an organization or a community, large or small, where people say, ‘You know what? I just feel like I know everything about everything,’” said Stacy Wrightsman. “It’s hard to find a situation where the communication is 100 percent effective. Rare, at best.”

The city’s “identity crisis” was another theme that continued to resurface. 

“Who are we without our school?” asked Amanda Barton.

John Beranek emceed the gathering through Dakota Resources, the strategic planning company hired by the city to launch Empower Brandon.

“I’m hearing from some they didn’t even know there was a Main Street, or ‘What is the Main Street?’” he said. “So, to me, as an outsider, I’m like, ‘Oh, we might have an identity problem.’”

The event concluded with residents breaking up into initiative teams around topics they are most passionate about. 

Mike Coughlin brought blueprints for a town square, a dream he’s had for decades.

Another group branched off in favor of a community center/pool. Residents brainstormed creating a place that would serve as the headquarters for all local activities and offer community education classes.

“It will affect everyone from 2 to 92,” said Randy Marso. “It’s having a headquarters for all those groups. That’s all generations. Not just kids. That’s what I envision.”

The committees, or “initiative teams,” will begin meeting regularly, and they’re open to any resident, regardless of whether or not they attended Sunday’s event. 

Brandon City Council hired Dakota Resources to increase organizational and community capacity for strategic action through community coaching, and participate as a member of Empower. John Beranek is the community coach from Dakota Resources. The empower process will change how the community gets things done through a comprehensive phased coaching process that upgrades your approach to empowering local people and organizations to lead action.  

The City held a Community Gathering on Sunday April 28. Out of the Gathering, 12 Initiative Teams were formed. If you would like to be a part of one of the teams - below is information about the team and contact information.

 

Community Center/Senior Center

Overview: Define what to include in a community center, multi-use, all generations, central activities.

Next Meeting: Sunday, June 2 • 5:30 p.m. • BV High School, Room TBD

Contact: Dan Wrightsman – wrightsman19@hotmail.com – (605) 759-1556

 

Pool

Overview: Teaming up with the Community Center

 

Identity & Vision

of Brandon

Overview: Who do we want to be known as in 25 years? Are we a small town? A growing town? What is our image? 

Next Meeting: Connect & collaborate with Town Square Team

Contact: Joe Barton • j

 

Parks

Overview: Re-surfacing sand parks, updating equipment, recreation department?

Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 14 • 5:30 p.m. • at Brandon City Council Chambers Park board meeting

Contact: Kelly Iversen • Kelly.iversen@k12.sd.us • 605-212-321

 

Infrastructure

Overview: What is the plan for fixing streets, water and sewer? What is the 15-year plan for repairing roads in the “core section” of Brandon. Planning for the future developments, roads etc. 

Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 21 • 5:30 p.m. • Brandon Community Library

Contact: Amanda Barton • 

 

Communication

Overview: There is no central mode of communicating about what’s happening, communicating to people who don’t use tech, what does everyone want to know, how do residents want to receive information?

Next Meeting: Saturday, May 18 • 8 a.m. • Scooters Coffee

 

Town Square

Overview: Need for a board to move forward? Should this be city-owned? Need to make people aware, get city and planners on board, businesses and recreation.

Next Meeting: Thursday, May 23 • 7 p.m. • Oakridge Nursery & Landscaping

Contact: Jenny Eggers • jennymtjeerdsma@gmail.com • 605-212-9565

 

Water & Sewer

Overview: Knowing the facts, water and sewer rates, growth in water usage, communicating to the public.

Next Meeting: Meet with the water development committee week of May 6 – check City website calendar

Contact: Ryan Schuck • ryan@shucknet.com • 360-831-1433

 

Leadership Council

Overview: How can the community groups work together, be collaborative versus overlap, help to eliminate people falling through the cracks.

Next Meeting: Sunday, May 19 • 7 p.m. • Sunshine Foods deli

Contact: Delton Witte • delton_witte@hotmail.com • 605-228-1951

 

Funding Sustainability & Growth

Overview: Understanding where sales and property tax dollars go, understanding of funding sources, developing Brandon.

Next Meeting: No date set yet

Contact: Heidi Jorgenson • Heidi.jorgenson@k12.sd.us • 605-351-4930

 

Bike Trails

Overview: Finding out what exists, what plans are in place, more trails in Brandon, bike lanes, connecting east to west Brandon, Brandon to Sioux Falls, connecting parks

Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 14 • 6 p.m. • Brandon Community Library

Contact: Amanda Barton • 

 

Welcoming-Connecting the Community

Overview: Connecting in the community, multi-families, new residents, holding events, etc.

Next Meeting: Monday, May 13 • 5:30-6:30 p.m. • Scooters Coffee

Contact: Amy Lawrence • amy@amylawrencephotography.com • 605-376-8802