The Dakota Valley Emergency Services District approved Oban Construction to do dirtwork for the North Sioux City Fire Department training facility. The bid was awarded at $83,400 at their last meeting, Aug. 17. Oban Construction has been moving quickly and has slated the next week or two for completion. A second bid was received from Two Rivers Contracting for $126,405.

North Sioux City’s recent acquisition of land northeast of the current city limits now has a master development plan in place. The plan was unveiled at the city’s meeting Sept. 6 and shows the development of land owned by both the city and Graham Aviation. As noted, multiple times, the plans are conceptual illustrations and are subject to change depending on the city’s economic needs and the needs of Graham Aviation. The plan was presented by Jon Brown of Stockwell Engineers. For now, the plan includes residential, highway commercial, planned development and industrial zonings and street and utility configurations.

The South Dakota Specialty Producers Association (SDSPA) is seeking nominations for the 2022 South Dakota Specialty Crop Producer of the Year Award. Producers and members of the public are invited to nominate a farmer who has made a significant contribution to specialty crop production in the state. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and nursery crops, including floriculture.

An appraisal for the Union County Fairgrounds has been in the works since the June 14 meeting. A commercial appraiser from Sioux Falls was hired not to exceed $8,000 and half was to be repaid by the City of Alcester. However, after hearing nothing from the appraiser and seeing no progress, the Union County Commissioners approved a different appraisal company to handle the work at their meeting Sept. 6. Elwood & Martin Appraisals, LLC was approved to do the appraisal for the fairgrounds on the recommendation of State’s Attorney Jerry Miller.

This year’s theater production at Dakota Valley will be Seussical: The Musical. Auditions took place over a threeday period at the end of August with Cody Juffer, the DV middle school and high school theater director, announcing the cast and crew Aug.

The Dakota Valley High School’s Annual Homecoming Parade will take place Sept. 30 at 1:30 p.m. This year’s homecoming theme is “We Got Game”. If anyone is interested in having a float, car or sign in the parade, contact James Schmit ( james.schmit@k12. sd.us) anytime from now until Sept. 23. This is a great opportunity to connect with area residents. There is an average of 50 entries in the parade, so there will be several people lining the streets of Military Road. Businesses and people will not want to miss this opportunity.

Providing a well-rounded education for students is not always easy, but at Dakota Valley Elementary School, we are determined to make it happen! Students in our building are taught the core academic subjects as well as receive instruction in specialized classes such as art, music, physical education, STEM, guidance and library. We are so grateful to have the ability to provide students the opportunity to discover and develop their strength areas and passions at such an early age in so many different intelligence areas.

Dakota State University student Samantha Voeltz is student teaching kindergarten for the fall 2022 semester and first grade for the spring 2023 semester in the West Central School District. Voeltz is an elementary education major

A national trend is hitting the United States and can be seen here in the local communities – a shortage of educators. This is the topic that the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) spoke to South Dakota’s legislators about during the Special Education Legislative Summit July 10-13, in Wahington, D.C..