Volume 15- Issue 3- March
The Road Map
Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame announces 2015 Inductees Via Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame ‐ The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the 2015 inductees into the Sturgis Motorcycle Muse‐ um Hall of Fame and the Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame. The Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame is designed to rec‐ ognize individuals or groups who have made a long term posi ve impact on the mo‐ torcycle community. The Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame recognizes the commitment and sacrifices individuals across the na on and world have made to protect the rights of motor‐ cyclists. For 2015, the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame will honor one Free‐ dom Fighter and induct sev‐ en into the Sturgis Hall of Fame. Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame: Richard Lester
Sturgis local, Chief Jim Bush, is among those being hon‐ ored. – J.C. “Pappy” Hoel Life me Achievement Award – Jim Bush joined the Sturgis Police Reserves in 1978, was hired as a full me patrol officer in 1979, worked his way up through the ranks, and became Police Chief in 1990. Chief Bush has watched the Sturgis Motor‐ cycle Rally grow to a ract hundreds of thousands of visitors, and has consistently met the challenge of provid‐ ing the community of Sturgis with appropriate law en‐ forcement readiness both during the rally and through‐ out the year. While much of his work is behind the scenes, Chief Bush is recog‐
nized as an excellent am‐ bassador for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. He works closely with the promotors of the rally and the events incorpo‐ rated within the rally to find ways to accommo‐ date the needs of organ‐ izers, par cipants, visitors and residents alike. Addi onal Hall of Fame Hon‐ orees: Evere Brashear Chris McIntyre John Shope Sugar Bear Don Tilley Eddie Tro a The annual Sturgis Motorcy‐ cle Hall of Fame Induc on Breakfast is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5 at 9:00 a.m. at The Lodge at Dead‐ wood in Deadwood, SD. Breakfast ckets are availa‐ ble for a $35.00 dona on, tables of eight for $300.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Museum at 605.347.2001 or online.
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VA Announces new Acting Director for BH Facilities Via the Rapid City Journal ‐ The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has an‐ nounced an ac ng director for the VA Black Hills Health Care System. Jo‐Ann Ginsberg will become ac ng director March 1 upon the re rement of Stephen DiStasio. Ginsberg will serve as ac ng director during the search for a new director. Ginsberg joined VA Black Hills in 2011 as the associate di‐ rector for pa ent care services.
The VA also announced that Donna Schnider will serve as ac ng associate director for pa ent care services/nurse execu ve. She was appointed director of organiza onal improvement for the Black Hills VA Health System in August 2006. VA Black Hills consists of medical cen‐ ters in Hot Springs and Fort Meade, an outpa ent clinic in Rapid City and com‐ munity‐based outpa ent clinics in 10 rural communi es.
County seeks Transportation Input
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Membership News New Members Black Hills Dakota Distillery 2902 West Main Street, Suite 1 Rapid City - bhddistillery.com Black Hills Hunting & Fishing 12800 Larene Drive, Black Hawk - 605.791.3273 blackhillshuntingandfishing.com Geek in a Box 1604 Decar Street, Belle Fourche 605.644.6510 - geek-box.com Sturgis & Meade County Historical Society Sturgis - 605.347.4031 sturgishistory.org WHB Video Auctions 1001 Lazelle Street, Suite C Sturgis - 605.720.2030 whbvideoauctions.com
Renewing Members
(for full list see the enclosed insert) 3/3 ‐ Event Fund Awards & Mixer ‐ Loud American Roadhouse ‐ 5:00‐6:00 3/18 ‐ WHB Video Auc ons Ribbon Cu ng & Open House 1001 Lazelle Street ‐ 4:00‐6:30 pm 3/19 ‐ Community Showcase: Non‐Profit & Health Fair Sturgis Community Center ‐ 5:00‐7:00pm 4/10 ‐ Annual Banquet ‐ Sturgis Auditorium/Armory ‐ 5:30 Social, 6:30 Banquet (Theme ‐ Diamond Rally Anniversary)
Bradley Storage COR®BON/Glaser Ammuni on Devil's Tower Trading Post Edgewood Vista Ernie & Eleanora Miller (Associate) Fireside/Oasis Fort Meade Museum Karen Simmons, CPA, PC Meade County Times‐Tribune Meade County Title Mount Rushmore Area Associa on of Realtors Inc Pete Lien & Sons Inc Ronald McDonald Chari es of SD Scentsy & Companies‐ Jessica Gatzke Sidehack Saloon Spearfish Canyon Lodge Snyder Ranch Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame Ward Electric Thank you. Weierke’s Sep c Service You make what we do possible.
Sturgis City Council Formulates New Mission Statement The City of Sturgis recently established a unify‐ ing Mission Statement. The Statement will help to guide decisions and long term goals and projects. The official Mission Statement is as follows:
"To provide an attractive, growing community being served by a professional staff that offers reliable, quality municipal services."
