Regional Extension offices to be at MTI

• MTI

MTI

Talk about it

SPEARFISH — A regional Cooperative Extension Service office will soon be located at Mitchell Technical Institute.

The state Board of Regents approved leases for six regional centers Thursday that will allow the Cooperative Extension Service to proceed with its reorganization in South Dakota, and leases are pending for two others.

The Mitchell Regional Extension office will be housed in the building used by Mitchell Technical Institute at MTI’s north campus, 821 North Capital St., from October 2011 to October 2013.

The office will then shift to MTI’s south campus, which is under construction at 1800 E. Spruce St., from October 2013 to October 2016.

Both campuses are owned by the Mitchell School District.

SDSU officials are making changes in how Extension operates in response to a 10 percent funding cut from the Legislature. Currently, the Davison County Extension offices are based at the Davison County Fairgrounds, and county officials had sought the regional office.

MTI President Greg Von Wald was not available for comment Thursday afternoon.

Julie Brookbank, an MTI spokeswoman, said she could not provide many details.

“Mr. Von Wald has been working on this for some time,” Brookbank said.

Davison County Commission Chairman John Claggett said while he was surprised, he was “happy” for the Extension Service.

“I think for them it’s probably a pretty good fit, and it will probably service us, too, because they need a place to go to,” Claggett said. “We knew they were looking for a specific kind of space and specific kind of environment.”

He said the Extension Service may still need space at the fairgrounds for a reception office and meeting space.

“That would be the question mark for me,” he said. “I think they might need an outpost location. We’ll be in conversation with them.”

The county, meanwhile, has agreed to contribute money toward an Extension 4-H adviser.

Other regional offices will be:

* In Aberdeen, at a portion of the old Federal Savings and Loan building at 13 Second Ave. S.E., owned by Blackstone Developers;

* In Lemmon, at the building known as the Armory, at 408 Eighth St. West, owned by Lemmon School District;

* In Pierre, at the Kenyon building at 412 W. Missouri Ave., owned by 412 W. Missouri LLC.;

* In Rapid City, at the USDA Muth building at 1530 Samco Ave., owned by Muth Properties LLC, of Mitchell.

* In Sioux Falls, at parts of two buildings on the South Dakota School for the Deaf campus at 2001 E. Eighth St. owned by the regents.

The regents approved the leases without any public discussion.

Yet to be completed are leases for regional centers in Watertown and Winner. Those leases will be submitted by SDSU to the regents for consideration at their October meeting.

Tags: news, mti, extension, state, local, mitchell