By Dan Crisler Public Opinion Staff Writer

Through two tours on the Watertown Trolley Tuesday morning, Watertown citizens and officials took time to recognize the enormous impact the city’s many manufacturing businesses have had in contributing to the Watertown economy.

Coming near the beginning of Manufacturing Week, the approximately 90-minute trolley tours were a new addition to the week celebrated annually to give members of the public an extensive look at what more than two dozen manufacturing facilities in the city’s industrial parks contribute not only to Watertown, but to the nation and world.

With the tours organized by the Watertown Development Company, WDC Director of Business Development Michelle Kakacek said the trolley tours provided a twist to Manufacturing Week. Kakacek said the idea originated with the Manufacturing Week committee, a subcommittee to the Watertown Workforce Advisory Council.

“We wanted to do the trolley tours to raise awareness about the depth of manufacturing in Watertown and the importance of it in our economy,” Kakacek said.

With the manufacturing plants collectively employing over 3,000 people in Codington County, Watertown’s future is closely tied with the industry’s.

Fortunately, it appears to be a bright future. With several facilities having already opened this decade, 2019 may be the crowning achievement for Watertown’s manufacturing industry when the new 450,000-square foot Terex plant opens on the city’s east side near Interstate 29.

With Terex considered to be the city’s largest private employer at a current workforce of about 500 employees, the new Terex facility will centralize most of its operations currently scattered around the city. Once the facility opens late next year, it could add another 100 to 200 jobs.

Terex manufactures aerial devices, digger derricks and auger drills in Watertown.

Not too far southwest from the future Terex site sits a planned industrial park on the corner of the 20th Avenue South bypass and 29th Street Southeast. While the site is still a farm field for now, Kakacek said plans are moving forward and the WDC has received interest from companies to potentially locate their facilities there. Site work is scheduled to begin either late next spring or early next summer.

With the city’s manufacturing facilities already having open jobs and more jobs set to be added, Mayor Sarah Caron said the city is beginning to tackle the challenges of filling those jobs with skilled employees. The city and WDC have partnered to address those challenges over the next five years through the Grow Watertown campaign.

“We need more than just jobs. Jobs are important and we need to have them,” she said. “We have companies that have openings that would expand and increase their production if they had more workers.”

Caron said addressing the workforce shortage comes in many forms, including the need to establish more affordable housing and continue to offer more quality of life amenities.

“It’s a holistic attack on making our community stronger and looking at what we need to do to grow,” Caron said. “I’m very excited to be partnering with WDC to make that happen over the next five years.”

Many of the city’s manufactures are celebrating the week by giving members of the public behind the scenes tours and holding other events. Sparton, for example, will be hosting tours from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.

On Thursday, the Industrial Revolution 4.0 presentation will be held at Watertown Event Center at 4 p.m. Those interested in attending can register online at sdmanufacturing.com/events.aspx?ViewEvent=27396.

The week caps off Friday with National Manufacturing Day and National Sign Manufacturing Day.

The Watertown Mall, the City of Watertown and the Watertown Development Company are pleased to announce that a new key tenant will be locating in the Watertown Mall soon.

Planet Fitness, known for its “Judgement Free Zone” slogan, plans to open a location in the former Office Max space in 2019.

Watertown Mayor Sarah Caron was pleased to finally hear the news from the mall owners. “I know that the owners have been working on this deal for quite a while and I am happy to see the evidence that the mall is on the rise!” stated Caron.

Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States.

National real estate firm Lexington Realty International out of New Jersey specializes in purchasing, leasing, developing and managing of commercial real estate and arranged the lease with Planet Fitness for the Watertown Mall owners, GJ Properties LLC.  Scott Snitker, National Portfolio Manager for Lexington Realty International said, “We are very pleased with the relationship we have cultivated with Planet Fitness and feel that they are not only a great fit for the mall property, but the community as a whole. They offer a workout environment that will fill a need the community currently does not have.”

The fitness club joins many other entertainment and food service businesses across the country that have been taking on leases nationwide left unsigned by legacy retailers.

