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An abandoned mobile home located in DJK trailer court between Sixth and Fifth streets in Fort Pierre. Longtime community resident Bill Fischer is on a mission to have the city clean up properties like this.

Meshanna Heckenlaible and her husband, Brad, own Reube's Welding & Mfg. at 1001 Sale Barn Rd. in Fort Pierre. Longtime community resident Bill Fischer would like to see the property and seven others cleaned up.

An abandoned mobile home located in DJK trailer court between Sixth and Fifth streets in Fort Pierre. Longtime community resident Bill Fischer is on a mission to have the city clean up properties like this.

An abandoned mobile home located in DJK trailer court between Sixth and Fifth streets in Fort Pierre. Longtime community resident Bill Fischer is on a mission to have the city clean up properties like this.

Meshanna Heckenlaible and her husband, Brad, own Reube's Welding & Mfg. at 1001 Sale Barn Rd. in Fort Pierre. Longtime community resident Bill Fischer would like to see the property and seven others cleaned up.

An abandoned mobile home located in DJK trailer court between Sixth and Fifth streets in Fort Pierre. Longtime community resident Bill Fischer is on a mission to have the city clean up properties like this.

Bill Fischer fondly remembers Fort Pierre from the early 1950s, when 950 residents inhabited the city.

By the start of the next decade, the population had nearly tripled due to the 10-year construction of the Oahe Dam, which began operating in 1962.

“The town cleared out in between ‘60 and ‘70, and the population was cut in half,” Fischer said. “Shortly after, the stores closed.”

On a mission to bring Fort Pierre back to old days, the retired banker and rancher during Monday’s City Council meeting shared a list of eight properties he would like to see cleaned up. They include DJK and Wagon Wheel trailer courts, the vacant Shutterlee property, Britt Williams Construction site, a truck outside Reube’s Welding & Mfg., the Hohrman Shop, a vacant property in the downtown and a vacant trailer.

From one of Fort Pierre’s oldest families, Fischer gave council members packets with photos of each property.

The City Council had no immediate response during Fischer’s comment period, but they said they would get back to him.

Fischer said the city has ordinances to enforce unsightly properties, but nothing is being done.

“I would like to hear back from you if you’re going to do anything,” he said. “I will be back to find out if they get done.”

Brad Heckenlaible and his wife, Meshanna, have owned Reube’s Welding at 1001 Sale Barn Rd. since 1971 – before the property was annexed into the city in the 1990s.

“We keep it pretty clean for a welding shop,” Brad Heckenlaible said. “We haul scrap iron numerous times a year.”

Brad Heckenlaible said the city has never notified him about his property violating ordinances.

A neighbor to the DJK Trailer Park, who did not want to give his name, said he would like to see the dilapidated, empty trailers removed to help maintain his property’s value.

“That (one) trailer is full of trash,” he said.

The owner of DJK could not be reached.

During the July 5 council meeting, Mayor Gloria Hanson said the city is in litigation to have the mobile homes removed from DJK. Hanson expressed her own frustration with the amount of time it’s taking.

The City Council has also discussed updating ordinances to more quickly deal with troublesome mobile home parks.

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Gwen Albers | 605-224-7301, ext. 107

For more than 30 years, assistant editor Gwen Albers has worked for community newspapers in Pennsylvania, Montana, Idaho, Virginia, North Carolina and New Mexico. She received a master's in journalism from Ohio University.

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