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Firefighters gather after extinguishing an electrical fire in the men’s restroom at Ray’s Corner on March 26. The fire was limited to spreading throughout the building. - Submitted Photo by Brittany Fexer

Since Ray’s Corner closed down because of a recent fire, many students are missing the atmosphere and are looking forward to its reopening.

The fire started around 6:30 p.m. March 26.

“The ventilation fan in the men’s restroom [was] the cause of the fire,” said Darrell Hartmann, Brookings fire chief.

Hartmann said when the fire department responded to the call, all the people in the area had been evacuated.

“We had to force entry into the apartments above to ensure they had been vacated,” Hartmann said.

Hartmann said only one firefighter was injured, receiving second and third degree burns when he reached overhead in the restroom to pull down remaining ceiling material. He said the firefighter was treated right away and is now doing well.

“I miss the small town bar atmosphere there is at Ray’s,” Shelby Lemler, a junior nursing major said.

Lemler said she enjoyed going to Ray’s Corner with her older brother and his friends when they came to Brookings to visit.

“Ray’s was one of my brother’s favorite places to go. We had a lot of fun when we were there,” Lemler said.

Stephanie Fischer, a senior political science and secondary education major, said downtown Brookings just isn’t the same without Ray’s Corner.

“It is a fun place to go and hang out. There are always a ton of games there,” Fischer said. “My favorite is playing Battleship and Candy Land when I’m there, and not to mention they have really great roasted peanuts.”

Even SDSU alumni have reacted to the recent fire and closing of Ray’s Corner.

Tyler Hanten, an SDSU graduate, said Ray’s Corner was one of his favorite places to hang out when he went to school here.

“Every time I came to visit after I graduated, I always went to Ray’s. I am looking forward to being able to go back to Ray’s when it opens again,” Hanten said.

Fischer said she was really surprised when she heard about the fire.

“My best friend texted me when it [Ray’s] was on fire. I didn’t believe it at first,” Fischer said.

Hartmann said the building will be able to be used again after repairs are made. He said some damage was done to the building to control the fire.

“The fire directly damaged electrical junction boxes and shorted the electrical system at the breaker panel. We had to cut into the floor and walls of the apartments above this area rendering them unusable until the damage can be repaired,” Hartmann said.

Since the restrooms and the cooler area were directly involved in the fire, Hartmann said the bathrooms will need to be completely reconstructed and the cooler area will need clean up from smoke damage. He said the bar area received little smoke damage.

Fischer said she hopes Ray’s Corner will open up again soon. She said she misses the bar because it reminds her of home.

“I will definitely be back at Ray’s Corner when it opens again,” Fischer said.

Onya Eng and Katie Giegling ride their bikes downtown after stopping by the post office. With increased student population, bike paths would free up sidewalks for pedestrians and make an easier commute for those who use bikes as a main form of transportation. - Collegian Photo by Corey Morrow

A proposal to create bike lanes within key areas of Brookings has been passed on to the Traffic Safety Committee.

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Drivers and bikers may soon be sharing the road.

Students’ Association asked the Office of Student Affairs to survey students to find out if there is a need for bike lanes on city streets.

SA passsed the resolution April 11 because the Brookings City Council wants to see “more concrete evidence showing the need,” according to the resolution.

Since 2008, the Students’ Association has been working with the city of Brookings to implement bike lanes on some of the city’s streets. The issue came up again at the April 5 city council meeting.

“The goal of bike lanes is to find a way to connect the campus and the community,” SA Vice President Anthony Sutton said.

Sutton said SA worked with the city to put up “share the road” signs last spring. The signs are meant to encourage people to ride their bikes on the street and drivers to share the road.

However, Jameson Berreth, SA state and local chair, said the signs haven’t accomplished what they’ve hoped.

“We feel the signs haven’t been very effective,” Berreth said. “Cars will sometimes go in the other lanes when bikes are on the street. These signs just aren’t being utilized.”

