USDA Loan Replaces Stadium Lights of the Sisseton Youth Baseball Association

This article originally appeared on and was written for Rural Electric Economic Development, Inc. by Golden Shovel Agency.

The Sisseton Youth Baseball Association recently received a $150,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Whetstone Valley Electric to replace the lighting in its baseball field. The loan covered half the $300,000 project costs.

“The lighting has been a huge benefit to our community,” says Wade Veflin, Treasurer. “Sisseton is a community of 2,500 South Dakotans, and about 300 kids use the baseball complex during the summer. "The girls' softball team and local adult softball players also use the complex."

Investing in quality of life improvements is a significant part of economic development. Learn more about this loan and how it improves the lives of the next generation of Sisseton residents.

The Baseball Association is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit  

The Sisseton Youth Baseball Association is a nonprofit organization that helps maintain the town's baseball complex, along with the City of Sisseton. Until the association was formed in 2015, the fields had not seen much improvement in a while. A group of community members came together to revitalize the fields and apply for grants and other funding sources to support their maintenance.

In the past decade, the association has updated three new youth fields, the irrigation system, replaced fences, and improved the walking paths for visitors. The next big project was to improve the lights on the main field, which were installed in the 1980s.

“Before, when we flipped the power on the lights, you never knew what would come on,” says Veflin.  “They weren’t bright, some had broken off or were completely burned out.”

With money from the USDA loan, the association was able to replace its lighting entirely and upgrade to quality LED bulbs. The project was done just in time for the summer baseball season.

The New Lighting Was Noticeable Across Town

Once the lights were installed, the youth athletes and their families could enjoy a quality playing experience at the baseball complex. However, people across Sisseton also noticed the upgrade. Veflin explains that you used to see the lights from the interstate, which was about two miles away. This is because they created a halo of light around the field. Now, with the strategically placed LED bulbs, the field is bright, but there isn’t as much light pollution. The neighbors are no longer bothered every time there’s a game.

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