Estelline, SD

Estelline prepares for next 125
Posted: Monday, Feb 25th, 2008
BY: Ashley Allgaier

Estelline marked 125 years as a community in 2007, and at this milestone residents are looking to the “Horizons.” Horizons is a community leadership program that helps small, rural towns help themselves. The Northwest Area Foundation helps communities in eight states by working through local institutions, such as the South Dakota State University Extension Office. The Estelline Historic Society was approached with the project and prepared a proposal to join the program. Estelline was one of 21 South Dakota communities chosen in fall 2006.
 

70 involved in process
Since then, the project has enveloped Estelline, and the community now has more than 70 volunteers involved in the process and several improvement projects already under way.
A vacant building on Main Street was renovated by volunteers, and crews are now awaiting warmer weather to complete construction. After a new cement floor is poured, the building will become a technology center with high-speed wireless Internet and as many as six computers for public space, said David Ebbers, Estelline resident and a member of the strategic planning committee.
When finished, the new technology center will contain a community bulletin board and can also be used as a meeting space for small groups. Future plans might also include community computer classes.
Horizons funds were also used to start a program already earning returns. The city purchased a trailer to collect aluminum cans to be recycled, with money generated used by the city for other projects.
It only took two months to fill the trailer the first time, which earned $229 for the recycled cans, Ebbers said. The money was given to the Estelline Food Pantry for distribution at Christmas time.
The trailer is nearly full of cans again, indicating that it’s possible for the town to keep up the pace and earn roughly $200 every two months.
The Estelline Food Pantry is also a target for improvement in the community. With increased awareness of the impacts of poverty, the city was able to supply a better location for the food bank, he added. Grant money also purchased a freezer for the food pantry, which already had a refrigerator.

Going green
A site has also been plotted for the community garden, a project Linda Svec has been working on as part of the “green committee.”
Access to water and a garden shed with tools is already on site, purchased with Horizons grant money. When the ground thaws, it will be tilled and prepared for a spring planting.
Some of the harvest will become value-added produce at a new commercial kitchen, Svec said. An example she gave was fresh strawberries made into jam or a pie; locally processing the garden’s fruits and vegetables in the regulated environment of the commercial kitchen.
Svec and the green committee are also organizing a farmers’ market to provide local access to a market. The lack of access to market and inability to move value-added products is actually part of the definition of poverty, Svec explained.
The mission of the Horizons program is to reduce poverty in small rural communities. Doing so addresses not only a lack of money, but also an isolated market.
 

Battling poverty
The community garden, food pantry, commercial kitchen and farmer’s market projects all link together to work against poverty, Svec said. Produce grown at the community garden will be given to the food pantry, sold at the farmer’s market or converted into value-added products in the commercial kitchen. Value-added items will also be available at the food pantry and farmer’s market.
The idea is to attack poverty in several ways, by helping raise local incomes, using local sources for those who need help, giving people skills, attracting activity to the community, and creating local jobs.
Improvement projects for the food pantry, technology center, can trailer and community gardening site all were started with grant funds from Horizons. The program gives out chunks of the total fund at different steps in the process, Ebbers said. The idea is to keep people involved and looking for more grants and partnerships that are available.
Arlington used a similar program a few years ago that took on community improvement through leadership training.
 

Building local leadership
The First District Association of Local Governments, based in Watertown, offered free leadership classes to communities, and Arlington, as well as De Smet and Clark, took the group up on the deal.
In the summer of 2005, Arlington identified three top issues: Community betterment and beautification, developing affordable housing, and attracting new and strengthening existing businesses. The top priorities were identified based on resident input at community meetings and an outside assessment by the South Dakota Rural Development Council.
Outcomes included the formation of a chamber of commerce, community beautification of the south entrance to Arlington and new housing.
“There were a lot of positive steps that came out of that assessment and movement in that direction since,” said Randy Jencks, an Arlington resident who was involved in the meetings. First District sponsored leadership classes held weekly in Arlington using the LeadershipPlenty training system.
 

Horizons 18-month process
Activity under way in Estelline is thanks to the Northwest Area Foundation working through the SDSU Extension Office to present the Horizons program. Horizons is an 18-month program with five required segments, one of which is LeadershipPlenty training.
Both programs and communities work toward a goal of community betterment. First District’s approach with Arlington encompassed leadership training, assessment of community assets and identification of improvements
Before Estelline volunteers could get to the LeadershipPlenty stage they first had to organize a base of volunteers, take time to understand poverty, form connections with other communities and conduct community study circles. Next is LeadershipPlenty training, and a community visioning process where residents put together an asset-based strategic plan that leads to community action.
Action has already been taken in several projects, and attention is turning to organizing children’s programs, family activities and community events. That focus has gained a new group of volunteers – organizers of the town’s 125th anniversary celebration.
 