Natalie Van Beek, a junior nursing major, said she doesn’t notice the “share the roads” signs very often and will normally ride her bike on the sidewalk.

“When I do ride my bike on the street, I feel like I’m in the way of other cars on the road,” Van Beek said.

Now, Berreth said SA wants to take it a step further and see lanes painted on the streets for bikers.

Sutton said SA is proposing bike lanes on Eighth Street to Western Avenue, another on 11th Street by Hansen Hall and a third on 22nd Avenue.

“For now we want to start small, then build our way up,” Sutton said.

Berreth said bike lanes would not only benefit campus, but the community too.

“The benefits of bike lanes include safety for bikers as well as everyone else on the road, cleaner air and also less pollution,” Berreth said.

According to a study by the University of Wisconsin, Brookings County is the healthiest county in South Dakota. Berreth said the bike lanes keep up with this by promoting healthy lifestyles.

“In the future we hope to see a cultural shift of people choosing to ride their bikes instead of driving,” Sutton said.

Van Beek said she would feel more comfortable riding her bike on the street if bike lanes were painted on the road.

“I think I would use the bike lanes and not the sidewalk,” Van Beek said. “I may also ride my bike a lot more.”

Sutton said he wants student and community members to feel comfortable riding their bikes on the streets. He said he wants to see Brookings as a bike-friendly community.

“Bike lanes are new to America,” Sutton said. “There aren’t a ton in the U.S. so, maybe SDSU can be on the cutting edge of this new tread.”

Adding bike lanes may also eliminate some parking on the streets. Berreth said that because some streets only have parking on one side, parking may have to be completely removed on them. This will all be determined by the city if they agree to the proposed plan.

“We brought the idea of bike lanes to the city last fall and we do have some support from them,” Berreth said.

When Berreth presented a bike lanes proposal to the city council on April 5, the council referred the proposal to the Traffic Safety Committee.

Rotunda will be renamed Harold S. Bailey Classrooms and Ag Hall will be renamed Sherwood O. and Elizabeth A. Berg Agriculture Hall. The current Berg and Bailey Hall will be renamed Meadows North and Meadows South. -Collegian photo by Robby Gallagher

The names of Berg and Bailey Halls will soon be seen on two different campus buildings to better illustrate the roles President Sherwood Berg and Provost Harold Bailey had at SDSU.

Agriculture Hall will be named Sherwood O. and Elizabeth A. Berg Agriculture Hall because of Berg’s professional background in agriculture. Berg served as president of SDSU from 1975 to1984.

Rotunda will be renamed Harold S. Bailey Classrooms to reflect the efforts of Bailey’s 24 years serving as provost.

“The name changes were prompted by the fact that their roles on campus were both academic in nature,” Provost Laurie Nichols said. “It was only fitting to put their names on academic buildings.”

“Both [Sherwood and Elizabeth] were very much a team when [Berg] was president,” Nichols said. “She was a much loved and admired first lady and was seen at almost all of the events with the president.”

Ty Littau, a sophomore agriculture business major, said he is in favor of Ag Hall’s new name because it’s a great way for the university to show its thanks to his contributions to agriculture.

“I think it is probably better,” Littau said. “That way there is more connection to the individual on campus.”

“We wanted to promote the academic leadership of these two individuals by putting their names on academic buildings that fit their profile and their background,” Nichols said.

Doug Wermedal, assistant vice president for student affairs, said the current Berg and Bailey Halls will be renamed Meadows North and Meadows South.

“We gave a lot of consideration to potential names, and [the buildings] were both in a meadow,” Wermedal said.

Wermedal said the new names not only give recognition to the physical setting in which the buildings are in, but it also reflects the land grant mission of the university.

Littau said he thinks changing the names will help students understand the important contributions Berg and Bailey made to the university.

“… I think it is great, and it is our way to really thank all of those who have contributed to SDSU,” Littau said.

