County approves annexation

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BY ROGER LARSEN
OF THE PLAINSMAN

HURON – A day after the City Commission took similar action, Beadle County commissioners on Tuesday approved a petition from the city and Greater Huron Development Corporation to annex 127 acres located on the east side of Huron.
Located just south of Highway 14 and east of Custer Avenue, the parcel will be known as Vantage Business Park and offered for prospective business and industrial development.
Annexation was the next step in the process of attracting companies to the community. Much of the needed infrastructure is already in place in the area.
The highway frontage is zoned for general commercial and the balance of the land is zoned for general industrial.

Members of the Joint Planning Commission considered the annexation request in February and recommend approval by city and county commissioners.
Meanwhile, county commissioners met with representatives of Clark Engineering, based in Sioux Falls but with offices in Watertown and now Huron, regarding the status of four bridges in various areas of Beadle County.
Adam Polley and Steve Myer said the bridges are located on 21st Street southeast of Huron, south of Huron on the Virgil Road, southeast of Cavour and north of Yale.
Engineers want to keep an eye on the bridges, which carry a lot of heavy truck traffic, to ensure their longevity. Inspections are done every couple years. There are no concerns about safety of the bridges although that is always of paramount importance.
If nothing is done, the bridges will last 20 years. If there is maintenance done on them they will be good for 30 years.
There are no signs that the bridges are wearing out rapidly, Myer said. But as they age, they may have to be posted with weight restrictions, just as the county often does each spring on county roads.
Commission Chairman Denny Drake said the board wanted to get some history on the bridges so members will know what to do in the future.
The bridge southeast of Huron was built in 1977. The others were built between 1953 and 1957.