Opportunity: Gas Station For Sale in Spencer, S.D.
We live in exciting times. While we have had to put the planned town of Laurent on the shelf for the time being, because of the inability of our angel backers to complete the promised funding package, we are moving forward with our plan to invite the Deaf and Signers to join us in McCook County, South Dakota. We are especially concentrating our efforts on the small town of Spencer, which has been struggling to attract new residents and business since it was devastated 8 years ago by a tornado protonix. The good news is that the town, thanks to state and federal aid, and the help and work of many other groups and individuals, has a solid new infrastructure, which includes the sewer, water and roads cok n energy and sensory enhancer .
The 1/4 square mile town, says they have 160 residents and a handful of businesses. The bank and post office, the churches and insurance agent, have rebuilt their buildings. Some new houses replace the old ones. Some older homes have been repaired. The vacant lots are mowed and sit waiting for new people to make Spencer their home town.
One business, Spencer Automotive Service, has remained the heart and soul of the town. It has one gas pump, three bays for auto and truck repairs, five tables with chairs and a stock of grocery and household items, as well as bins of nuts, bolts and screws used by the town’s people and the surrounding farmers.
The couple who owns the station are retiring due to health reasons. Chuck and his wife “Sam”, rebuilt their station after the tornado. They moved to the town after visiting friends in the area and fell in love with the lifestyle, the big blue sky, the friendly people. The good clean air, as well as the opportunity to own their own business, kept them in Spencer. They are hoping someone else will take over and keep this vital business open and grow it to become even better.
As I write this today, there is an offer to purchase this business for $90,000. After a careful inspection of the building and the business, and meeting with Chuck and Sam, and the banker, the deal will not be closing. Chuck provided the most important part of the business in the past. He is a great mechanic. Now he is unable to work, and without the income his towing service and repairs brought in, the station only breaks even as it operates on gas sales and groceries.
This means, an opportunity is opening up for a mechanic who is skilled in the repair of many models of autos and trucks and even some farm equipment, to buy the service station/convience store. The building is a steel structure, well insulated, with automatic garage door openers, two 200 AMP fuse boxes, high efficient furnace and includes an area which totals 4350 square feet. The gas pump is computerized. There is an eat-in area as well as coolers and display shelves in the store. Current residents meet daily for breakfast and coffee, seniors and others come for lunch. The afternoon card games and birthday celebrations start about 3 p.m. each afternoon.
More information about this business can be obtained by contacting the listing sales person, Bob Jarding’s cell phone, (605) 770-3613.
CAUTION: We have not made a final decision on whether we will build in Spencer. Please carefully evaluate the purchase of the gas station. We will make our announcement on whether we will select Spencer as the place to build our signing community. We hope to do this within the next 3 months. Once we do, The Laurent Institute will be moving to Spencer, S.D. and we will be working toward bringing other businesses and residents to this town.
November 30th, 2006 at 6:20 pm
What happened to the idea of Laurent? Why would backers be more attracted to Spencer than Laurent?
November 30th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
Spencer is tornado alley.
November 30th, 2006 at 7:28 pm
We already have a ’signing town’ and that’s in Washington D.C.
December 1st, 2006 at 2:52 am
I recommend studying urbanism and consider locating near Deaf school as a population control.
Laurent sounds exciting and what are the solutions to make it work?
Where is the beef?
Economy is on the brink! The war has usurped all the available money and is in defecit that looms everyday. The republican screwed up everything.
Not wanting to be naysayer, we have to look harder at other options. I used to be resident advisor at Gally/NTID. I used to be apartment manager of properties consisting over several hundred disabled/deaf groups (families) in St. Louis, MO, Columbus, OH and Baltimore, MD. I have visited other apartment facilities around the country from California to Florida.
It is “human dynamics” that bring Deaf together. That’s fine. There are some flaws in the process, but it can be ironed out.
Have you talked to HUD about housing? FHA about home financing? and many other government agencies to cover various parts of township?
Of course, it is RED tape, but if you know the connections, the road map will be shorter!
Smile!
Paul
December 1st, 2006 at 4:12 am
I think this is a marvelous opportunity! I am forwarding it to everyone I know, many of whom know a number of people in the extended deaf community, to see if anyone knows of someone with such skills!
If everyone who reads Marvin’s blog forwards this to everyone they know….
