Armour, SD

Local Extension Educator Roger Barrick asked me to post this employment opportunity on the blog. The person selected to fill this post will be based out out of Lake Andes and will cover Douglas, Charles Mix, Bon Homme and Hutchinson Counties.

Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator-Charles Mix County
Cooperative Extension
South Dakota State University
Would you like to help individuals of all ages and families improve their quality of life?  Are you interested in using the best research available to provide financial resource management training, health and wellness information and education regarding human development and family relations to families and adults of every age?   If so, the SD Cooperative Extension Service is looking for YOU!

RESPONSIBILITIES
Develop and deliver programming in the areas of financial resource management, human development and relations across the lifespan and nutrition, health and wellness to individuals and families according to identified needs. In conjunction with other agencies and organizations, provide connections to resources and provide education that will facilitate those being served to make informed choices regarding managing their resources, improving the quality of their life and overall health and well being.  Work with colleagues in the county, Field Education Unit, District and across the state to deliver programs relevant to the target audiences, using well researched programs and materials. Evaluate programs and services delivered to determine effectiveness and efficiency.  Serve as a connector to the land grant system for all individuals in the geographic area served.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree in family and consumer science, home economics, human ecology or other related field.  Must be able to use a personal computer for basic word processing and email.  Ability to communicate well verbally and in writing is essential.  Must have a valid SD driver’s license and personal auto or be able to obtain both prior to beginning employment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Master’s degree in family and consumer sciences, home economics, human ecology or other related field and/or experience in teaching and research.

SALARY:
The salary is commensurate with education and experience.

UNIVERSITY/COMMUNITY:
SDSU is a land grant institution and the state’s largest institution of higher education.  The Cooperative Extension Service has a network of educators in nearly every county and specialists in Brookings and Rapid City, primarily.  This position is located in Lake Andes, SD. and serves a multi-county field education unit.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  June 24, 2008

APPLICATION PROCESS:
SDSU accepts applications through an on-line employment site.  To apply, visit:  http://yourfuture.sdbor.edu, search by the position title, view the job announcement, and click on apply for this posting.  The system will guide you through the electronic application form.  The employment site will also require the attachment of a cover letter, resume, and reference page.  Please contact SDSU Human Resources at (605) 688-4128 if you require assistance with this process.

For questions on the position, contact Corrine Huber at 605-865-3205.

Many of us take it for granted that we can read this blog that I am posting. What if it was just a bunch of shapes that you were looking at and wondering “what does that say?”. Unfortunately in our society there are too many people who are unable to read & write. Many of them go through their life without other people realizing it. Illiteracy is a growing epidemic in our nation. 42 million American adults can’t read at all - another 50 million read at only fourth or fifth grade levels. This number of functionally illiterate adults increases by approx. 2.25 million each year.  That is a scary number but with 20 percent of graduating high school senior being functionally illiterate that number is not surprising.

What does this lead too? Well 70% of all prisoners in state and federal prisons are classified as illiterate. 70% of all people entering state correctional facilities have not completed high school and 14% have no high school education at all. 85% of juvenile offenders are classified as being functionally or marginally illiterate. 43% of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty. WOW are those some scary statistics or what! Add to that a recent newspaper article stated that 1 in 100 people in our nation are in prison. So in a town of 800 that would figure out to 8 people in prison and with the 70% of them being illiterate that would equate to 5 of those people from our town being illiterate.

Or how about this tidbit of information. Do you know how they determine in SD how many jail cells will be needed in the future? They look at the 2nd grade reading level in our schools.

Yes reading is very important. It is the building block for a successful school experience. If you can’t read or read well all other subjects are going to suffer.

Parents, grandparents, and others one of the greatest gift and advantage you can give a child is to read to them from birth on. The knowledge they gain from that will serve them a life time. As they grow and learn to read let them read to you. It builds their skills and confidence. The next time you are buying a present for a youngster (of any age) consider purchasing a book as the gift. It opens up a whole world of imagination, information and enjoyment.

We live in a society where our youth are not competing for jobs with someone down the street or highway but with people on another continent half way around the world. We need to instill in our youth the importance of an education and the skills they will obtain to take them through life. An education is never wasted and can never be taken away from you.

