ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA: COUNTY OF THE MONTH

County Name: Clay

Largest City: Vermillion

County Seat:Vermillion

Population: 13,059

Founded: 1862

Size: 403 sq. miles

Located along the southern border of South Dakota, Clay County is a beautiful area offering recreational, educational and cultural opportunities. Vermillion is the largest city in the county and also serves as the county seat. Clay County is also home to the communities of Burbank, Dalesburg, Greenfield, Meckling, Westerville, Hub City, and Wakonda, among others.

Clay County Recreation Area offers 34 acres of preserved parklands with a variety of recreational opportunities and diverse animal and plant life.
Approximately six miles north of Vermillion rests the Spirit Mound that Lewis and Clark traveled towards from the southern banks of the Missouri River in 1804. Clay County is fortunate to have one of the few remaining physical sites on the Upper Missouri River that is easily identifiable as a place seen and recorded by Lewis and Clark.

Clay County is home to many historical sites, including the Whittemore House in Vermillion. The Victorian style home was built by Horace J. Austin in 1882 and remained in the family until 1969, when it was donated to the Clay County Historical Society. Vermillion is also home to the state's oldest institution of higher education, the University of South Dakota, which opened in 1862.

The Shrine to Music Museum, founded in 1973, can be found on the USD campus. This National Music Museum is one of the greatest institutions of its kind in the world. The facility holds many instruments from renowned collections and has been recognized as "A Landmark of American Music" by the National Music Council.
Tim grew up in Clay County and attended Vermillion High School where he played on the football team. He is also a graduate of the University of South Dakota. Tim and his wife, Barbara, still have their home in Vermillion.

Tim's Work in Clay County:

Tim Fights for Water Project
Tim was a leader in getting the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System authorized, and he's been instrumental in securing millions of dollars in funding for the project. The project will provide fresh, clean drinking water to vast portions of southeastern South Dakota, including Clay County.

Tim Works to Enhance the Missouri River and Wildlife Habitat
Tim has also secured millions of dollars to help restore the Missouri River, remove debris, and improve overall health and flow of the river, which is so important to communities throughout our state. He's also worked to support the Missouri River Institute at University of South Dakota (USD), which promotes scholarly research and public awareness of the natural and cultural resources present in the Missouri River Basin.

Tim Secures Funding to Connect USD to the Homestake Lab
In 2009, Tim secured $381,000 in funding to upgrade technology at several USD campuses, allowing the university to connect to the Research, Education and Economic Development (REED) Network. The REED Network is a state initiative to connect the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) in the former Homestake Gold Mine with universities throughout South Dakota.

Tim Announced Criminal Justice Funding for Vermillion
In 2009, Tim announced that Vermillion would receive $16,912 as part of the economic stimulus package. Funding came from the Department of Justice's Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. The funding will help address drug and violent crimes by bolstering technical assistance, training, personnel, and information systems for criminal justice.
The stimulus package recently signed by President Obama is focused on tax cuts for the middle class, infrastructure investments and job creation. This funding is a prime example of the kind of resources the legislation provides to help improve communities while advancing South Dakota's economy.

Tim Secured Funding for South Dakota Oral History Center at USD
In 2009, Tim secured $409,000 in federal funding to allow the University of South Dakota (USD) to create a working digital resource to preserve more than 5,550 interviews from the Northern Great Plains. Preservation includes taped interviews of Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, and Ho-Chunk tribal members, as well as non-Indians who lived in the Northern Plains from the 1860s until today.

Tim Announced Funding for Child Care Center
In 2007, Tim announced that Vermillion would receive a $198,820 HUD grant for expansion of the Center of Children and Families, a nonprofit child care center.

Tim Announced Funding for Technology Innovations, Inc.
In 2007, Tim announced that Technology Innovations, Inc. of Vermillion would receive a $99,867 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from HHS. This project involves training first responders in rural areas to respond to hazardous materials incidents.

Tim Announced Funding for Public Broadcasting
In 2006, Tim announced that South Dakota Public Broadcasting stations would receive a $690,000 grant for local and national programming and community projects. The funds were provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In addition to two small grants elsewhere in the state, South Dakota Public Television in Vermillion received $458,796. KUSD-FM in Vermillion received an additional $97,004.

Tim Improves Local Roads
In 2006, Tim secured $3 million in funding to reconstruct state highway 50 (Cherry Street) in Vermillion, one of the busiest streets in Vermillion, running directly through the campus of the University of South Dakota. This funding was part of the 2005 highway reauthorization bill.

Tim Supports the Vermillion Streetscape Project
In 2006, Tim secured $500,000 in federal funding for renovations of Vermillion's downtown area's historic character, ensuring the area remain a center of civic and economic activity.

Tim Secures Funding for Construction of Medical School at USD
Tim secured millions of dollars in federal funding to build a new medical school at the University of South Dakota (USD) in Vermillion.

Tim Preserves Spirit Mound
In 1998, Tim secured $600,000 in federal funding for the purchase and restoration of Spirit Mound from willing landowners, and the nonprofit Lewis and Clark- Spirit Mound Trust oversaw restoration efforts. Just in time for the Bicentennial in 2004 of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the funding allowed the site to be restored with native grasses and flowers, giving visitors to our state a sense of the beauty that impressed Lewis and Clark 200 years ago.