Council reviews Stockwell parks master plan; discusses short‑term park spending and pool upgrades

The Dell Rapids City Council on Monday received a parks and recreation master plan from Stockwell Engineering and discussed which recommendations to fund in the draft 2025 budget. David Locke, landscape architect with Stockwell, summarized community feedback and the firm’s recommendations, noting the city has "about 21 acres per 1,000 residents, so doing very well" on park acreage but opportunities exist to expand trails and improve the aquatic center.

The plan, compiled from a steering committee, stakeholder meetings and a statistically valid household survey with about a 20% response rate, breaks recommendations into short‑, mid‑ and long‑term items and provides high‑level cost ranges. Stockwell proposed renovating the existing aquatic center as a cost‑effective middle option — adding a splash pad, 0‑depth entry and designated lap area — with a high‑level capital estimate of roughly $3–4 million for a substantial renovation and as much as $7 million for a full rebuild. For larger projects, such as a new sports complex to replace recurring flood‑prone ball fields, Stockwell estimated a construction neighborhood near $10,000,000 and cautioned that land needs could reach around 50 acres.

Why it matters: the council must choose whether to place a 2025 placeholder amount in the budget to begin visible, lower‑cost improvements and to position the city to leverage grants and community fundraising for larger projects. Mayor Early said the meeting was an "opportunity to ask questions, compare historical budget information, identify priorities and provide the funding" for 2025, and councilmembers repeatedly urged prioritizing repairs and maintenance on existing facilities before new construction.

Council concerns and near‑term items included work at the historic bathhouse, accessibility upgrades at the amphitheater and targeted trail lighting. Stockwell’s engineers reported the bathhouse’s roof and slab show structural failures and recommended immediate public‑safety measures such as fencing while the council decides whether to fund structural repairs; one council member raised an approximate safety estimate of about $110,000 to make the structure safe or remove immediate hazards.

Stockwell also recommended standards for park signage, minimum amenities for neighborhood parks (playground plus shelter), and a 5% park‑land dedication minimum for new residential developments. The firm recommended planning a sports complex on the town’s periphery to re‑locate five regularly flooded ball fields, potentially consolidating parking, restrooms and lighting and enabling shared amenities for soccer and baseball.

Next steps: councilmembers asked staff to identify a short list of 'low‑hanging fruit' projects for 2025 that would be visible to residents, to return cost estimates and to continue discussions at the next regular meeting. Stockwell and staff will provide the full report and recommended phasing to the finance committee for refinement before the first‑reading ordinance hearings in September.