LEAD, S.D. (AP) - For more than a century, gold mining gilded this mile-high company town, fueling the economy, supporting hundreds of jobs, and providing modern amenities such as telephones, libraries, medical services and an opulent opera house long before those conveniences followed the plow across the prairie to so many other places.
Then, when the Homestake Gold Mine closed in 2002 after 125 years in operation, putting scores out of work and leading to severe belt-tightening by a city government short of revenue, the ripple extended to every supplier, independent business and household in town.
More than a dozen years have passed since the Homestake silenced its drills and miners were replaced by scientists studying the mysteries of the universe at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Now, city government, a long-gone banker’s foundation and a still-operating gold mine are helping bring the town back to life while giving more than 250 local youths a safe-haven.
Two years ago, by a margin of just four votes, Lead residents decided to cease city funding of the Handley Recreation Center. The special election on Nov. 5, 2013, was the result of months of controversy swirling around the aging facility, its board, and some critics who complained that the Handley had no business plan and was a seemingly bottomless mine shaft for taxpayer dollars.
The $1.95-million, 26,506-square-foot Handley Recreation Center had opened in September 1989, replete with a swimming pool, kiddie pool, hot tub, walking track, sauna, racquetball courts, dance area and weight room. But over time the facility fell into disrepair and by 2011, its board had given up its YMCA franchise and closed its antiquated swimming pool, which had been draining $120,000 per year from its coffers.
In the estimation of many, the 2013 vote to stop municipal funding, decided by a margin of less than one-tenth of 1 percent, was the darkest hour Lead had faced since the Homestake closure and some predicted the decision would soon shutter the Handley.
But that didn’t happen.
“We were a one-man army against the world,” said Kayla Klein, who replaced her husband, Matt, on the five-member Handley Board of Directors shortly after the special election. “Back then our plans for the future were met with shoulder shrugs and raised eyebrows. The sense I got from people was, ’You really made a valiant effort. It’s too bad it’s not going to happen.’”
Faced with a do-or-die situation, and in order “to become a better business,” the Handley Board drafted a new business plan. When they shared it with local business leaders, several stepped up to help.
First Interstate Bank pitched in $10,000 to get the ball rolling, while former Handley Board president, veteran Lead city commissioner and Goldcorp-Wharf executive Ron Everett convinced his company to provide a $50,000 parting gift just as the mining company was sold to Coeur-Wharf. Then, Everett persuaded his new, Chicago-based company to donate an additional $150,000.
“This company believes wellness is an integral part of doing business for our employees and we also believe good employees need a great place to go with their families to keep physically fit,” Everett said last month from Coeur-Wharf’s 200-man operation near Lead. “That’s a good thing.”
Everett, one of those highly discouraged by the city vote two years ago, said the Handley’s recent successes didn’t just happen, but were the product of intense effort.
“It’s been an uphill battle,” he said. “Going out and raising funds for nonprofits is not an easy thing to do. It takes time. Now we’re reaping the benefits of people’s hard work and long-term vision.”
Handley supporters say one the most gratifying turnarounds they have witnessed is the return of city funding.
Although it is only part of what was contributed prior to the public vote, the Lead City Commission let the ordinance prohibiting municipal funding lapse after its first year, then restored some funding, albeit to the Lead Armory, owned and operated by the Handley. According to Lead City Administrator Mike Stahl, those funds totaled $21,628 in 2014 and $14,163 this year.
“The reason there were a lot of issues about funding the Handley was there was no business plan and no accountability on where the money was going,” said Mayor Jerry Apa, whose mayoral platform included stopping funding for the center. “You’ve got to feel good about the transformation because the problems have been addressed, they came up with solutions, and it is now a viable recreation center.”
In its most recent budget discussions, the city commission has agreed to contribute $60,000 directly to the Handley in 2016, Apa told the Rapid City Journal (https://bit.ly/1lkHcKO ).
The mayor said the Handley had reorganized, presented a plan on restructuring, opened the Boys & Girls Club of Lead-Deadwood and was now filling a niche not served by nearby Deadwood’s $6 million recreation center. Apa added the level of effort and a willingness to change the way the Handley was doing business warranted city support.
“They’ve done an excellent job,” Apa said. “They’ve got more full-time help. They are invested in the job, they are invested in the children, and they are invested in the town of Lead. That is a winning combination.”
To embrace that vision and pat the backs of those Handley Board members who never gave up, the Rapid City-based John T. Vucurevich Foundation recently announced a $200,000 grant to the organization.
Vucurevich Foundation Program Officer Carmen Hansen said last month that the grant recognized the Handley’s “increased diverse programming for all ages,” and a “reinvigorated board and partnerships created within Lead and Deadwood as well as the Boys & Girls Club.”
For Handley Board members, the latest major grant reaffirmed their commitment to their community and to a recreation center that nearly died. When combined with the sale of the Lead Armory in June, a deal that netted the Handley $150,000, board members say they can finally breathe again.
“The only time I haven’t felt like I was pushing a school bus uphill is right now,” Klein said last month. “We were living on our drive and our passion and the shear knowledge that we knew this was the best thing for our community. For the first time in two years, we have a sense of relief among board members.”
At long last, the Handley Board has decided to move forward with a comprehensive, three-phase reconstruction of facilities that could total $2 million.
“We are debt-free, which is an amazing thing for any business around here,” Klein said. “It was our one saving grace. It allowed us to focus on the future, without the burden of monthly payments.”
The first phase, estimated to cost $675,000, will use existing funds to fill the dilapidated swimming pool and replace it with multi-purpose sporting courts, according to Klein. They hope to have it completed in time for their largest annual event - the Mile-High Basketball Tournament in March - which attracts 88 teams and 3,000 spectators and players to the three-day contest.
Phase two would include new classrooms for a variety of uses, and remodeling of the rest of the main level, including locker rooms, sauna, front desk area, and a ballet studio. The second phase is estimated at $500,000, although tweaks might reduce that, Klein said.
Phase three would include renovation of the Handley’s lower level, including upgrades to racquetball courts, as well as the weight and cardio-room. It carries a $940,000 estimate, she said.
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Information from: Rapid City Journal, https://www.rapidcityjournal.com
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