2023 has been an exciting year. From near record-breaking weather to big projects and events in Journal Country, it is always difficult to pick a top story of the year. But considering the long-term implications of this one and how many times it made the news, the Marshall County Courthouse project must be considered the top story of 2023.
The question of what to do about the county’s historical Courthouse has been in the news for years now. About five years ago, Marshall County voters said no to a bond that would have led to the courthouse being torn down in favor of a new building. County officials noted that people were not eager to tear down a historical building. This time around, the county had a different plan in mind: renovations to the existing building plus a new law enforcement center. According to the county, the goals of the project would be three-fold: To increase safety and security, to improve accessibility, and to add more space.
The matter would have to go before the voters to decide. The vote held on August 8 asked voters to support a $5 million bond referendum to fund repairs and renovations to the existing courthouse and a courthouse expansion. The county would be putting in an additional almost $5 million through reserves, grants and donations.
When the numbers were tallied, voters decided to pass the bond. The vote breakdown countywide was 388 voting ‘yes’ to issue bonds and 202 voting ‘no.’ Voter turnout was 20.967%.
In the months since the bond election, the commission and county officials have worked towards solidifying plans for the project. They hired the firm Comstock to act as construction manager. They hope to finish up building specifications soon and possibly put the project out for bid in the spring.
2 Extreme Weather Causes Problems
In last year’s version of our top ten stories, the number one was the wily South Dakota weather. This very well could have been the case again this year. The winter of 22-23 was a doozy. The ice storms in late ’22 gave way to snow and snow and more snow. According to the National Weather Service, to date in 2023, the Britton area has gotten around 65 inches of snow. This is not the record, but it is significantly above the average of 40 inches.
In early 2023, blizzard after blizzard led to a number of problems. Vehicles got stuck and buried in the snow. In the Veblen area, several vehicles got stuck even on the highway, including a semi and a charter bus. A fatal accident on Highway 10 attributed to the weather occurred in March.
By mid-April all of the snow started to rapidly melt, which led to another problem- flooding. New Marshall County Emergency Management Director Logan Roehr was kept on his toes, as well as public works and maintenance crews through the area responding to flooding. Various county roads saw water going over them, the shooting range at Hickman Dam was at one point a lake and the town of Langford saw backed up water due to a snow jam.
By May, when the flood damage was assessed $347,286.50 in damages had been reported. 93 sites of damage were recorded with almost all damage on the west side of the county. A Presidential Disaster Declaration due to the flooding was then made in July.
Despite all the snow and the following rapid melt, the summer months proved to be drier than normal. By the end of 2023, the annual precipitation level was still significantly below the average.
3 Snow Days Lead To Creative Solutions
Last winter caused headaches for everyone, but especially for school administrators and teachers. In a year that has brought an unprecedented number of days where getting to school was impossible, districts had to weigh how they would handle the less than ideal situation. Some schools chose to add days at the end of their regular calendar, and some started the school days earlier and went later. Many others, like Britton-Hecla and Langford Area, fully embraced virtual learning.
When the bad weather reared its ugly head in late 2022, B-H forgave the first five snow days. In other words, they would not have to make those up. After the five ‘free’ days were expended, the B-H Board agreed to use virtual learning