We are fortunate in our small town to have a nice library and to have an organization that promotes literacy. The local Women in Action group sponsor several reading programs. One is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. This is where Dolly gives books to youth from birth to 5 years of age. The local WIA group pays for the postage. They also help sponsor the summer reading program at the library. Finally they sponsor the Prairie Readers Competition at the school. This involves not only Armour students but students from Tripp/Delmont, Lake Andes, Corsica, Stickney and Dakota Christian. The students have been working hard since before Thanksgiving reading books and practicing for the competition. This is a team of 4 students in a quiz bowl type of setting pitting their knowledge of books against teams from other schools. This competition is on March 31st at noon at the Armour School.  Come see between 250 - 300 students compete  and show their love of reading.

Market Your Area — A Horizons Regional Seminar
Tuesday, March 25
Armour Blue Moon
5:30 p.m. — Dinner
7-9:15 p.m. — Seminar

The Heartland Center in Lincoln, NE, helps local leaders respond to current and future challenges in their community by bringing people together to learn how to become better decision makers.

Milan Wall, Co-Director of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, is a management and communications expert with more than 30 years experience in dealing with the critical issues facing American society and culture. Milan will work with SD communities to discover strategies useful for marketing their areas to future residents and businesses.

This event is free and open to the public. Please call Donna Brenner at 724-2818 by Monday, March 24, if you plan to attend so we have an accurate count for the meal. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend this seminar!

Those of you who know me well, know that I am not particularly political. I can pretty easily look at a political issue or candidate and see both sides. Perhaps it is from years of editorial writing–who knows? At any rate, there is a lot of controversy right now over a local zoning issue that some people say is going to impact economic development in Douglas County. Of course, there are two perspectives on what the economic development impact will be like.

The Douglas County Commissioners are proposing a change to the setback distance required for animal confinements built in the county. Currently, the setback distance for animal confinements of more than 1,000 head of cattle or 2,500 head of hogs is one-mile. In essence, this means that you can’t build a confinement unit larger than this closer than one mile to the nearest home, church or school without obtaining a special permit. To obtain the permit, the effected neighbors have to sign a waiver. Oh, one thing I should add is this: units smaller than 1,000 cattle or 2,500 hogs aren’t regulated under the current zoning ordinance. It is my understanding they can be built almost anywhere.The proposed change to the zoning ordinance would reduce the setback distance from one mile to one-half mile. That means that a confinement unit of any size could be built as close as one-half mile to a house, church or school without needing a special permit. A special permit would still be needed to build closer than a half mile.

Those in favor of the change say that it is necessary for economic development. They say large animal confinement units are more efficient, they will bring jobs to the area, grow our schools and may save our struggling rural economy. While large animal confinement facilities may provide some short-term economic benefits, based on everything I have studied since we began the Horizons project last year, I cannot find any research that show there are any sustainable benefits to local economic development.

During the past year, I have had several opportunities to hear economic development professionals from both inside and outside South Dakota speak about rural economic development. Almost every speaker said that rural communities that have invested a majority of their financial and human resources into “smokestack chasing” (or trying to attract outside industries, investors or corporations to bring in a larger number of jobs all at once) have failed. Each expert cited different reasons for the failures, such attracting blue-collar vs. white-collar industries, lack of infrastructure in communities, lack of housing, insufficient support services such as public transportation, tax incentives cost other taxpayers more, etc. While there are too many reasons to list them all here, I do want to mention the one they all agreed on: a town or a county can’t expect some outside investor, corporation or industry to “save it.” Sustainable growth must build from within a community. Small businesses owned by someone with a vested interest in the community (where they live and their kids attend school) are always more likely to be successful and are a better investment.

I read an excellent article on this subject by John Ikerd, an Agricultural Economist at the University of Missouri at Columbia. The article is long (10 pages, small type), but it details why some people have concerns about large-scale animal confinements, why some people support them and what rural communities must consider as they make their choice whether to invite them into their area. The article reminds people that sustainable economic development must be built on three cornerstones: ecological soundness, economic viability and social justice. These three cornerstones must ALL be present for long-term sustainability, not just one or two of them. The article also reminds us that we must consider the well being of the community as a whole.

