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2024 brought change, spotlight

By Charles Crane - Staff Writer | Jan 4, 2025

A flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., was presented to the new Heart of America Medical Center as a gift from Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND.

The Rugby community confronted a great deal of change in the last year, both planned and emergent, but also found itself the focus of the cameras and drones during the production of a documentary episode showcasing rural life in the heart of America.

HAMC moves into new hospital

The future of medical care in the Rugby community and beyond was secured with the long awaited opening of the new Heart of America Medical Center this fall.

About 80% of the project was funded through $55 million in federal development loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with the rest coming from state grant programs and support from local businesses. The new facility sports a critical care hospital with 25 beds, a rural healthcare clinic and a long-term care facility, all on a single level.

Sen. John Hoeven toured the construction in February with HAMC CEO Erik Christenson. Christenson commended architectural firm JLG for the design of the new facility, which he described as, “really practical and applicable to the community.”

‘My Town’ documentary spotlights Rugby

Around a year after it was announced, Rugby residents at long last got to see the final product of the “My Town” documentary series. Rugby was one of six rural communities in the upper midwest to be the subject for the award winning series, which focuses on unique stories of entrepreneurism and community involvement.

The episode was filmed in May, and was released on various online platforms on Dec. 1, and at a local premiere screening at the Lyric Theater in Rugby.

Cory Hepola, the series’ director, got up close and personal with bison at the Heartland Bison Ranch, took a cooking class at Main Street Boutique, toured the construction of the Heart of America Medical Center, and learned the virtues of rural education at Rugby Public Schools.

Hepola explained his purpose behind the “My Town” project at a presentation in Rugby during the filming process in May.

“It’s kind of that idea that we’re living in two completely different Americas separated by geography and so fundamentally opposed both politically and economically. Now, of course, this divide has a framework to it, and it frames rural America as struggling and it frames urban America as thriving,” Hepola said. “Rural places are essential in the American economy but are undervalued. Our rural areas – we do it here, right? We feed the world. We power the nation. We provide natural resources. We’re the center for industrial and innovation here.”

The documentary highlighted the various aspects of the Rugby community that attracted many individuals to return, and the bonds which drove the community to come together to update the services and opportunities available for the future.

Hepola summed up his visit to Rugby at the end of the episode saying, “Now you wouldn’t see it from the outside, but I see it now. It’s not boring. It’s full of life.”

Laurie Odden, Rugby Chamber and CVB executive director said in a September 21 article in The Pierce County Tribune, that the experience with “My Town” motivated additional efforts to promote Rugby through content. The CVB, the Rugby Jobs Development Authority and Rugby Economic Development Corporation also rolled out nine short videos online produced by The Creative Treatment from Bismarck to give subjects that didn’t make the cut for “My Town” a turn in the spotlight.

City rallies to form new food bank

Pierce County Food Pantry director Vonnie Degenstein announced her decision to retire at the close of the year at the Rugby City Council meeting on Aug. 5. Unfortunately, Degenstein said her retirement would involve closing the pantry, as she was unable to locate a replacement to fill the role of director.

Degenstein founded the PCFP in 1990, operating out of three rooms in the National Guard building. The pantry provided food twice a month to about 45 families in Pierce County, and Gegenstein would also take individuals in need shopping for groceries. This December would also be the last year Degenstein and the pantry would organize and distribute Christmas baskets.

“Phil and I have done this for a lot of years and it’s been a very hard decision, but it’s time for me to step down. None of our volunteers want anything to do with running it so we will liquidate after we do our Christmas baskets. We deliver about a hundred baskets and people rely on that,” Degenstein said.

City Council member Jon Nelson thanked Degenstein for her years of service at the pantry, and called upon the council to honor her legacy by finding some way to keep the pantry going.

The council took on the challenge, forming plans for a new location in available spaces at the Armory, which would provide better accessibility and privacy compared to the pantries former location at 203 4th St SW. Some renovations were required to update the electrical systems to ensure they could handle the load from the freezers required to store perishable foods like meat. The estimated costs of transitioning the food pantry was around $10,000.

The City Council also approved a motion to reorganize the Pantry’s board with a succession plan, which includes a city council member, the Jobs Development director and the Rugby High School Student Council representative as an ad hoc member. While it has not been announced as of yet whom the new director of the pantry will be, further updates are expected in the new year.