STURGIS, S.D. – The City of Sturgis is no longer looking to proceed with a proposed Lakeside Adventure Park on land purchased in Vanocker Canyon.
At their meeting Monday night, the city announced it was considering an offer from the South Dakota Department of Transportation to purchase the property while retaining approximately 20 acres for future use, although any action on the matter is not expected until the new year.
Acting Mayor Kevin Forrester says the State has expressed interest in purchasing the land to use as fill dirt for future I-90 road projects.
Additionally, Forrester says the city is working to fulfill its purchase agreement obligations to the original seller, the Richards Family, by designating and platting seven lots, which will be transferred through council action.
The Richards Family worked with the city to acquire the land at a reasonable price, and they had expressed interest in the city using the property to build something for the youth of Sturgis. Acting Mayor Forrester says the lots were part of the purchase agreement, although the adventure park was not.
The Sturgis Lakeside Adventure Park was proposed after tedious work was done by the Sturgis Aquatic Committee, which was formed after citizen input was taken for a swimming pool or splash pad in Sturgis.
However, the proposed Lakeside Adventure Park, which included a recreational lake, inflatable adventure courses, splash pad and miniature golf, came in way over budget. Even a couple of scaled back versions still exceeded the city’s financial capacity.
Publicly raised funds for the park, totaling nearly $148,000, remain in a restricted account, while additional pledged contributions are held by local foundations. If the park is not built, certain earmarked donations may be returned to donors.
Additionally, $200,000 initially set aside in 2020 by the city for a splash park was partially used to fund design work for the proposed park.
