Terrace Park walkways spared, mostly
Some of the endangered quartzite pathways at an historic Sioux Falls park could get a stay of execution at the eleventh hour.
The Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Department was set to begin upgrading and modernizing Terrace Park early next week. But those plans, which called for removing a series of stone pathways and replacing them with concrete, hit a snag Wednesday when the city’s Board of Historical Preservation adhered to neighborhood outcry and rejected those plans.
A compromise was reached Friday between the parks department and the neighborhood organization that nudged the history board toward its decision that will spare the majority of the stone walkways that were set to be torn out.
“In a perfect world, would I like to keep more of it? Sure. But I think we walked away pretty happy today,” said Nancy Tapken, Terrace Park Neighborhood Association president. “Everyone can live with it.”
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Originally, two stone pathways were set to come out – half of the diagonal run that spans the east corner of the park to the picnic shelter and a curved walkway near the corner of Fourth Street and Grange Avenue. Instead, the diagonal stone path won’t be touched at all. But because the curved path runs downhill, it won’t be completely spared.
“We’ll just do what we need to do to get the north-south connectivity up to the playground and basketball court,” said Tory Miedema, park development specialist for the city. “Just hold off removing any extra quartzite.”
Both Tapken and Miedema expect the amended improvement plan to get the blessing of the Board of Historic Preservation, something the city needs before work can commence because of Terrace Park’s designation in the Registry of Historic Places.
Pending its approval at a special meeting Wednesday, construction will begin June 20. Other work included is a small plaza area to the east of the picnic shelter, benches, a centennial marker, tree plantings and a time capsule. A monument sign on Fourth Street and Grange Avenue is also planned to accent one of the park's main entrances.