Feb. 1, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Valley Energy.

The city of Hills, Minnesota, had a tax-forfeited building it could not sell but instead had to use for community betterment.

There were ideas — a fitness center and other concepts — but a “day care kept coming up because we knew it was a problem in our town,” Hills Mayor Keith Elbers said.

Like many places, southwest Minnesota lacks enough options for child care. Hills, located just east of Valley Springs, South Dakota, south of Interstate 90, became the site of an innovative approach: the Hills Childcare Project.

It started with renovating the tax-forfeited property on Main Avenue, which now will house up to three independently run child care centers. A donation from Sioux Valley Energy’s REVIVE 2030 program, along with a grant from the cooperative’s Operation Round Up® program, plus a commitment from New Vision Co-op will help purchase playground equipment. The facility features a shared green space donated by Alliance Communications, which will house the playground equipment.

“We all have seen the need for day care providers, and an opportunity was brought before us, so we thought we would address the need for child care,” Elbers said. “It has been a process way more than I could have imagined, but with the help of a committed City Council and staff, and unbelievable assistance from many partners, we are proud to offer a new facility to address the child care need for the city of Hills and surrounding area.”

Sioux Valley Energy, through its REVIVE 2030 program, has been partnering with communities throughout the region like Hills to help them identify needs, secure resources, create partnerships and develop community plans. Sioux Valley Energy’s economic development and community relations executive Brandon Lane said his job is to bring people together.

“Each community is unique, and they all stand at the intersection of possibility and progress. That just looks different to each location. Economic development is not just a concept – it’s a collective endeavor. Each one of us plays a vital role in shaping the future of our communities,” Lane said.

“The cooperative’s efforts through our REVIVE 2030 program will hopefully help communities view challenges as opportunities, leverage the power of collaboration and work together to build resilient, thriving economies.”

Lane works with several communities throughout the cooperative’s entire service territory. He said many smaller communities are not able to employ a full-time economic development professional, which is where Sioux Valley Energy or one of its partner organizations can help. As the REVIVE 2030 program expands, available programming may include the following, or Sioux Valley Energy may work with partner organizations to offer:

• Grant writing assistance: Sioux Valley Energy will work with communities on identifying applicable grants, gathering information for the application process and may help a community complete grant applications.
• Community planning assistance: Communities needing assistance in planning community projects, exploring funding for those projects and carrying out planning tasks can request assistance from Sioux Valley Energy.
• Strategic planning services: Sioux Valley Energy may assist communities and associated economic development organizations with strategic planning for its boards, committees, leaders, etc.
• Education and networking opportunities: Sioux Valley Energy may provide education and training along with networking opportunities for communities and its citizens as it pertains to economic or community development.
• Community marketing assistance: Sioux Valley Energy can provide limited marketing design and advertising development to a community to promote the area or an event.
• Event planning assistance: Communities needing assistance in planning activities that will benefit the community and their citizens, such as summer festivals, downtown community events, parades, etc., can request limited planning assistance from Sioux Valley Energy.

For information regarding Sioux Valley Energy’s REVIVE 2030 program, contact Brandon Lane at [email protected].