“We know that this is the first step of many to come in the rebuilding of the Watertown Mall. We believe in this community and will continue to build until we have an end product everyone can be proud of.  As mentioned, this is a major step in that direction,” said Snitker. He added, “We would also like to thank the mayor for her continued support and ease to work with the city government.”

The leasing of the space to Planet Fitness shows that the Watertown Mall is “on the right track,” said Chris Schilken, Executive Director of the Watertown Development Company. “With a national tenant selecting Watertown as the desired location for expanding their respective business, this is a win-win-win for the city, the tenants and the Watertown Mall,” he said. “This transaction is encouraging and shows that the mall owners continue to be committed to the Watertown Mall.”

After the 2019 opening of the new location in Watertown, SD., this will be the fitness center’s 3rd South Dakota location.

Planet Fitness was founded in 1992 in Dover, N.H. and is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisers and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations.

Written by Jennifer Bender

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System broke ground October 25, 2016 on a $40 million expansion project on the hospital campus. The campus has seen significant changes over the past two years; including a new 65,000 square foot clinic building, an east entrance canopy, and helipad relocation. Prairie Lakes is pleased to announce that the project is now nearing its end.

The strategically placed building, that is adjacent to the Emergency Department, allows quick access to the new rooftop helipad. The helipad will become operational within the next few weeks. Contractors and Prairie Lakes staff members are making finishing touches on the Prairie Lakes Specialty Clinic.

The Prairie Lakes Specialty Clinic will open for patient appointments on Monday, October 29, 2018. Specialty services moving to the clinic include cardiology, dermatology, general surgery, nephrology, pulmonology and urology.  The clinic includes a lab, adding convenience for many patients needing those services in conjunction with their clinic appointment.

Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and Glacial Lakes Orthopedics will make the move to the Prairie Lakes Specialty Clinic to be on the same floor for patient convenience.  The new rehabilitation therapy department will include a state-of-the-art therapy pool. A notable feature of the future therapy pool is a lift that lowers patients slowly into the water without having to use steps.

A Public Open House is scheduled for Tuesday, October 23, 2018. All from our region are invited to discover the Prairie Lakes Specialty Clinic between 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. A program and ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m. will celebrate the completion of the expansion project.

2nd floor:

• Urology
• General Surgery
• Space for expansion

1st floor:

• Cardiology
• Nephrology
• Pulmonology
• Dermatology
• Space for expansion
• Conference Center

Lower Level:

• Glacial Lakes Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Services
  – Physical Therapy
  – Occupational Therapy
  – Speech Therapy

Some low-income and ripe-for-development areas in Watertown have the opportunity to be injected with thousands – even millions – of dollars in private investments, utilizing a new economic development tool put in place last year by Congress.

The Watertown Development Company (WDC), along with the SD Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) will provide information to anyone interested in utilizing the newly created Opportunity Zone program to spur housing and commercial projects in Watertown.

Some of the city’s poorest census tracts were nominated earlier this year by Gov. Dennis Daugaard as federal “opportunity zones,” which were established by Congress in the 2017 tax bill to encourage long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities.

The idea is to attract private investment by providing investors a way to avoid capital gains taxes by investing money for a certain period of time in the opportunity zones.

The WDC, along with the GOED and SDHDA, believes the new Opportunity Zone designation has the potential to spur significant capital investment, and would like to ensure interested parties have the chance to hear about the latest requirements and discuss any specific projects that are of interest to them.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Opportunity Zone program is invited to attend a meeting that will take place on September 20^th at Lake Area Tech at 2:30 p.m. on the 4^th floor of the Lake Area Tech Student Center located at 1201 Arrow Avenue NE.

Terex Utilities was issued a building permit today and is preparing to break ground on their new 400,000+ square-foot building in Watertown.

Construction of the world-class facility is expected to be completed in late 2019.

Terex is consolidating its Watertown, South Dakota, manufacturing operations into one new facility on 55 acres where it will house assembly, fiberglass, paint and installation operations for its aerial devices, digger derricks and auger drills.

Currently, these operations are spread among 10 locations in the area.

The new plant will allow the company to increase production and make operations more efficient and faster, as well as provide a better workplace for employees.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in April of this year.

