City installs safety railing

A city worker puts the finishing touches on a safety railing along the sidewalk that runs on the north side of Yellowstone Place. YPA President Lorraine Collins said she's pleased that the City of Spearfish responded so promptly in fabricating and installing the unit. There had been much concern that the sharp drop-off posed a serious safety hazard, particlarly in the winter time when the dropoff was obscured by snow or the sidewalk was wet or icy. The installation was completed on Tuesday, June 24th. Many thanks to the folks at City Hall and on-site who got the job done!

Collins, Toupal and Dingeman elected to Board

Lorraine Collins, Joani Toupal, and Paul Dingeman were elected to the Yellowstone Place Board of Directors on Tuesday (June 10) during the YPA Annual Meeting at the Cedar House Restaurant.

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Joani and Paul will serve three-year terms, while Lorraine -- who has served as Acting President during much of the year -- will serve a two-year term. For Joani, it was a return to the Board, having finished a stint last June. Paul was appointed to the Board in late 2007 to fill a vacancy.

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We are delighted that all three of these neighbors have agreed to serve the association. All three have already contributed much time, talent and energy to helping make Yellowstone Place a great place to live!

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Justin Nauta presented a Year-to-Date Financial Report. He stated that the association is in good financial shape; despite legal fees and expenses related to updating the CC&Rs and roof repair expenses, we still have $12,313.86 in the bank.

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Larry provided a summary of activities related to snow removal and yard maintenance. While damaged sprinkler heads have been repaired and most sprinkler systems activated, there are still a few tasks to be completed by Merle, including hydrant repairs and cleaning of gutters and downspouts. We'll also pursue the re-planting of a tree, some tree trimming, and a few other items.

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Lorraine noted that fence repairs are needed behind the north units; Joani said she has the name of a person who has done repair/maintenance work in the neighborhood and would share it with the Board. We'll also share that information with all residents. Lorraine is also working with the city regarding a storm sewer problem on the north side of the street.

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Mid-session, a severe thunderstorm passed through Spearfish, and many attendees departed. During a brief Board of Directors meeting after the Annual session, Lorraine Collins was elected President; Justin Nauta, Treasurer, and Larry Miller, Secretary. Lorraine and Justin were authorized to be the official bank signatories for YPA accounts.

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Because of the abbreviated gathering, some topics -- including a summer/fall social gathering and other topics -- were postponed. The next Board of Directors meeting will be at 7 o'clock, Tuesday evening, July 15th. While this is a Board meeting, we invite any and all resident to join us.

Floods wreak havoc in our area

Extremely heavy rains doused the northern Black Hills last week, causing numerous streams and rivers to go out of their banks. On Thursday, the Millers measured 5.25" of rain in their Yellowstone Place gauge in one 24-hour period. Downtown Spearfish experienced flooding when Spearfish Creek rose out of its channel and went up over Jackson Boulevard. There were other areas in the Spearfish vicinity that experienced flooding -- but nothing like our friends in Meade County.

Above is Janet Roorda's house in Belle Fourche, which has incurred much damage throughout the community. Many YPA neighbors will remember Jan and her late husband, Dick, who lived in Yellowstone Place for several years. Jan also served as YPA President for a time.

"Belle Fourche is a disaster area," Jan wrote to friends and relatives last Friday. Indeed, Governor Mike Rounds declared the entire state a disaster area due to heavy rains and widespread flood damage. Jan Roorda said rivers and creeks in Belle Fourche converged quickly and many people were evacuated from their homes. She said she was asked to leave her premises on Thursday, which was a good thing because there was a major water surge about 3 o'clock Friday morning that put everything under water.

As of this date, work is still being done to cope with damage from the flood. Streets closed. Homes flooded. Wells breached.

The first six months of 2008 have offered extremes that even South Dakotans find a bit unusual. From enormous winds in January to heavy snowfalls and record moisture in May. And now a very wet start to June. The photo at left shows the drainage area on the south side of Yellowstone Place. It's usually dry across this stretch, except when there's a heavy rainfall. On Thursday of last week, it reached the highest level we've seen in three years.

The rapid downpour caused at least two neighborhood downspouts to overflow. In that regard, YPA has made arrangement for Merle's Yard Service to clean gutters and downspouts in the next week or so.