(605) 394-5225
Fax: (605) 394-5226
Department of Parks and Recreation
125 Waterloo Street, Rapid City, SD 57701
Director's Letter
Rapid City
Department of Parks and Recreation
The parks throughout Rapid City are slowly coming alive with the recent warm weather and moisture. The Parks Division crews have begun removing the cover from the rose bushes and opening restroom facilities throughout the park system. The community is ready to be outdoors and enjoying the local amenities!!
We have big plans for the spring of 2010 and many of them are underway.
- The Summer Program Guide is now available. Check out the new recreation programs and camps available for adults and youth. There is most definitely something for everyone!
- A waterline is being installed through Canyon Lake Park which will have the park torn up for most of the summer months.
- Wilderness Park Playground is in the process of being totally renovated. When complete the park will have new play equipment, irrigation and pathways.
- The restrooms and water fountain were turned on at Vickie Powers Memorial Park and Playground for the first time this spring. The playground has already received a lot of attention and use, but don’t forget to take a stroll along the pathway through this area. It is beautiful. Also, it is one of the City’s five off-leash areas so dogs can run and play, too.
- The 4th Annual Black Hills Fat Tire Festival will be held over Memorial Day weekend, May 28-31, 2010. This event brought participants and spectators from 13 different states in 2009 and event coordinators are working hard to make the 2010 Festival even bigger and better. Check out their website at www.bhfattirefestival.com.
- Staff has been diligently working on the outdoor pools and a June 8th opening day is planned (barring unforeseen maintenance and weather issues!).
- Speaking of swimming, don’t forget the Rapid City Triathlon scheduled for Sunday, June 20, 2010. Participants will swim at Horace Mann Pool, bike from the pool out Haines Avenue and back, and then complete the triathlon with a run along the Swanson Pathway.
- The sand in the Founders Park volleyball courts was removed in late March and will be used in other areas of the park system. Bids to replace the sand will be opened on April 21st and we anticipate the sand replacement project will be complete by the end of May.
- Be sure to check out the Parkview recreation complex this summer. In addition to the pool a new 12-court tennis complex has been constructed and is ready for use. The City’s Landscape Designer is working on a playground area at Parkview and if the schedule goes as planned, it will be constructed during the spring months and be complete by the end of July.
- Also, many citizens may not know that the City has a new neighborhood park in the southwest part of the community; Red Rock Meadows Park located at 6606 Sahalee Drive. This park was created by the developers to serve citizens in the Red Rocks community and was given to the City of Rapid City in 2009. Check it out with your family.
From all of us here at Parks and Recreation, enjoy the summer and be sure to get out and PLAY!
“We Create Smiles”
Jerry W. Cole, CPRP
Director of Parks and Recreation
City of Rapid City, SD
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