Office of the Governor
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 6, 2001
For More Information: Bob Mercer or Mike Mueller, 773-3212

Janklow's Miner County Spruce Up Razes 39 Buildings and Two Grain Elevators

(Pierre) -- Gov. Bill Janklow's Spruce Up sweep through five Miner County communities last weekend razed 39 buildings and two large grain elevators, cut down or trimmed 138 trees, gathered scrap metal into piles for future collection, and cleaned up trash in Howard, Vilas, Roswell, Fedora, and Carthage and surrounding areas.

"This is what the Spruce Up program is all about," Janklow said of the weekend cleanup efforts, "people taking pride in their communities, then everybody rolling up their sleeves and pitching in. This was a great success."

Gov. Bill Janklow, center, helps secure a 1-inch steel cable from a National Guard bulldozer to the support beams inside an abandoned grain elevator last weekend during Spruce Up South Dakota efforts in Fedora.  Others in the photo include Tim Reisch, Deputy Secretary of Corrections, left, a state prison inmate, a National Guardsman, and Adjutant General Phil Killey, background.

One of the grain elevators in Fedora topples over.  Two century-old wooden grain elevators were demolished and burned during the Spruce Up weekend.

 

The Howard and Fedora volunteer fire departments burned some of the structures prior to the weekend so cleanup crews could concentrate on burying the remaining rubble. Two century-old grain elevators in Fedora were toppled, demolished, then burned over the weekend.

The Spruce Up cleaning crew was comprised of National Guard soldiers and equipment from Company B, 153^rd Engineer Battalion, from Madison and De Smet; 100 minimum security inmates from trusty units located in Yankton and Sioux Falls; area volunteer fire departments; local volunteers, and personnel from several state agencies. 

Janklow said the Spruce Up South Dakota idea came during his travels across the state as he saw dilapidated buildings, waste tire piles, abandoned vehicles, and gas stations that were no longer in service. He saw them as safety and environmental hazards, and an opportunity for today’s leaders to make their areas cleaner and safer for future generations.

For more information about the Spruce Up South Dakota project, visit http://www.spruceupsd.com/

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Note: a cleanup summary follows.

Miner County Spruce Up Weekend
June 2 & 3, 2001

City of Howard
1 house demolished & removed

Rural Howard
2 houses and 8 out-buildings burned
30 trees cut
scrap metal gathered

Vilas
1 house and 4 out-buildings burned
scrap metal gathered
8 trees cut

Roswell
6 buildings demolished
50 trees cut
general clean-up effort in the community

Rural Roswell-Fedora
2 houses burned
4 out-buildings burned
50 trees cut
scrap metal piled for collection

Carthage
3 buildings demolished
city-wide clean-up

Fedora
2 large wooden grain elevators toppled, demolished, & burned
1 house burned 
1 partially demolished house hauled away
6 other buildings removed
general clean-up effort in the community

Participating agencies
Miner County Community Revitalization
Miner County Highway Dept (4 dump trucks, 1 dozer, 2 loaders, 1 skid steer)
City of Howard (3 dump trucks, 1 loader, and numerous volunteers)
Carthage City (1 loader and volunteers)
Howard and Fedora Fire Departments
SD Department of Corrections (100 inmates, 9 correctional officers, 1 Lieutenant) 
Spruce Up SD program (3 Spruce Up coordinators and 2 equipment operators)
SD D.O.T. (2 dump trucks and 2 loaders)
SD National Guard (153rd EN BN -- 4 dozers, 1 truck w./ water trailer, 12 personnel)