By Alan Van Ormer
Tribune editor

Two billboards on I-29 have been targeted by Dell Rapids as one way of promoting the community.
“We have made a significant investment in improving our image downtown,” City Administrator S. L. Martin said after the Oct. 19 regular meeting. “We feel that we can better promote our downtown and the scenic assets around the community.”
Two different preliminary concepts, developed by Martin, were presented to the council at the recent board meeting. One design promotes historical aspects of the community and the other would consider the scenic assets of Dell Rapids.
The next step would be to investigate the cost of updating the images on I-29 and developing a theme, according to Martin.
In 2010, the city has allocated more than $30,000 from its third penny sales tax for promoting the community. That includes $2,000 for promoting the museum, more than $6,300 for the Minnehaha County Economic Development Association and $8,000 for the Dell Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.
In other business, a second fertilizer plant is being constructed in Dell Rapids.
In September, the Dell Rapids City Council approved a land rezoning request and conditional use permit so that the Dell Rapids Coop Grain could construct a new dry and liquid fertilizer plant to store bulk fertilizer. The new plant will hold 4,000 tons, which is two times larger than the current fertilizer plant. The new 21,000 square foot building replaces one that was built in the 1960s and will be constructed near the West Quarry plant in Dell Rapids. It will also include new technology and will store more fertilizer.
Now, a month later, the city council has approved a rezoning request to change a portion of land in the Sward Addition south of Centennial Place on Highway 115 from light industrial to general industrial. In addition, the board also approved a conditional use permit to allow Louis Geraets to establish a fertilizer application business and store fertilizer in a storage facility.
The 6,000 square foot facility will store 102,000 gallons of liquid fertilizer. The facility could be completed by the end of the year.
Louis Geraets, who provides custom tillage and fertilizing for farmers, said he will be using different materials, placing the material differently and the application timing is different.
“It helps farmers by making fertilizer usage more efficient and improving the soil quality,” he said.
In addition, Geraets said one-third of the square footage would be used for the liquid fertilizer, while the remaining space will hold additional products and allow for equipment maintenance.