Oldham, SD

Pictures provided by Darlene Duffy. You can view the before pictures in a previous blog entry. Just scroll down the page to see what it looked like before           

This is one of the first steps by the Horizons group and the OAIC toward accomplishing our strategic goals. This is the first house to be demolished to make building lots available free to anyone who will build a house on the lots. Once the clean up is completed there will be 4 lots available with room for 2 houses. The OAIC is also looking into the governor’s housing program and some other possible funding sources to get a jump start on development of affordable housing options. Check back later for more updates and after pictures.

The key to sustaining changes made is to support the people who have stepped up into the leadership roles and try to get more people involved in projects. Many hands make light work.

The Oldham Area Improvement Corporation can seek, receive, and monitor the resources, the committees can report to the OAIC.

With the newly formed Oldham Area Improvement Corporation we will be able to apply for resources to accomplish the goals we have made in our strategic plan. The board of the OAIC will make decisions on which grants or loans to apply for. The committees of the various strategic plans will be able to make recommendations. Everyone is encouraged to be on a committee.

This house has been demolished in the past week and the lots will be cleared and fill hauled in to make them ready for new houses. Our Horizons groups are moving ahead with the objectives in the strategic plan. The new OAIC has obtained these 4 lots from the county and will make them available for free to anyone that will build a new house and the committee is also looking into placing a governor’s house on two of the lots. It takes 2 lots to build a house so we now have room for 2 new houses. We are working with the county commission and some absentee landowners to obtain more lots in town. There has only been one new house built in Oldham in the past 35-40 years so we want to encourage development and hope that free improved lots will attract interest in building in the community. There would be some after pictures but we are currently snowbound with this late spring snowstorm so I wasn’t able to get the after photos. Check back later and track the progress.

Through the Horizon’s program the community has recognized the need to have an organization to seek resources for programs and projects identified through our Horizon’s strategic plan. We created the Oldham Area Improvement Organization and sought 501c3 tax exempt status. We received that in February. With that OAIC will be able to seek out and obtain resources to carryout the goals outlined in the strategic plan. Todate we have not obtained funding for any of the projects but are working on ways to obtain resources from several organizations.

I think people have become more aware of leadership in the community. People are taking more of an interest in the community. They recognize the need for changes to reverse the trends that have been going on for the past several decades. We had a very good turnout for our city elections. We have a new mayor and councilman that will be taking office in May. Both people have been active in the Horizon’s program.

This blog is brought to you by Evan Jensen, a student at Oldham-Ramona High School and resident of Oldham.

About twenty couples attended the Oldham-Ramona High School Prom on Saturday, the 12th of April, 2008. The prom was originally set for Friday the 11th, but blizzard conditions and snow made roads impossivle to travel. Thsi years thems was “Hollywood, a Red Carpet Affair.” The grand march was held at 6:30 in the Oldham gym. Immediately following the march, couples rode to the Spring Lake Hunting Lodge (located 4 miles east of Oldham - wonderful establishment) for the banquet. Pictures and a dance followed the delicious supper until midnight.

The After-prom was held at Flandreau Entertainment Center this year. Everybody bowled, played arcade games, and were awarded prizes throughout the night. At about 4:00 AM, the buses departed for Oldham after the excitement-filled night.

With an election just one week ago and a strong voter turnout we are forward Oldham. Spring is here and we are moving forward with new leaders on our city council. More people are comming out when we ask for help on projects in our community. Horizons has helped to open our eyes to all who live here and make this their home . Please don’t feel you have to be asked to help with a project, come on out and be a part of community clean-up night. We all work together young and old to better our town and community. If you have a project and need a little more help than what you can do yourself, call on a Horizons leader or your city council members. Please remember to join us for clean-up night Friday April 25th. Many hands make for lighter work. We will have food and fellowship to follow. See you there! connie b

The annual wild game feed was a huge success again this year. This is an annual fundraising event for the Volunteer Fire Department and the Potato Day Committee. The feed was held on April 13 at the Oldham Saloon. Almost 200 people sampled the fare which included mallard duck breast, wild game goulash, and several other tasty dishes. Many thanks to all those that make this event such a huge success.