Council approves gift agreement for new Sioux Falls skatepark, named after late English teacher

Trevor J. Mitchell, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
Professional skateboarder and skatepark designer Kanten Russell is the designer behind the planned skatepark the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association is fundraising for at Nelson Park.
Professional skateboarder and skatepark designer Kanten Russell is the designer behind the planned skatepark the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association is fundraising for at Nelson Park.

Sioux Falls' new skate park will be named after an English teacher, who taught local students for more than three decades and who was a longtime supporter of the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association, before she passed away last year.

The Sioux Falls City Council unanimously advanced an ordinance Tuesday night that would authorize Mayor Paul TenHaken to enter into an agreement under which the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association will gift the city up to $1.5 million.

More: Sioux Falls Skatepark Association raises over $1.72 million for new skatepark

Additionally, the project will be named "Barb Iverson Skate Plaza at Nelson Park," after the Patrick Henry Middle School teacher who died in June 2021.

Iverson's obituary calls her "an early supporter of the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association--likely a result of the miles she put on her vehicle hauling disaffected teenagers to skateparks in the region at a time when Sioux Falls had no such venue."

Co-founder of the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association, Walter Portz, shows kids skateboards at an event celebrating the fundraiser to build new skatepark on Monday, May 9, at the DaDa Gastropub in Downtown Sioux Falls.
Co-founder of the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association, Walter Portz, shows kids skateboards at an event celebrating the fundraiser to build new skatepark on Monday, May 9, at the DaDa Gastropub in Downtown Sioux Falls.

The agreement also states that the city will "use its best efforts" to include up to $800,000 in the city's capital improvement plan for 2023.

More: Dropping in: Skateboarders take over downtown Sioux Falls for Innoskate Festival

The association celebrated the successful fundraising of $1.72 million earlier this year in May, which was quite a jump from their original goal of $500,000, set in 2016.

Parks and Recreation Director Don Kearney said this project would "really catch up" the city in this regard

The council also advanced a separate ordinance providing a supplemental appropriation of $350,000 to the Parks and Recreation department's 2022 budget for the design and construction administration of the park.

Construction on the skatepark is expected to begin on June 1, 2023, with a completion date of Sept. 30, 2023.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Council advances funding for new Sioux Falls skatepark