Nichols said a naming committee is responsible for naming or changing names to building on campus. The committee’s job is to make suggestions, proposals and requests for building names. Once they make sure a name meets all of a building’s guidelines, it is recommended to the president and must be accepted by the Board of Regents.

For classrooms and small facilities, Nichols said, the president is responsible for making the final decision.

Wermedal said changing the building names is a part of a larger plan for residential living on campus, which includes building new residence halls on the southeast corner of campus. With the new names and possible future residence halls, Wermedal said the university wants to return Berg and Bailey Halls to their original function, which is to house 320 juniors, seniors and graduate students.

“This plan is something that should be realized within a two to three-year span as long as we have the Board of Regents’ approval,” Wermedal said.

Nichols said in the future, students will be seeing more name changes to other buildings, one of them being Dairy Microbiology.

Nichols said a dedication of the Sherwood O. and Elizabeth A. Berg Agriculture Hall is set for April 28, and the dedication of the Harold S. Bailey Rotunda Classrooms is tentatively set for next fall.

To escape the average workout, some students are blasting calories and moving to a Latin beat with the new fitness craze, Zumba.

Vehicles drive through the opposite lane as the Big Sioux River overflows its banks. This spring Brookings is one of many cities expecting high water and flood damage. Residents in flood plains are advised to ensure sump pumps are functioning properly and that any valuable property is placed out of reach of the potential flood waters. - Collegian Photo by Corey Morrow

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As the snow melts and water levels rise, many Brookings residents have one thing on their mind: flooding.

“At this point, if you haven’t seen flooding, you probably won’t because it probably won’t get much worse,” said Dennis Todey, state climatologist.

Todey said Brookings has seen flooding on the north side, especially by Six Mile Creek, and on the west and south sides of Brooking, near Volga and on Main Avenue.

“Many houses in the Big Sioux River flood plain have water surrounding them,” Todey said.

Jeff Weldon, city manager of Brookings, said flooding in the area is most prevalent along streams and rivers.

“We have identified areas prone to flooding and have taken steps to protect them,” Weldon said.

Weldon said that every flooding situation is different, adding that the current flooding plan in place is flexible.

“The city follows an emergency management plan for flooding which includes activating the Red Cross and other emergency responders,” Weldon said.  “The rising creeks are predictable and we can mobilize sandbags and traffic barricades as well as evacuation of residents.”

Weldon said floodwaters are lowering with the dropping temperatures, but when warm weather returns, river and stream levels could rise again.

Todey said flooding in Brookings is caused by three factors. The first is snowfall.

“Brookings has gotten a total of 52.6 inches of snowfall this winter, which is the third largest total on record,” Todey said.

In addition to the snowfall, the total precipitation in 2010 was 39.8 inches.  Todey said this is also a factor in flooding this year.

“We were wetter than average last fall.  There is less ability for the soils to soak up all the water and there is more run-off,” he said. “[Since] the rivers are running high, any precipitation will have an effect on it.  We may see additional flooding with heavy rainfall.”

The third factor is how quickly the snow is melting.  Todey said it hasn’t been warm enough for the snow to melt until now.

With the recent cold temperatures however, Todey said there will not be much melting. This will allow the streams and rivers to recede a little.

John Little, senior history major, said he has had problems with flooding this year, as well as last summer and fall.

“Our street was completely flooded, so we couldn’t leave our house without walking through a few feet of water,” Little said.

When flooding is bad enough. Little said that the city will set up a roadblock on their street and then clean up the mess left from the water.

“The police are typically the ones to call us to warn us they are blocking off our road,” Little said.

The City of Brookings said residents should just be prepared for flooding.

“Because of the wet period, we may see flooding throughout the year.  We should always be aware of it and be ready to react when it occurs,” Todey said.

Weldon said residents should remove snow from around their foundations and make sure their sump pumps are working properly to help prevent flooded basements.

Residents can go to bereadybrookings.com for information on flooding and how to prepare for it.

Todey said there is a possibility of a wet summer, but it will not be as wet as last summer.