Scooter’s Coffee in Watertown now has an opening date.

The popular coffee shop will open on Saturday, Aug. 4th at 6 a.m.

Scooter’s Coffee is opening in the former site of Snap Fitness on Highway 212 in Watertown, which moved to another location in 2015.

The business was founded in 1998 in BelleVue, Nebraska. According to the company’s website, Co-founders Don and Linda Eckles began their journey when they opened their first drive-thru there. Their keys to success: find a great location and stay committed to high-quality drinks, speed of service, and a BIG smile.

The Watertown Development Company (WDC) is stepping closer to the creation of a new industrial park west of Mallard Point Business Park after a land sale and transfer was completed on Thursday.

The future industrial park, located on the south side of U.S. Highway 212 and west of I-29, near the newly announced Terex Utilities location in Mallard Pointe Business Park, includes the purchase of approximately 73 acres of land south of Wal-Mart, with the other 23 acres coming from land that the city already owns in that area, totaling 96 acres.

The park is expected to lead to large-scale job creation and a big economic boost for Watertown. Historically, parks that have been developed in Watertown have created many new jobs for the community. The new site will also keep Watertown on the radar of companies looking to expand to South Dakota.

Even though the infrastructure of the park has yet to start, the behind-the-scenes work of gaining tenants is revving up.

Chris Schilken, Watertown Development Company Executive Director, said the WDC has already begun marketing the area and it’s capturing the attention of companies and site selectors. “Since the announcement of the Terex Utilities expansion in Mallard Pointe Business Park, we have had a lot of interest from companies who want to be near them, so we felt it was pretty important to get started on marketing the new park.”

Watertown Mayor Sarah Caron said the park would have a big impact on the area. “The acquisition of this land and development of it into a new industrial park is timed to meet the needs of Watertown’s growing industrial base.  It will provide a great location for expansion of existing businesses or attraction of new ones, so we are very excited to move forward with it.”

WATERTOWN, S.D. (April 17, 2018) – Terex Utilities, a leading manufacturer of equipment for the global electric utility industry, has announced today that they have chosen Watertown to consolidate its Watertown operations, adding millions of dollars in capital investment into the community.

The Watertown Development Company, along with the city of Watertown and the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development, have been working with Terex on their plans to build a new world class facility to manufacture it’s aerial devices, digger derricks and auger drills since August of 2017, competing with location options from other states.

Terex Utilities is a major employer in Watertown.

“It is always a win when an existing company commits to invest locally, but what makes this announcement even more impactful is the Terex growth strategy for the electrical utility industry,” said WDC Executive Director Chris Schilken. “As an industry leader with global expansion options, we are proud Terex made the decision to continue their investment here.”

Terex has chosen the location of their world-class facility on 55 acres of property located in Interstate Office Addition, partly owned by the Watertown Development Company and the Mallard Pointe Joint Venture Committee.

“This is an excellent example of how the Watertown Development Company is a valuable partner in Watertown’s growth,” said Schilken. “The Watertown Development Company works to assist businesses, to encourage growth and maintain viability for the long-term success of our community. It demonstrates that the Watertown Development Company’s long-term strategy of investing in infrastructure and real estate pays dividends for the community.”

A groundbreaking ceremony was held this morning. The company expects operations to begin in the new facility by the end of 2019.

The Watertown Development Company is a non-profit organization established to own and operate buildings, land and development areas for the economic benefit of Watertown. More information about the Watertown Development Company is available on its website: www.wdcsd.com, and on its Facebook page — www.facebook.com/watertownworks.

Terex Corporation is a global manufacturer of lifting and material processing products and services delivering lifecycle solutions that maximize customer return on investment. Major Terex brands include Terex, Genie, Powerscreen and Demag. Terex solutions serve a broad range of industries, including construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utilities, quarrying and mining. Terex offers financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of Terex equipment through Terex Financial Services. More information about Terex is available on its website: www.Terex.com, and on its LinkedIn page — www.linkedin.com/company/terex and Facebook page — www.facebook.com/TerexCorporation.