If people connected with the Laurent Institute or friendly to the the deaf/signing community owned this gas station, it would provide a meeting place, a focus for people who moved in.
BTW, is someone connected with Laurent, or someone on the reservation list planning to run a signing school for those who live or want to live in the community who don’t sign, and/or for those who live elsewhere and might want to experience signing immersion? Where ever the community is finally located?
December 5th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Gas station? Come on! You know there isn’t ONE single city in the whole U.S.A. that is All Black, or All White, or All Chinese, or even ALL Jewish… how can you start up a city that is All Deaf? Give it up, go to a major city and get started small and let it grow.
December 5th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
All Blind? All short people (short buildings everywhere) Now you get the picture…
December 6th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
I was just mailing a package from the Spencer Post Office, and as I drove down the main street, I thought how wonderful it will be to have so many more people in our midst. I live outside the town, but am there every day taking my child to the local daycare.
My opinion is: Come to Spencer! Enjoy the great life we have here! If you don’t like the idea of a signing town, live where you want. But if you are a positive person who can follow your dreams, you are welcome to be my neighbor.
If you’re worried about another tornado, Dorothy, then go someplace else. But look out for earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and of course the worse menace, high crime rates. Best of luck to everyone!
December 11th, 2006 at 11:19 am
I was just elected as the lead super of my condo association last Oct and I’ve filled some of the absent units with deaf transplants from as far as Minnesota.
I got myself a small ’signing town’ right here in Santa Ana in the condo complex where I live.
December 12th, 2006 at 9:34 am
I think where ever they decided to build its good because the deaf cant stop between Souix falls and Mitchell to talk to people. So let them build it where ever they want
December 15th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Why are you speaking of a gas station? And there is no final decision? What with Laurent? Will you change the url to www.spencersd.com?
December 18th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
I didn’t mean to give you “putted down”, but I am concern about picking South Dakota. Why?:
1. You could islotated the deaf people from hearing world. South Dakota is not such of populated state. Pick other state where a lot of deaf people go, like Austin, Texas.
2. Their weather turn people off from moving there.
3. South Dakota is NOT openly minded state. What if there are gay/lesbian deaf people want to live in a signing town, but they are scare of other people who discriminate them?
So you see. South Dakota is not really wonderful idea to me. I know South Dakota might be very good, they has the deaf friendly community, SO cheap there, blah blah, but the MAIN important is how Deaf people would deal with their location. They need a GAINT community, not tiny community.
I would make a reservation if you move it to somewhere WEST COAST. Like Nevada, they NEED a deaf community there really bad. A lot of parents who have deaf children decide to move to California because Nevada don’t offer any much for deaf children. Think about help too, not just for town where deaf people go.
I am sorry if I was too rushy, but I have to tell you ratherly than keep it in.
February 8th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Please seriously consider Frederick, Thurmont, and Hagerstown. There are many deaf people there already. Perfect to build a signing town there!
February 13th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Zack,
I used to live in Austin, TX and graduated there from TSD in 1990. Austin is so expensive I moved away to Wichita, KS! I lived in Austin for over 20 years. I even moved away from Austin to West and East Texas but kept going back to Austin due to excellent living but got tired of constantly having roommates and the fact that Austin tends to have low paying jobs that are constantly laying and hiring people. I had enough of that. Currently I’m working in Wichita and loving it. Cold weather..well I got used to it…it’s not bad compared to Rochester, NY! I lived in Rochy for 3 years while I attended NTID. I tell you, Rochy weather is far more worse than Wichita. In Austin, I was paying $600 a month for a 422 sq foot apt. Here in Wichita, $600 means you can ACTUALLY buy a house and pay $400-600 a month for a 3 bedroom 2 bath with a basement and a fenced yard and have money left over to do whatever you want with it. On top of that, Wichita is top 20 for best towns for families to live. I hated traffic in Austin…Wichita doesn’t have traffic. They like to hire people who want to work and pay you well if you’re qualified. However, I think the schools here for deaf children leave alot to be desired. My fiancee is deaf and so is her sister. They did well here due to their mother. Other deafies I’ve met have so-so English because they used to make the kids sign SEE until a few years ago. I might be moving to Indiana for the deaf school or to East Texas if my child is born deaf. Will find out in a few months if he is. Austin is a nice town but way too expensive. I don’t recommend Austin.
Ted