By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
Plans to build a much-anticipated Early Childhood Learning Center in Flandreau are on hold, with the acceptance of a bid on the project now delayed until spring 2025.
City Administrator Cohl Turnquist announced at the latest Flandreau City Council meeting that the Boys and Girls Club of Moody County will postpone accepting bids due to both available cash on hand for the project along with where the first round of bids came in for the project.
Funding partners for the public/private partnership are still being sought.
“They’re still fully planning to move forward — it’s just pushed off to a spring bid date in 2025,” Turnquist said.

“This is just a minor setback. We’re excited to see where this still goes.”
The nearly $2 million project, a collaboration between the Boys and Girls Club, the City of Flandreau, Moody County, and the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, is designed to address a critical child care shortage for children ages 0-5. With many local providers at capacity and operating on limited hours, families report struggling to find affordable care that meets their needs.
The proposed facility is slated to be built next to the Janklow Community Center, where the old tennis courts once stood. The area has more recently served as a gravel parking lot for campus and fairground events.
The Club’s current expansion project across the parking lot, designed to accommodate the needs of a growing number of youth each year, is nearing completion and scheduled to open early next year. The Boys and Girls Club expansion includes a gym and workout space that will be open during certain hours to the greater Moody County community.
Other issues addressed during the most recent meeting:
●The joint public hearing with the Moody County Commission was scheduled for Monday, Nov. 25, to discuss the future of ambulance services in the area.
● Housing Survey Update: Turnquist reported ongoing responses to a housing survey and will provide results at an upcoming meeting.
● Eng Services Contract Renewal: With the city’s current contract with Eng Services expiring at the end of the year, officials are negotiating a three-year extension.
● Lindsay Street Vacation: A public hearing was held to consider vacating a portion of Lindsay Street between Blocks 17 and 18 of Pettigrew’s First Addition. Once intended as a through street, the area is no longer needed for development. Property owners will split the vacated land, and surveying or platting fees will be their responsibility.
● Sick Leave Donation Policy: The city is reviewing a proposal to allow employees with more than 40 hours of sick leave to donate up to 40 hours to coworkers. Further details will be discussed at a future meeting.