If you live in Douglas County and are going to have an opportunity to vote on this issue, I would encourage you to do your own research before the March 4 election. Like we have learned through the Horizons’ project, we need to work together to plan for future development in our community. Ikerd says, ”Rural people must become activitely involved in shaping the destiny of their communities.” I think he’s right. It’s up to those of us who live here to make choices for our community based on research, reason and concern for the long-term well being of our community. We can’t base out decisions on emotion or because short term solutions are often easier.

If you are interested, here is the link to the article by Ikerd. I’m know there are many others, but I like this one because Ikerd is an academic who can afford to be a “neutral party.” So many of the articles I read are by groups or individuals directly involved in the issue, who of course, have bias toward one side or another. I also like the fact that Ikred’s article is written in layman’s terms: http://www.p2pays.org/ref/16/15444.htm 

I’ll be interested to hear what others think.

Throughout the Horizons program in Armour, we’ve been asked to consider how our goals and actions will reduce poverty in our community. I think that many of us did not give poverty a lot of thought before we started Horizons, but now it is a topic of consideration and discussion within the community. Our Study Circles, in particular, put poverty into perspective for many of us who participated. I will never forget how one member of my circle shared that a number of our elderly citizens must live on Social Security checks that are less than $500 per month. How is that even possible? My husband and I can easily blow through five hundred bucks by taking a weekend trip to an antique show. What if that was all we had to live on?

Armour’s Horizons participants have shown their commitment to reduce poverty by staying committed to the program and continuing to follow through on the goals we wrote in our Strategic Plan:

1. To support and grow the business sector of Armour and the surrounding area.
2. To determine the feasibility of seeking funding from outside resources for community enrichment officer in collaboration with other communities.
3. To develop housing within the city limits of Armour.
4. To enhance and improve the facilities at Lake Alcazar and Lions Park to allow people of all income levels to experience outdoor camping activities close to home through construction of one or two one-bedroom cabins at Lake Alcazar by September 1, 2008.

As you read here earlier this month, we have been busy promoting our Strategic Plan. We held a celebration during our Christmas In Armour celebration at the beginning of December to present the plan to the community. The feedback we received was very positive. Members of our town are excited about the plans and goals set forth by the Horizons group and want to see the efforts reach successful conclusions.

In further detail, our Strategic Plan addresses poverty reduction by explaining how our various goals will impact poverty. For example, our lake cabin project is a quality of life issue. If the cabins are available at low cost, they will provide a recreational opportunity for families who do not have a lot of financial resources. The cabins will also showcase a beautiful part of our community and add an additional amenity to an already well-used park.

Another example of poverty reduction that’s built in to our Strategic Plan is the objective of working with Planning and Development District III to compile a list of all housing programs that are available in South Dakota. There are programs available to assist lower income families with upgrading their current housing situations. Our Horizons works has shown us that people with limited resources are working hard just to keep their families above water. They may not have the time or resources to research programs that may be beneficial. If our Horizons members do the legwork, we may be able to assist people who have little time to investigate options on their own.

If you haven’t taken time to read our Strategic Plan, I’d still encourage you to do so. And Horizons members, if you haven’t taken a look at it in a few weeks, it might be a good time to refresh your memories and re-connect with the projects we are working on. The holidays have been a busy time … the beginning of a new year is a good time to pause for reflection and gear up for new work on our goals.

The Armour Parent Teachers Together did not meet in December. We thought we would give everyone a break so they could take care of some things in their busy schedules. The good news is the school received the paperwork on the Breakfast Program and everything is great. The Program will start after the Christmas Break. My understanding is that the first day will be Belgian Waffles so we hope there is a good turnout and sign up for the breakfast. We plan on meeting again in January and we also encourage parents and teachers to notify us if there are any special speakers or topics they want brought to the meeting. We encourage everyone to participate. There is a lot of good information out there and we are always looking for input and participation. Even just coming to the meetings for that hour is greatly appreciated. It is considered an investment in our children. Thank you to everyone and Merry Christmas!!
Nicole Neugebauer
Parent Teachers Together

As we watched the ice & sleet come down on Saturday, Dec. 1st it was debatable as to the wisdom of continuing our event. However we do live in SD and it was December. Yes it would have been nicer if the weather was warmer but it was great to see the main street aligned with cars for bingo and later for the parade of lights. The celebration event for our horizon project was planned for this evening because of the chance to have people to view our plans and ideas who may not have ventured out for “another meeting”. The time of year is so hectic one with Christmas parties, church programs, basketball games and just holiday seasonal plans. We felt to combine it with our Christmas in Armour would be a way to combine some of the December events.

