A company that wanted to start a lettuce growing business in Flandreau doesn’t have the plan or financing to satisfy the Flandreau Development Corporation.
As a result, the FDC will take back the land it gave Aquaponics so the property can be available to other companies that may look at growing in Flandreau. The company has agreed to deed the property west of Veteran Street near where the Flandreau Locker is building, back to the FDC, said Carleen Wild Wilson, board president.
“They are nowhere near where they hoped to be,” she said. The FDC has worked with Aquaponics for more than a year, and the company has not met its requirements.
The FDC wants to get the property back before the end of the year.
The FDC has had interest in finding property for a Brookings businessman who wants to use a wood kiln to dry lumber that he would use to build tables and other items. He also is interested in having a showroom, FDC board members said.
The businessman, who has a tree service and does woodworking on the side, would like to break ground in April if the board can find him property, said Wild Wilson.
While the board is interested in seeing a business proposal first, the businessman is serious, said Dan Sutton, who is on the board and also has been working as a Realtor with him to find property and a potential home.
“If he wants to build something, he has the funds available to do it,” Sutton said. The building would look nice, as well, he said.
While board member Mike Witte said he agrees the man is serious, he also said, “I’d like to see a business proposal.” The board will ask for one.
The FDC board also briefly talked about Tyler Kills-A-Hundred’s property, where a meat locker was planned to be open by Christmas. Kills-A-Hundred has been frustrated that things are not moving faster, Wild Wilson said.
The plan is now that he will open by spring.
“I feel like he misled us from the start. It’s unfortunate it played out that way,” said Shawn Jaacks, board member.
From the beginning, after the original business downtown burned in the summer of 2017, Kills-A-Hundred quickly was deeded a piece of land that was two parcels, a front and back area, so that he would keep his business in Flandreau. The back parcel was supposed to come back to the FDC because Kills-A-Hundred didn’t need it, Jaacks said.
That didn’t happen, and instead Kills-A-Hundred told the FDC that he put the land up as collateral on his business loan.
Wild Wilson said she is not sure if there is an option to trade the land for the former site on Second Avenue. “We want, as a board and community, to see his business succeed,” she said. “We’re hoping he will get moving sooner than later.”
