Box Elder

Box Elder has added a second code enforcment officer to the team. 

The Box Elder Code Enforcement Division continues to actively patrol the City to ensure no safety of health issues are present and that general nuisance and zoning issues are delt with appropriately. 

This month, the department finished repairing East Box Elder Road, regraded Country Road, installed flashing beacons on all school zone signs around the Douglas School campuses, and repaired ten potholes. Additionally, the city snow response plans were reviewed, equipment/vehicles were prepared, and the team executed snow removal operations. Once the storm passed, the department continued to remove snow from neighborhood streets until clean up was complete.

The Liberty Center is a recreation facility planned to be completed in 2022, at a total cost of $12.6 million. It was designed by JLG Architects and construction services are being provided by Dean Kurtz Construction. The 60,000-square-foot building will provide Ellsworth Air Force Base airmen and the Box Elder community with a recreation area suited for a variety of activities, including sports and military ceremonies. It will also serve as a crucial replacement for the Pride Hangar, which is currently utilized for physical fitness activities on base.

The Box Elder Police Department is looking forward to a fantastic New Year and new recruits to our agency! Click on the JOB OPENINGS link to apply today!

The first of several structures is taking shape in the new Freedom Park located off 225th. This area is designed to house high-tech industry.       

The Box Elder Police Department would like to welcome our new Community Service Officer (CSO), Nicky Thomson to the agency! 

Aside from having been born in Utah and spending a few teen years in the sunshine state of California, Nicky is a long-standing Black Hills community member. She enjoys time in the beautiful hills with her family, photography, and scrapbooking all their adventures therein!

Nicky would like to say; "I am excited to get to work with our community and make a difference!"

When you see that white Community Service Officer truck rolling through town, give a waive to the driver- Officer Thomson.

Frito-Lay Dry goods distribution 

The concrete footings and base structure are in place for the start of construction of the Frito-Lay dry goods storage warehouse off line road. Time scale shows the facility should be completed by late summer 2022.  

The City Clerks Department continues to work toward the creation of a municipal clerks association for South Dakota.  We have also began working with other departments to begin the required process of redistricting.  Redistricting is required following the U.S. census every 10 years.

The Box Elder Police Department welcomed a warm holiday greeting from three little good guys! In the spirit of the season, BEPD wishes all of you safe and Happy Holidays!

This month, the Wastewater Department lead a repair to a 24 inch sewer main that was found damaged while working with contractors on the Liberty Plaza project. Additionally, the team partnered with a local company and oversaw the installation of a new manhole along North Ellsworth Road in support of the growing plaza project. The department has taken advantage of the warm weather and continued to locate and identify underground sewer lines and manholes to improve our utility mapping efforts.

Box Elder GIS creating maps

Due to Pennington County bridge issues on Hwy 14-16 a temporary truck route has been established. Our GIS team put together this easy to read map to help with traffic flow inside  Box Elder. 

On July 20, 2021, Nicole Schneider, was appointed & sworn in as the Chief Finance Officer of Box Elder.  Her commitment to the city and the accuracy of the financials has been outstanding.   We are excited to report 0 findings during the 2020 audit review for the third consecutive year! 

We have since moved right into preparing the 2022 Budget.  As we were collaborating and meeting with City departments and members of Council, it became apparent that road improvements are being asked for by you, the residents!   On July 20^th, Resolution 21-17 was approved by City Council to focus on road improvements throughout the City and Finance worked diligently to provide a feasible financing plan for these needed improvements (Resolution 21-18).

Winter winds have moved in once and for all. Tis' the season for the scraping of windshields and starting our cars before departures!

BEPD investigations would like to remind everyone; to never leave a running car unattended. That few moments it takes to start the car and run back inside to grab that warm cup of coffee, is all the time a car thief needs to make a break- with your wheels.

There are not any news updates regarding munipical elections.  There will not be any upcoming municipal election in the 2022 year (unless there is a vacancy created).  Thank you to everyone who voted in the municipal election on June 8th!

This month the Water Department has been focusing on infrastructure maintenance in its Zone 3 area (Box Elder Road West to 151st Avenue) of our water distribution system. This includes exercising isolation valves, lowering valve boxes, flushing hydrants, and lubricating components as necessary. These continuing maintenance actions are critical to extending the serviceability and lifespan of the city’s water distribution system.

The Parks Department took advantage of the unusually warm weather and widened some entrances to the walking trail around Veterans Park. This enhancement will help with preserving the gravel paths and reducing washout and improving the drainage underneath those paths. Additionally, the team has been hard at work repairing park picnic tables, conducting park rounds, and assisting with snow removal.

This month the Public Works team received a Christmas present that will be a great tool for all the divisions to use. The team took possession of a new Bobcat Toolcat with 3 attachments that include an angle broom, a lightweight bucket, and an articulating blade. These new additions will be used throughout the city during snow removal, park/Liberty Plaza maintenance, and upkeep to our coming city sidewalks. Thank you Mayor and City Council for providing these tools to our team. We appreciate it.