A 3.1 percent unemployment rate as of July ranks Huron second lowest among South Dakota’s major cities, and as the recession ends the community has the opportunity for 250 new jobs in the next 18 months.

“We’re positioning ourselves to proceed when times are good,” Greater Huron Development Corporation Executive Director Jim Borszich said as part of Thursday’s annual State of the City luncheon.

The incoming class of Leadership Huron was also introduced.

In his half-hour power point presentation, Mayor David McGirr highlighted the city’s 2009 and 2010 projects, touched briefly on the proposed budget for next year and shared what he views are the next challenges and opportunities facing Huron.

While the community was impacted by the economic downtown along with the rest of the country, it continues to weather the storm much better than its counterparts in South Dakota where the unemployment rate has reached as high as 9 percent.

Still, a problem the city must focus on is additional housing units. The 2010 census is expected to reveal significant changes in population and demographics, the mayor said.

As it looks to the future and works to find efficiencies, the city’s new Green Energy Task Force is not only looking for ways to save energy but is also examining the potential of wind energy development, electric generation from the James River and converting household garbage into fuel pellets, McGirr said.

Success stories the city has enjoyed within the past year include Ravine Lake Park, a downtown façade improvement grant program, expansion at People’s Transit, the public library addition and renovation, a widened and rebuilt California Avenue Southwest and the relocated Veterans Memorial.

Others include the new baseball field and redesigned Memorial Golf Course and the south Huron walking trail.

The city is also making steady progress each construction season in replacing decades-old underground infrastructure.

“This is something that is out of sight, out of mind, but it takes a great deal of our time,” McGirr said.

Rather than digging up and replacing aging sewer lines, the city is now contracting to have the pipes lined. This summer alone, 2.5 miles were completed. Manholes dating to 1900 are also being rehabilitated in a new process that is less expensive than replacement.

Of the ongoing infrastructure projects, McGirr said, “it really does take a lot of work and most of it’s invisible to the public.”

New Americans With Disabilities rules dictate that cities install handicapped access on street corners before they can overlay the street.

In 2010, the city will continue its street milling and overlay work, street chip sealing and curb and gutter replacement. More improvements are scheduled to water mains, wastewater main lining and lift stations.

The city has been able to tap into grant funds and federal stimulus dollars to lessen the impact on tax revenues.

At the end of September, the City Commission will approve a $28.1 million budget that reflects a 2 percent increase over 2009. The city is projecting that sales taxes, which have remained steady despite the recession, will increase slightly in 2010, the first time in a decade.

Along with Borszich, the mayor also called on Steve Ochsner, executive director of the Huron Community Campus.

One of the challenges is to reintroduce Huron to higher education, and the new institution based at the Fine Arts Center is off to a strong start with partnerships with Presentation College, Mitchell Technical Institute and Dakota Wesleyan University.

First class productions are also being staged at the refurbished theater.

Ochsner called on audience members to be unofficial ambassadors for the community campus.

“You probably aren’t interested in furthering your education, but you all probably know someone who is looking to further their education,” he said.

Students will find many advantages in the programs, one of which is their flexibility in scheduling.

The city’s leading employer is Dakota Provisions, with 675 workers. A $250,000 wastewater screen is being built, the raw side of the turkey plant is at 100 percent capacity and the processed side is turning out 700,000 pounds of packaged product per week.

Despite the national trend, Huron’s housing market remains strong. The biggest shortage of houses are in the $50,000 to $150,000 range.

Huron Housing Authority recently completed a 40-unit complex in north Huron and is looking for grant funds to add 30 more units at Lampe Estates.





For the complete article see the 09-18-2009 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 09-18-2009 paper.