Faith-based facility faces 'cumbersome' zoning challenges, Rich Ohm tells county commission
A group with a vision to establish a faith-based, community-oriented facility just outside of Watertown learned Tuesday of the hurdles it will face.
Rich Ohm of Fallout Shelter Ministries of Watertown briefed the Codington County Commission about the plans, which would begin with the purchase of the Matt Kranz farmstead located about 1.5 miles south of Walmart. The farmstead can be accessed from the 20th Avenue Bypass just outside the city’s southern border.
Ohm was a detective with the Watertown Police Department from May 2008 through October 2012. His online biography shows a background in law enforcement, emergency medical assistance, self-defense methods, firearms training and ministerial outreach. He founded Fallout Shelter Ministries in 2017.
The ministries’ mission statement is to prepare people for the unexpected. Ohm said the nonprofit group’s goal is not to supplant any current support organization but to assist those groups in any way possible. He said as an investigator he saw “a lot of domestic assault and sexual violence” and he and his group needed to do something other than just investigate.
“Our goal is to give people (who) might wind up in jail a safe place to come and find some community and find an opportunity place to grow,” he said. “We can meet them and help them grow into an upstanding community member, if that’s at all possible.”
The group’s vision would be to have a meeting place for groups, a dormitory for those in need of temporary housing, a base for ministerial operations and religious services, a place to teach martial arts, a garden and a carpentry shop for those living in apartments, a wedding chapel and a place for small concerts.
“We want to support the community the best way we know how,” he said.
What Ohm and his supporters, including those who attended Tuesday’s meeting, are up against are zoning restrictions. Their chosen location is governed by the joint jurisdiction zoning ordinance that was established by the county and the city. The strip of land, about 3 or 4 miles deep extending beyond the city limits, was established to prevent zoning issues between the city and the county.
Luke Muller, county zoning officer, spoke during the meeting, explaining the hoops the group will have to jump through to accomplish its goals. In simplest terms, the group would need zoning changes approved by the zoning commissions at city and county levels, the Watertown City Council and the Codington County Commission.
The current agreement prevents the following endeavors from being established: private clubs, religious farms, game lodges, wind energy systems, shooting ranges, motorcycle recreation areas, golf courses, government grain storage sites, fur farms, large confined animal feeding operations and religious conference facilities.
Ohm said his group doesn’t have a Plan B. It's unsuccessfully tried to find something within Watertown. He said Kranz’s farm is, “Perfect property. Perfect location.”
“We’re not building a half-assed thing. It will be the premier training center in the Upper Midwest. It will be a place where you’ll want to bring your family and go, ‘Wow, this is a great space.’ When we’re called by God we’re not called to mediocrity. We’re called to excellence and that’s what we’re doing.”
Commissioner Troy VanDusen told Ohm that the commission’s job is to, “Not to just put the kibosh on projects. Our job is to do what’s best for Codington County.”
Commission chairwoman Brenda Hanten said the commission could not make an exception for one organization while disallowing other similar requests.
None of the commissioners spoke directly against Ohm’s plan.
Earlier in the discussion, Ohm called the zoning process “cumbersome” and said his group will continue to seek ways to try to navigate through the zoning barriers.
Grant will help pay for community health worker
The commission voted 4-1 to accept a $74,000, 18-month grant for the hiring of a community health worker. The federal funds are being channeled through the South Dakota Department of Health.
Sara Foust, county welfare director, explained the new case worker would assist clients with current or past involvement with the legal system. The worker would help clients with such tasks as meeting court dates, attending medical and mental health appointments, drug abuse counseling, family issues, cognitive impairments and more.
Clients would be identified by the detention center director or staff, the county sheriff or the county state’s attorney.
Foust estimated the startup cost of the position would be $59,000 once the grant ends — if the commission sees the need to continue it. She believes the move would save the county money by keeping individuals out of the legal system and the detention center.
Commissioner Charlie Waterman voted against the grant, saying individuals must eventually develop their own personal responsibility. Foust responded by saying that those who have experienced trauma need help and take longer to develop self-sufficiency.
Sheriff Brad Howell said some jail inmates develop good habits while incarcerated, but then revert to old ways once they’re back on the street.
Other action
In other actions the commissioners voted 5-0 to:
• Approve insurance-mandated worker’s compensation coverage for county volunteer workers.
• Approve weight and speed restrictions of 7 tons per axle and 40 mph on county roads from Feb. 15 to May 1, or when limit signs are first posted along said roads. The restrictions are set by the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
• Approved the budgeted purchase of $29,709 from Sioux Equipment of Sioux Falls for upgraded fuel pumps, a login station and upgraded computer software for the county highway department.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Fallout Shelter Ministries project hindered by zoning regulations
