Centerville Economic Development Corporation - Our Mission Statement
Centerville: A friendly, family-oriented community built on traditional values, providing youth with a high quality education, promoting and supporting local businesses and providing a high quality of life.
To achieve our mission, the Centerville Development Corporation will:
1) Promote, support and encourage the growth and development of business in Centerville. To do this, we must actively support business retention and expansion in the area.
2) Improve the quality of affordable housing for the citizens of Centerville. The continued development of an affordable housing project and the revitalization of existing neighborhood housing is of utmost importance.
3) Identify, recruit and train our future leaders, recognizing that Centerville's future will ultimately rest on tomorrow's leaders.
Centerville Development Corporation 2011 GOALS and RESULTS
HOUSING
TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT GRANT
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT
REVITALIZATION
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
OTHER
Centerville Development Corporation 2012 GOALS and RESULTS
HOUSING
TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT GRANT
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & REVITALIZATION
CAPACITY BUILDING
Past, Present & Planned Activities of the Centerville Development Corporation
PAST: Prior to being organized as a nonprofit corporation, Centerville Development operated informally as community club, encouraging and assisting prospective businesses and other areas of community development. Over the years the organization played a large role in attracting businesses such as the Good Samaritan Center, Fireball Decals, Automatic Irrigation and Hefty Seed Company.
On November 13th, 1996 the Centerville Community conducted a needs survey. Thirty-six community members identified the following projects as our top five priorities by total votes:
1) Single family housing - 26 votes
2) Website for Education and Economic Development - 21 votes
3) Adult & Continuing Education Program - 21 votes
4) Business Retention - 17 votes
5) Walking Path at the Dam - 16 votes
1997: Centerville was one of Turner County communities on steering committee to develop an enterprise facilitation program. Southeast Enterprise Facilitation Project (SEFP) was formed as "grass roots" service to assist entrepreneurs in the development and expansion of local businesses.
1998: Centerville Development Corporation received Certificate of Incorporation as a Non Profit Corporation.
1999: Stan Schmiedt, long-time community leader and past president of the Centerville Development Corporation, was recognized as winner of the 1999 South Dakota Excellence in Economic Development Award by Governor Bill Janklow at the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) conference.
2000: Centerville Development made its first attempt at a community housing project, by purchasing and constructing Governor's House duplex. These homes were designed for senior citizens or disabled. They were eventually sold to young, first-time home buyers.
2002: Centerville Development successfully negotiated the sale of pharmacy to Pioneer Memorial Hospital, retaining a pharmacy in Centerville. We received community Project of the Year at the state GOED conference.
2004: Centerville participated in community assessment sponsored by SD Rural Development Council. 125 community members identified the following five projects for Centerville: 1) Single Family Housing, 2) Business Retention and Expansion, 3) Development of Infrastructure, 4) Programs for Youth (Daycare), 5) Develop Community Vision/Leadership.
2005: The South Eastern Council of Government (SECOG) sponsored Leadership Plenty to develop and encourage leadership skills in potential young leaders. Seventeen community members participated in the nine-week course.
2006: SECOG facilitated community-wide strategic planning. Priorities identified were; 1) housing, 2) daycare, 3) business retention/expansion, 4) 125th Celebration planning, 5) establish economic development position.
2007: The position of part-time economic development coordinator was established. We partnered with Sioux Empire Housing Partnership (SEFP) in completing the development and sale of two affordable spec homes to young families moving into the community. We began Broadway Beautification Project, Centerville's 125th Celebration planning, partnered with daycare board in developing plans and identifying grants/fundraising for community daycare center.
2008: We continued beautification project, hosted successful 125th celebration & celebration website, developed community website, community daycare center opened, worked with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department on plans to clean-up and landscape old dam site.
2009: We again partnered with SEHP, receiving grant funding under Neighborhood Stabilization Project to revitalize foreclosed and blighted community housing to provide affordable housing to low and very low income families. Partnered with SECOG in visiting our local businesses to identify their needs, develop relationships and assist with retention and expansion plans. We hosted regional housing conference and volunteer appreciation night. We partnered with NESCAP &SEFP receiving $4,000 of grant funding for capacity building. The funds were used by CDC members to attend state GOED and national Neighbor Works economic development training, grant-writing, fundraising and National Development Council housing training. We are also partnering with SECOG and community organizations in applying for Safe Routes to School grant.
2010: We worked with SECOG in applying for and receiving a transportation enhancement grant for $335,000 for a bike path, $203,000 for Safe Routes to School and $25,000 for Land & Water Conservation Fund for playground equipment. We also built and found a buyer for a new spec home and demolished/reconstructed a Governor’s house on an abandoned lot under HUD’s NSP Program. We purchased the old Dollar Store and have a business prospect interested in leasing with an option to purchase the building. We applied for tax exempt status under 501c3 designation. We continued to offer training opportunities to CDC members through attendance at the Tourism Conference, NDC Housing Finance Certification, Neighbor Works Economic Development training and Fundraising School.
FUTURE: The projects we identified on November 13th, 1996 are still relevant today: 1) Affordable single family housing we plan to continue building new homes and revitalization of existing neighborhoods. 2) We will continue to develop and improve our community website and are developing a Housing Resource Center website. 3) We will continue our education in community leadership development and capacity building. 4) We will continue to work with local businesses in retention and expansion. 5) We will administer SRTS grant and consider applying for additional grant funding in 2011. We will continue our plans and administer grants to develop bike path and playground equipment project, continue our beautification project, expanding to dam and boulevard. New projects under consideration also include developing a Main Street Program.
Centerville Development Corporation Partners
The Centerville Development Corporation works in partnership with several community organizations as well as regional, state and national agencies to provide needed services and products to individuals and businesses in Centerville. Some of these include:
The South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development
South Eastern Council of Governments
South Eastern Development Foundation
Southeast Enterprise Facilitation Project
USDA Rural Development
South Dakota Community Foundation
South Dakota Housing Development Authority
Small Business Development Center
Sioux Empire Housing Partnership
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in South Dakota
Dakota Flavor
Centerville Development Corporation Members
Economic Development Coordinator: Bill Hansen (email: bjhansen@hcinet.net)
Members: Jay Ostrem, Susan Overgaard, (email: susano@firstmidwestbank.com),
Greg Baker, Ed Poll, John Limoges, Darren Hefty, Jacquelynn Skotvold, Harry Smith (email: hfsmith@LikeADuckPublishing.com)