Need ‘kid focus’
Svec said the study circles identified a need to develop something for local kids. With a majority of parents working outside the community, some children are home alone after school and during summer vacation.
The technology center, community garden and commercial kitchen are all possible locations for children’s activities, Svec said. She sees the opportunity for kids to pick up practical skills doing intergenerational activities with adult volunteers.
According to Ebbers, Estelline is also taking a page from Flandreau, working toward establishing a satellite location of a Boys & Girls Club.
The strategic planning committee has also set out long-term goals of increasing housing, creating a multi-generational center and organizing ongoing community celebrations.

Contact Ashley Allgaier at aallgaier@brookingsregister.com.

Ten volunteers joined Cheryl Jacobs, our CES Community Coordinator, to review the Strategic Plan, action plans, and worker involvement. The group took a sobering look at how to continue the organization and continue efforts on completion of the Horizons goals after the formal Horizons structure finishes in June 2008. Tax exempt status options for various projects were discussed.
Our blogging is at an acceptable level, but we could bump that up a lot, and have asked Cheryl to return for a community-wide Blog Training evening March 11th (less than 3 weeks away). Writers, storytellers, tech savy communicators of all ages and interests are welcome to participate.

Leadership Opportunities coming up:
Regional Seminar Economic Development Mar 6 eve Webster
Prof Development ED Conference Mar 19 all day Sioux City
Gov’s ED Conference Apr 8 and 9 2 days Pierre
NWAF G & G May 28 and 30 2 days MN
Check at 873-2651 for deadlines and criteria, state NWAF funding available for a limited number of attendees.

Our operating budget — Celebration expenses were covered with $770 to spare, David reported. Over $2000 will be dispersed before the June 2008 deadline, we are eligible for additional funds if criteria are met. In addition to the recycling trailer and the garden shed, we have enjoyed meals during meetings, baby sitting during work sessions, and excellent learning and development materials delivered thru SDSU Cooperative Extension Service from Northwest Area Foundation. What a wonderful boost to our rural community!
Next strategic planning session March 18th, 6:30 pm at the High School cafeteria. Complete minutes will be posted after blog training on March 11th.
Leadership and action positions are open in major goals and subcommittees. What would you like to do to help?

More help is needed to assess and direct activities toward establishing a commercial kitchen. Folks with time and interest are likely to spend 4 to 5 hours a month looking and planning; please join a small committed group to promote the third leg of our local agriculture effort. Call 873-2651 for information and conversation about the options.
Gardening and Market subcommittees now have their leadership teams in action, but many more helping hands will be needed to complete the first and then many projects to follow. Please join in! One way is to turn in a volunteer sign up form at Reliabank. There are also many individuals you can speak with before you decide what to sign up for and if you want someone to call you first, just put a comment on this blog.
Individuals and groups can also arrange a garden plot or a vendor’s position. If you express interest, we will let you know as soon as the participation criteria are established and will put early committments in seniority. Already we have 8 tentative vendors and individuals and youth groups interested in garden plots. The Long Term forecast is growing season!

Reserve March 11 on your calendar. Cheryl Jacobs will teach future bloggers the techniques needed to become a successful blogging community.  The site and time for the class will be announced. Thank you, Cheryl, for helping us get organized.

On March 29, Karl Schmidt will be sharing agricultural information he learned when he toured Australia.  More information on this will be posted soon.

Anyone who enters Estelline’s bank, Reliabank, gets a good idea of the Horizons projects that have kept us busy this past year.  Copies of the Strategic Plan are available.  Also on display are two photo boards with pictures of our projects.  Check out our faces and projects in the  two attached files. photos1.pdf  and photo2compressed.doc

Information from Estelline’s Strategic Plan showed that the public wants more activities for Estelline youth, especially during the summer months.  Two week long projects have been planned for the summer months. 

A member of the cultural committee sent out a survey to Estelline youth, grades K-12, to see if they are interested in participating in a Missoula Children’s Theater production during the month of July.  This program, out of Missoula, Montana, sends two young adults to a community for one week. The students have tryouts the beginning of the week for a musical which is presented by the end of the week.  Approximately 60 students will be in the production.  Missoula brings scenery, costumes, and helps students put on a great production.  So far, the response from the students has been very positive. The city of Estelline is willing to help with the costs for the week ($2500) along with contributions from some community sponsors.  If all goes as planned, Missoula Children’s Theater will be presented during the week of July 7.  Look for more information soon. 

 The second cultural event involving students is a student produced mural on the side of of Ward’s Grocery Store.  This is near our new electronic sign.  We are applying for a grant through the SD Arts Council.  Community adults are interested in helping students design the art work for this project which will depict Estelline’s history.  Look for photos of this as it progresses!  We hope to center some of these projects around our newly renovated bandstand which is pictured at top left.