Click on photos to open a larger version.
The Horizons Strategic Plan Celebration was held Saturday, December 1. It was combined with Armour’s annual Christmas Promotion. A variety of events drew a large crowd to town. Visitors were treated to a band playing holiday tunes on Main Street.

As I stood at the booth that afternoon and evening and visited with people it was a pleasant surprise to have such positive feedback. The lake cabins and housing projects were very popular. One gentlemen from Sioux City was very excited about the cabins. They visit quite frequently in the area and would use them. The youth were very excited about being able to use them for family & scout outings. The cabins will allow an outing for families who are unable to afford the camper and trip to the campground. It would allow some relaxation and family time during a time when that is hard to come by.

We created a display with information about all of our Horizons goals. We also distributed copies of our Strategic Plan to those who attended the celebration.

Young families were interested in the housing ideas we had on display. It gave them thoughts of upgrading to a larger home to accomodate growing families. We have come to realize we are in housing shortage. Many young families who have a member working in town live out of town because of no housing. Thus less young families living in town and children not attending our local school.

One exciting item of interest was visiting with a young adult in high school. This YA commented on how they read the blogs all the time and how exciting it is for them to see what is going on in our community. I encouraged the person to “blog’ too and let us know their viewpoint and ideas for our community. This is our future - without the young people we will no longer exist.

Overall it was a good evening. Yes it could have been better but as in anything it could always be better but it was successful evening. During my years in extension when I would worry about if a program had reached enough people a professor friend always told me - if you helped one person gain information it was worth it. We hope to find a place to display our boards for public viewing and questions. Thank you to all who helped in the organizing and displaying of the Horizon project.

Armour-area residents are invited to attend to a “Village” gathering at 7 p.m. Monday, December 3, at the Douglas County Courthouse.

Presenters include the Douglas County States Attorney, Douglas County Child Protection Team and the First Circuit Court Appoint Special Advocate (CASA) program.

Topics for the evening will be: What is child abuse? Inappropriate forms of discipline. Services available for families.

Call the CASA program for more information — 605-996-1212.

Armour doesn’t have a motel. Well, that’s technically not true. A small portion of our motel is still in operation, but it’s only two rooms. At various times members of the community have looked into the possibility of building a new motel, but … wow … is that ever expensive!

So, we got creative. We came up with a way to create a new form of lodging that will enhance a community asset that is already successful. Armour has a great Lions Park (located on the north end of town just east of Highway 281) with a bathhouse and campsites. It’s adjacent to Lake Alcazar, which is a scenic area on the east edge of town.

We were familiar with the success that the State of South Dakota has had using prison labor to build cabins that are placed in our state parks. If prisoners can do it, so can we. So, one of our long-term Horizons projects is to build a couple of cabins in Lions Park. This project is right up the Horizons alley because we’ll use volunteer labor and buy all our supplies from our local merchants to build a new asset for our community.

Horizons member Kevin Leonard summed up the value of working together on the cabin project at a meeting of the Armour Community Development Corporation.

“When you get people doing stuff like that together, it accomplishes more than you realize.”

Kevin’s right — strengthening our bonds as a community will make Armour a better place to live.

The Amour Community Development Corporation (ACDC) met Thursday, October 25, and discussed a variety of topics. Earlier this year the ACDC declared housing as its top priority. The group has a 96′x142′ building site that is available for new home construction. The parcel could be divided into two residential lots and a lot would be FREE to anyone willing to construct a traditional stick-built home on the site.

One of the long-term Horizons projects is to create new housing in our community. So, the oppotunity to work with the ACDC couldn’t come at a better time.

Armour has always excelled at coming together when something needs to get done. Our movie theater is a community project that has enjoyed the support of individuals and organizations for eight years now. We know the value of working together.

So, we have some land and we needs some houses … what’s next?