Sioux Falls approves naming agreement for donated baseball field at Prairie Meadows Park

The Sioux Falls City Council voted 8-0 on Aug. 12 to approve a conditional gifting and naming agreement with the Harrisburg Baseball Association to construct a new ball field at Prairie Meadows Park.

Mike Patton of the Parks and Recreation Department described the project as a gift of improvements — including fencing, benches, pathways and infield grading — to be built to city standards and ADA requirements. Construction was described as scheduled to begin later this summer with substantial completion expected in the fall and minor punch-list work next spring.

The naming proposal comes from the association’s largest donor, Salmons Financial; the proposed name is Salmons Field at Prairie Meadows Park for a 30-year term, “which coincides with the life of the improvements,” Patton said. The Parks Board recommended approval at its July meeting.

Council members asked a few clarifying questions about the gifting mechanism; Patton explained that the city routinely accepts either cash donations (administered by the city) or completed improvements gifted by nonprofit groups. Council discussion emphasized the field’s intended first-come, first-served public use and the donor’s preference that no single organization receive priority scheduling.

The council approved the ordinance on second reading by an 8-0 vote.