Senior Center gets sprinklers

An historic downtown Custer structure is safer today, thanks to the recent installation of a fire suppression sprinkler system which is the culmination of years of fundraising and planning. The building receiving the nearly $40,000 safety upgrade is the Custer Senior Center and center director Jill Kettle says she is happy to have the project completed. 

A sprinkler system was installed in the basement of the building in the early 2000s and Kettle says after she became director in 2006 she made it her goal to install sprinklers on the main floor and second story as well. 

“I felt it was important for the preservation of our building and the safety of the town,” said Kettle. She has been raising funds for the past six or seven years and then had to get bids for the project from contractors. 

Rapid Fire Protection Inc. did the installation over the past six weeks, taking advantage of the partial closure of the center due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While she says she had a mess on her hands for a while, at least she “didn’t have to worry about a lot of people being around.”

She is happy with the look of the completed project which was accomplished with a minimum of exposed water pipes. 

Kettle expressed her thanks to Mayor Corbin Herman for his help with project and also lauded the Custer County Commission for its $20,000 contribution. Other major contributors were USDA Rural Development, $7,600; Black Hills Energy, $3,500; and South Dakota Community Foundation, $7,000.­ ­