SDMEA Hometown Power

COLUMN Hometown Power

CHRIS HILL | SDML DIRECTOR OF MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC SERVICES

Badger, SD

This month I had the pleasure of visiting with Tanya Jensen, the clerk from the Town of Badger. This is the third time we have visited and even though many of you might not know where Badger is, I always enjoy visiting there. North Street, Main Street, and South Street make up the east-west streets and I traveled them all. Twice.

The green sign just south of Badger says that the population is 107. Tanya mentioned that she thinks she knows everyone in town and estimates it closer to 125. There are 81 electrical meters in town and if Badger isn’t the smallest Municipal Electric utility in the nation, it has to be very close. I am always impressed with the SDMEA member communities when I visit them and Badger is no different. The fi rst thing that I noticed when I arrived in town and turned west down South St. was a golf cart in front of me, leading the way. All the yards were well maintained and green, an unusual sight in September after the recent heat, and the houses were well kept. The sense of pride in the small community showed.

Driving down main street I realized that the road had just been redone and it reminded me of the movie Cars when Lightning McQueen fi nishes repairing the road. Most of the streets in Badger are paved roads, which is rare in towns the size of Badger.

Traveling east to west on Main St., a fi re station and an old depot caught my eye fi rst, then the local watering hole. In addition to the establishments mentioned previously, there are also other businesses on main street including a gas station, hair salon,

TANYA JENSEN, Town Clerk of Badger, is a great example of individuals pitching in to make their hometown great. In addition to traditional clerk duties, you might fi nd her mowing the park or cleaning the community hall.

massage parlor, post office, and an elevator. Next to the bar is the Legion/community hall where I met with Tanya.

The day we met, September 6, was her birthday and she let me know that she is glad that that specifi c birthday is over. Tanya is not one

Left: The Badger elevator, salon, massage parlor, and post offi ce, located on the south side of Main Street. Right: Badger City Park, featuring an old two-room school house in the background.

for recognition and that is easy to tell by her pleasant demeanor and kind personality. She has been the Clerk of Badger since 2002 as her second job and has worked full time at the Sanford Clinic in Lake Norden for 27 years. As some of her responsibilities for the town, she mows the Town Park and cleans the Legion/community hall - although she did not show me a specifi c job description or list of duties. Tanya also mentioned that she reads the water and electric meters in town and said that she enjoys the exercise in the summer, but it can be a challenging role in the winter when the snow piles up.

The Town board consists of Board Chair, Curt Holland, and Trustees, Levi Griffi n, and Diane Mulder. Tanya mentioned that being in a smaller community, everyone must chip in and complete projects together. Sometimes planning is the easier part compared to fi nding the time between their regular full-time jobs and being on the town board.

Badger has been very proactive, making changes to their electrical system and completing projects for the community along the way for the betterment of the community. The Board made the decision to start burying their overhead power lines in 2009 and completed the project in 2020. They also replaced the sidewalks on main street beginning with the north side in 2021 and fi nished the south side this year. The town has also shown interest in AMI Meters for both water and electric meters and hopes to complete that project in the near future.

Visiting with Tanya has shown me that you need to be selfl ess if you want your community to be the best it can be. One person doing a lot can’t get much done but a lot of people doing a little can make your HOMETOWN wonderful, no matter how big or little it may be! ■

PUBLIC POWER WEEK

OCTOBER 3-7, 2022

Public Power communities come in all shapes and sizes. Badger, South Dakota, is a Public Power Community, also known as Municipal Electric Utility. South Dakota is home to 35 Public Power Communities. Recognition of these communities of all shapes and sizes should be something we focus on this week. They are #communitypowered.