City to waive late fees, shutoffs

The City of Custer will not charge late fees for water, wastewater and garbage for April or May, nor will it shut off water for late payment during those two months. The Custer City Council approved waiving the fees and shutoffs by a unanimous vote at its April 6 meeting as part of its effort to assist the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The council’s  meeting was once again held with a skeleton crew at the physical council chambers, as only alderwomen Carrie Moore and Peg Ryan were at the meeting, along with Mayor Corbin Herman and city finance officer Laurie Woodward. The remainder of the council called into the meeting, as did the city’s other department heads.

The waiving of the fees comes on the heels of the council’s second and final reading of an ordinance declaring a public health emergency which was passed at a special meeting of the council April 2 and went into effect April 9. 

The ordinance requires all restaurants, food service locations, food courts, coffee houses, bars, breweries, distilleries, clubs, cafes and other similar places of public accommodation offering food and beverage for on-site consumption be closed to on-site customers, but may still offer take-out, delivery, curbside service and drive-though.

In addition, all churches, recreational facilities, public pools, health clubs, athletic facilities, theaters and music and entertainment venues are to close. All other retail and service businesses in which more than 10 people are gathered or permitted to gather in the facility are directed to close. 

Excluded from this are grocery stores, retail and service businesses in which fewer than 10 people are gathered or permitted to gather, pharmacies, drug stores, food pantries and health care facilities. 

In other words, retail businesses except those explicitly named above can stay open provided they don’t allow more than 10 people to congregate at once inside their store. Family Dollar and Dollar General fall into the “grocery store” category under the ordinance and are allowed to remain open. The council may further define what businesses are “essential” at a future meeting.

The ordinance has no stated end date, but will be in effect until such time it is suspended or repealed. The council will discuss whether or not the ordinance is still needed at every council meeting until such time the council deems it is safe to lift the rules.

Globally there have been 1,968,943 documented cases of the virus, resulting in 123,783 deaths. Over 464,000 people have recovered. In the U.S., there have been 598.737 cases, with 24,770 deaths and 38,015 recoveries.

In South Dakota there are 868 cases to date, of which 655 are active. There have been six deaths in the state caused by the virus.

Most of the cases in South Dakota are on the eastern side of the state, where Minnehaha County has 768 cases and Lincoln County has 55 cases. In the Black Hills, Pennington County has nine cases (of which five have recovered), while Lawrence County has nine, all of whom have recovered. Fall River County’s one case has also recovered.

In other news from the April 6 meeting, the council:

• Approved up to $2,000 for wayfinding signs to be placed along the Mickelson Trail/spur in Custer. The locations include French Creek Park, Way Park, Custer County Sheriff’s Office, Custer Visitor Center, Harbach Park, Custer City Hall, Monument Health-Custer Hospital, the football field and track complex, Bark Park and near the schools.

The signs were generated from the Recreation Initiative Team that came out of a recent city assessment, that team being led by Colleen Hennessy.

• Approved applying for a recreational trails grant that would pay for 80 percent of the phase two trailhead work of the Harbach Park project, with the city paying the other 20 percent. Among the work in that part of that phase would be relocation of a portion of the Mickelson Trail and construction of a foot bridge to connect the park to SkyWalk Trail.

• Decided to forego department head discussion and committee reports during the meeting.

In other COVID-19 news, Crazy Horse Memorial officials announced that in support of prevention and the collective well-being of the community, it will remain closed until further notice. The situation will continue to be evaluated and the public will be advised of the memorial’s status.

Last Thursday Gov. Kristi Noem extended her initial State of Emergency declaration from March 13. A State of Emergency declaration allows the governor to activate certain emergency powers so the governor and state agencies can respond to the fullest extent necessary and use all resources available to fight the virus’ spread. The executive order also clarifies that other previous executive orders are extended through the duration of this emergency.

The State of Emergency in South Dakota is now extended until May 31. 

The S.D. Department of Human Services reminds the state’s elderly population that assistance is available through the department’s nutrition program.

The program provides access to healthy meals, education and counseling about food safety and healthy eating. It is targeted at adults age 60 and older who are in the greatest social and economic need. There are no income guidelines for this program. 

Meals are provided on a voluntary donation basis.  Individuals may sign up for meals directly with a nutrition provider in their area.  

For a complete list of nutrition providers and locations, visit sdnutrition.net or call Dakota at Home at 1-833-663-9673 if you are experiencing difficulty in finding a nutrition site in your area.

Additional nutrition options may be available for those individuals under the age of 60 with qualifying disabilities. Contact Dakota at Home to learn more.

South Dakota will be the first state to conduct a hydroxychloroquine trial to test against Covid-19, Gov. Kristi Noem announced Monday. She announced the trial in a series of tweets.

“We’ve received the initial doses we need,” Noem said. “We’re now the first state to do a full clinical trial to test whether hydroxychloroquine can treat and perhaps prevent #COVID19.”

The Black Hills Playhouse has postponed its 2020 season with the intent to celebrate the 75th season in 2021. For the first time since 1946, the Playhouse will not have a season of summer theatre.