Upcoming Events
Main Street to close early for 2015 Rally Via the City of Sturgis ‐ In previous years, Main Street was restricted to 'motorcycle only' traffic beginning the Friday prior to the official start of the Rally.
Due to the large number of visitors expected for the 75th Anniversary Rally, City officials will be closing Main Street to 'motorcycle only' traffic on Wednesday, July 29 at 2:00am. The ear‐ ly closure will help keep pedestrians and everyone else involved in Rally prep‐ ara ons in the downtown area safe. The Street Clo‐ sure Map is available on the City’s website.
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SEDC Update On March 3, Meade Coun‐ ty residents will have an opportunity to vote on Referendum Resolu on 2014‐4, Crea‐ on of Tax Pat Kurtenbach, President SEDC Incremental Finance Dis‐ trict (TIFD) Number One. The cre‐ a on of this TIFD is a method of financing the proposed Fort Meade Way road project. A er SEDC surveyed our very diverse membership base and gathered input from the Fort Meade VA, the SD Department of Transpor‐ ta on and the County Commis‐ sion, the SEDC Board of Directors voted to neither publicly support nor oppose the road project. SEDC remains commi ed to re‐ sponsible growth and planned development, and encourages everyone to be an informed voter on March 3. SEDC and the Rushmore Region joined the SD Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and seven other commu‐ ni es at the SHOT (Shoo ng, Hun ng and Outdoor Trade) Show in Las Vegas in January. The show had its second largest a endance at nearly 65,000. The firearms industry is a major eco‐ nomic driver for our area. SHOT again proved to be an ideal venue for networking opportuni es to strengthen our exis ng compa‐
nies and generate new leads. Mutch Usera and I look forward to hos ng site tours with pro‐ spects we met at this year’s show. SEDC a ended the Interna onal Council of Shopping Centers retail industry trade conference in Omaha in January. It focused on regional, smaller market retailers seeking to expand. It was an ex‐ cellent opportunity to meet di‐ rectly with site selectors and bro‐ kers to promote the many com‐ mercial development opportuni‐ es and incen ves available in Sturgis and Meade County. One of the retail brokers is expected to tour our area soon. SEDC recently received a $2,500 marke ng support grant from Black Hills Power. The funds will be used to re‐design the SEDC website and videos. It has been four years since their last major makeover, and is an SEDC 2015 priority goal. Work on the project will start soon with The HomeSlice Group and TIE Media. Construc on will begin in March on the 5,110 sq. . industrial in‐ cubator building at the entrance to the Sturgis Industrial Park. A public groundbreaking ceremony will be coordinated with the con‐ struc on start. Approximately 1/3 of the building will house the high school’s new CTE machinist program star ng in Fall 2015. Other space in the incubator is available for emerging businesses
and will be finished to suit their requirements. For informa on, please contact SEDC. Weather permi ng, Baron Prop‐ er es plans to begin construc on in March on the first phase of Sierra Vista Apartment Homes, a 48‐unit mul ‐family housing de‐ velopment on Ballpark Road, Sturgis. The first 16 units should be ready for occupancy seven months a er the founda on is laid. In the mean me, all leasing inquiries can be directed to Help‐ U‐Rent at 722‐7368. This rental management firm is owned by Jenni Tucker and will be located at 1238 Main Street, Suite #2, Sturgis. More informa on at help‐u‐ rent.net and sturgisapartments.homesandland.com.
Winter weather has delayed the opening of Jake’s Auto Body un l the end of March. Owners Aaron and Megan Schoon had originally planned to be in their new loca‐ on at 2416 Junc on Avenue, Sturgis in February. Their new facility will feature I‐Car cer fied technicians and the capability to service aluminum truck bodies. Addi onally, Jake’s will be a “green” body shop u lizing a downdra paint booth and incor‐ pora ng enviro‐based PPG paints and recycling prac ces into their business model. Pat can be contacted at 605.347.4906 or pat@sturgisdevelopment.com.
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First National Bank expanding footprint on Main Street with additional parking and green space First Na onal Bank of Sturgis an‐ nounced recently that it has pur‐ chased the former H&R Block building immediately to the west of their loca‐ on. The building will be demolished in the next few weeks to expand the bank’s parking lot and add green space to their loca on at 955 Main Street. “We are excited to dress‐up our bank with a fresh look and be er visibility,” said Bryan Henke. While not finalized, the plans are close to complete and include im‐ proved access, parking, as well as, several trees and plants. First Na onal Bank’s announcement makes them one of several business‐ es in recent months inves ng and expanding into our downtown core. Dominos Pizza, Indian Motorcycle Sturgis, and the Harley Davidson Pla‐ za are among them. Congratula ons to the First Na onal Bank team. We look forward to see‐ ing your new, beau ful space on Main Street Sturgis.
