The Lennox City Council met Monday, February 10 at Lennox City Hall. Mayor Fergen and Aldermen heard agenda items including continued speed limit discussions, bridge dedication, and bank signatories.
The City Council tasked City Administrator Nate Vander Plaats to study the speed limit maps throughout the town to determine if 15 miles per hour (mph) zones need to be implemented.
“The map has been updated to include a new 15 mph cone from the t-ball field on West 4th Avenue and Main Street from 1st Avenue to Highway 44. So really the discussion for you is down to the merits of a standard 20 mph zone or a 25 mph zone,” Vander Plaats said.
The current state code on urban streets is 25 mph unless posted otherwise.
“Will [Ericksen] and Brian [Lathrop] conferred this afternoon to talk about yield and stop sign locations with some uncontrolled intersections in town that maybe have higher traffic or maybe oppose a blind intersection in some cases, and I think we’re looking at another 19 yield signs and 11 new stop signs, that’s not included on that mapping, we got this today,” Vander Plaats said.
Chad Reilly stood to speak during the public comment portion.
“I think Park Drive in between Main and Elm should be 10 miles per hour, there’s no reason for anyone to go faster than that. I would be open to actually closing it, like not even having through traffic if we’re honestly talking about speed zones. These are the places our kids are statistically going to get hurt,” he said.
Reilly also wanted the t-ball field area to be a 10 mph zone but increase the speed for truck drivers leaving town. No action was taken and Vander Plaats will return to the council at the next meeting with more information.
Vander Plaats read Resolution 2025-02-10-01 for a bridge dedication for Captain Verlyn Meyer.
“This request is submitted by Paul McVey and Cloy McVey in honor of Captain Verlyn Gwen Meyer. Captain Meyer was born in Lennox and was killed-in-action under hostile fire while piloting a UH- 1C gunship in Vietnam on August 22, 1968. The McVey family has requested the City’s support for their application to dedicate the bridge in Captain Meyer’s memory. The resolution included in your packet does just that,” Vander Plaats said.
The resolution reads: WHEREAS Verlyn Meyer was born near Lennox, South Dakota on September 20, 1942; and WHEREAS, Verlyn Meyer graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1964 while participating in the University’s ROTC program; and WHEREAS, Verlyn Meyer was awarded his Army reserve commission following graduation; and WHEREAS, Captain Meyer was assigned to the 9th Assault Helicopter Company, 10th Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade of the United States Army; and WHEREAS, Captain Meyer was the Pilot of a UH-1C gunship (tail number 66-15119) while supporting Task Force South; and WHEREAS, Captain Meyer’s gunship took hostile fire in Lam Dong Province, South Vietnam on August 22, 1968; and WHEREAS, Captain Meyer and all aboard the UH-1C gunship were Killed In Action; and WHEREAS, Captain Meyer earned the following awards:
• Distinguished Flying Cross
• Silver Star
• Air Medal
• Purple Heart
• United States Aviator Badge
• National Defense Service Medal
• Vietnam Campaign Medal
• Vietnam Service Medal
• Army Presidential Unit Citation
• Vietnam Gallantry Cross
WHERAS, Captain Meyer’s selfless sacrifice in the service of the United States of America is memorialized on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Lennox, South Dakota that the City of Lennox formally and fully supports the dedication of the Highway 44 Bridge over Long Creek in the City of Lennox, South Dakota to the lasting memory of Captain Verlyn Gwen Meyer. Dated this 23rd day of January 2025. Paul McVey was present to speak to the council.
“I found out that the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs has a bridge dedication program, I’m a high school history teacher, so I’m very interested in honoring the past. I’m also the driver’s ed teacher, and I noticed in driving all around all of Southeastern South Dakota in the summer that there are several bridges in our community that are dedicated to our nation’s heroes,” he said.
“Captain Meyer served valiantly in the Vietnam War and the family story that we know to be true is he served two tours of duty in Vietnam. In the first tour of duty, he did everything he was supposed to do, and he got to come home. Then he had the option of going for a second tour of duty and he did that, he went for a second tour of duty, and he did not make it home from that. He is currently buried in the Lennox cemetery,” he continued.
Alderman Britney Mower thanked Paul and his son for not only coming to the meeting, but for preparing history for them as well to help give the council background on the resolution.
Motion approved unanimously.
The City of Lennox is preparing to open new accounts with local banks and must officially name bank signatures for each.
“You’ve previously approved opening several accounts at Security Bank and American Bank and Trust and so we need to make signatories for those,” Vander Plaats said.
Vander Plaats recommends Mayor, Danny Fergen, City Council President, Sam Bowers, Finance Director, Tyson Dahler, and City Administrator, Nathan Vander Plaats be the signatories for each of the accounts. Motion approved.