Schramm Furniture sells building to Community Connections

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

Big changes are coming to Community Connections.

The organization has purchased Schramm Furniture building on the highway. The furniture store will be remodeled to serve the needs of Community Connections.

The remodeling work is to start sometime in February and plans call for it to be finished in the later part of 2022.

Tom and Jeff Schramm sold the store and are glad Community Connections can make use of the property.

In addition, Community Connections sold the two buildings on North Main St. to Mid Dakota Meats. In turn, Mid Dakota Meats is leasing these two buildings to Community Connections until their main project in finished.

Puetz Construction and Design of Mitchell is the main contractor.

Blueprints are already completed. Melony Bertram, executive director, explained the main entrance facing the highway will remain the same.

There will be a reception area as you step inside. On the east side will be a large, new community inclusion room. “We will have all kinds of different activities from crafts, painting, dancing. We will be inviting community members to come in and participate with the people that we support,” explained Bertram.

 There will be 14 offices in the building with the possibility of expanding to 18 offices. There will be six bathrooms with a large conference room.

In the administration area, there will be a smaller conference room, a health care room for the nurse, training room, large kitchen and large dining room.

Bertram noted future plans call for cooking classes in which the community will be invited to participate.

The back area of the business will provide space to store exercise equipment, a large area to do the monthly Feeding South Dakota program.

Community Connections serves 40 individuals and has a staff of 56.

Bertram pointed out all of the day services will come to this new location. Currently, they are in several locations around town.

“We ran out of office space and so we started looking for property. We were not able to find any. That is when Tom Schramm called Bertram and told her of Schramm brothers plans to retire and sell the furniture store.

“Initially, we thought it was too much space. Then we starting talking to the board and looking at what we had all over town. We decided we could combine some spaces and sell other property. That is why we decided on the Schramm Furniture property.”

The executive director of CCI thinks it will help to have a centralized location. “It will be better for us communication wise and being able to have a large staff together Monday through Friday.

Bertram added new federal guidelines also helped the made a decision on where to move. The new guidelines are that day programs cannot be provided in a residential setting. It has to be a business section where community members can have easy access. “That was another reason this is  a good deal,” explained Bertram.

Chuck Keiser, chairman of the board of CCI is excited for the future. “Putting things in one spot is great. We also have the room to expand when needed.”

Schramm Furniture served he Winner community for 75 years. Tom Schamm said “This was a great place to make a living and very pleased that Community Connections will be able to continue on with the wonderful use of this building.”

The building on the highway was built in 1971 and the north addition in 1998.

Jeff Schramm added: “We feel they are going to make great use of the building and that is important to us. We feel good about this. It is hard when you sell a building you have owned for 75 years,” he said.

Just not recently, but over the decades Schramm Furniture and Community Connections have had a great partnership.

Bertram along with her entire staff are looking forward to the day they can move into  their new home.