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City of Sturgis annexes to the East, formally opposes Fort Meade Way and TIF District Sturgis’ borders are expanding. In response to the Buffalo Chip’s in‐ corpora on request, the Council passed a resolu on to immediate‐ ly annex the high school and sew‐ er lagoons. During a special mee ng on Friday, February 20, the Council made the addi onal step of annexing the City’s airport. During the Special Council Mee ng, City Manager Daniel Ainslie stated, "The ques on about what threat might occur here is that with a municipality immediately adjacent to the air‐ port, that might create a signifi‐ cant amount of regulatory uncer‐ tainty, which is the exact thing
that investors of the Buffalo Chip has brought up as a ra onale to try and incorporate themselves as a corporate en ty. So given that literally there have been millions of dollars of federal, state and lo‐ cal taxpayer money into that air‐ port, it is en rely feasible and nec‐ essary for the city to take the ex‐ act same step the investors are reportedly a emp ng to take at the Buffalo Chip." The emergency annexa ons push Sturgis’ boundaries easily within the 3 mile radius of the Buffalo Chip’s proposed borders.
The County is s ll weighing the incorpora on request and the subsequent annexa ons by the City. The City Council also voted at the February 20 mee ng to formally oppose the construc on of Fort Meade Way and, subsequently, the proposed TIF District which would fund it. The Council and City Manager sited concerns of the Sturgis Business community and a lack of zoning and planned infra‐ structure along the planned route. Meade voters will cast their votes on March 3 regarding the TIF Dis‐ trict.
Crisis Intervention Shelter Sturgis Requests Items The Crisis Interven on Shelter of Sturgis is in desperate need of several items. Items can be dropped off at the Chamber 8‐4 Monday through Friday. Feminine Hygiene Products Full Size Deodorant Garbage Bags Laundry Soap
Toilet Paper Paper towels
CISS serves Sturgis by providing vic ms of domes c and sexual violence with emergency shelter, 24‐hour crisis line availability and advocacy. Visit sturgisciss.org for more informa on on their mis‐ sion.
Chamber Board takes stance on Fort Meade Way For several months, the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce retained its neu‐ trality while gathering informa on and input regarding the proposed new road (Fort Meade Way) and the Tax Increment Financing District (TIFD). Among those efforts, we hosted a Public Forum on the topic in February as a part of our Cracker Barrel series. We fully understand the weight of this issue and its significance especially to our member businesses. The Chamber Board of Directors voted unanimously to oppose the construc on of the road and, subsequently, this pro‐ posed TIF District. While we have members on both sides of each of these issues, the vast ma‐ jority of our input has been in op‐ posi on and led by those con‐ cerned with the implica ons for the Sturgis business community. The Board acknowledges that a por on of our rural neighbors and others see poten al increased con‐ venience and accessibility. We do strongly believe that TIFDs are a powerful economic develop‐ ment tool. However, we do not believe this par cular project meets the intent. Finally, good things are happening in Sturgis. Recent years have seen many new store fronts and invest‐ ments in our community. New in‐ dustrial, commercial, and residen‐
al proper es are open for development. Sales tax revenue is increasing. Building permits are significantly up. Sturgis is poised for sustainable, responsible growth. The County, among many others, has been influen al in this posi ve growth, and we look forward to main‐ taining that momentum. At this me, the Board simply agrees that this project is not the best path for Sturgis. A vote will be held on Tuesday, March 3. Voters will have their chance to weigh in and vote on the proposed TIF District Funding . Please take the me to research the issue and vote.
Send your events to Events@SturgisAreaChamber.com.
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Return Service Requested
U.S. POSTAGE PRESORTED STANDARD RATE PERMIT NO. 10 STURGIS, SD 57785
2040 Junction Avenue - Sturgis, SD 57785 Phone - 605.347.2556 Web - SturgisAreaChamber.com
Staff Execu ve Director, Heidi Kruse Events & Membership Coordinator, Kathy Christenson Membership Services Manager, Rainee Lisko Board of Directors President, Jerrid Goebel, Sturgis Chiroprac c Past Pres, Ken Meirose, Black Hills Power Vice Pres, Brice Rock, Pioneer Bank & Trust Treasurer, Heidi Richter, Richters Tire & Exhaust Kelly Keffeler, Farm Credit Services of America Jeremy Vliem, First Western Insurance Chad Legner, Wells Fargo Bank J.D. Williams, First Interstate Bank Mark Schulte, Sturgis Regional Hospital
Ex-Officio Board Members Don Kirkegaard: Meade School 46‐1 Representa ve Bob Bertolo o: Meade Co Commissioner Pat Kurtenbach: SEDC Daniel Ainslie, City of Sturgis Rick Bush: City of Sturgis Tacy Snyder: Ag Representa ve Tim Po s: City Council Liaison
Thank you to our 2015 Platinum & Premium Sponsors. Your support is essential to our work in the Sturgis Community.
Don’t forget to reserve your
sponsorship & advertising
opportunities for 2015.
Need another kit or forms? Call 347-2556 or email Info@SturgisAreaChamber.com. Also, if you know someone who has been thinking about joining, send them our way! There is still time to get in the Directory - March 5.