BROOKINGS — Planning is underway to further increase the appeal of Lions Park in Brookings by adding a lion-themed play feature, a structure that will complement the Truman’s Den portion of the playground.
The Brookings City Council did its part at its April 28 meeting, supporting the application from the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department for a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant on a 7-0 vote.
A total of $170,000 has been budgeted in the department’s 2027 capital improvement plan for the project, director Kristin Zimmerman told councilors. If LWCF grant funding is awarded, it will go toward the project as well. Any private donations would go toward additional park amenities beyond the new play feature.
According to information from the city, the project will be designed to be highly accessible and to exceed Americans with Disabilities Act standards where feasible.
“Stakeholder groups — including the Brookings Disability Awareness Committee, parent groups and others — will be engaged throughout the design process to help inform the final design and ensure the project reflects community needs and priorities,” the city wrote in its memo.
The park, found on the east side of Medary Avenue and north of the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern rail line, is already home to Truman’s Den, which Zimmerman said was built several years ago. It’s a memorial playground that was created to honor 4-year-old Truman Howard, who died in 2020 following a battle with cancer.
It features lion-themed climbing structures for children ages 2 to 5, a sandbox and a bench. The park was designed to foster imagination, motor skills and social-emotional growth. Once built, the new lion-themed play feature will add even more of a “roar” to the area.
“I look at this concept design here that you have in front of us, and it is such an interesting, unique design,” Councilor Holly Tilton-Byrne said. “I just commend you and your team for being creative and bringing forward a really amazing facility that is accessible, but also appealing to look at.”
“If you look at it really closely, you can climb out the mouth, and it’s all netted … it’s a great place for family pictures,” Zimmerman said. “It’s super cool.”
Councilor Brianna Doran added her compliments as well.
“I want to reiterate my appreciation for the design of it, being a public art piece, as well as the prioritization of the accessibility of the playground,” she told Zimmerman. “I know that is a personal passion and a priority of yours. … I appreciate that you engaged our Brookings Disability Awareness Committee, too, so we could involve those perspectives in this.”
Doran then inquired about funding, wondering if Zimmerman’s department is pursuing sponsorships or how people can reach out if they want to learn more.
“This project is solely the Land and Water Conservation Fund and city funding,” Zimmerman noted.
“OK. It said additional park amenities may be added over time as donations are secured?” Doran asked.
“If people want to donate to the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, we’re more than willing to add amenities as needed, like benches,” Zimmerman explained. “We have a donation policy, so feel free to come talk to us at any time.”
Other business
Councilors handled a variety of other issues as well at their April 28 meeting, including:
• Giving final approval, on a 7-0 vote, to amending the city’s rules regarding animals within city limits. No chickens were harmed in the rule-changing process, which focused on pet licensing, adjusting fine totals, dealing with restricted/vicious animals and preventative efforts around rabies.
• On a 7-0 vote, gave the green light to the Brookings Cubs for a special event temporary alcoholic beverage license for their baseball season.
• Heard first reading of an ordinance that would formally transfer $13.4 million in city money — saved over the course of many years and put into reserves — to a fund dedicated to the construction of a new headquarters for the Brookings Police Department.
A similar action in months past ultimately led to the transfer of $6 million in city reserves into a fund dedicated to the construction of a new downtown station for the Brookings Fire Department. That money, too, was saved over the course of years.
• Listened the first reading of an ordinance that aims to simplify city rules when it comes to home occupations. It would, among other things, remove occupation-based lists, add a “no impact” category and establish an intensity-based framework for classification purposes.
• Heard first reading of an ordinance that would rezone portions of 1120 Western Ave. just north of the existing Heron Cove townhomes. Since the land is within the 100-year floodplain, any future development would have to be built at least 2 feet above said floodplain. No changes are expected on or near Six Mile Creek.
• Learned, during a progress report from Assistant City Manager Samantha Beckman, that the city’s Spring Bulky Item Pickup gathered a total of 500,260 pounds of solid waste.
The breakdown of that total translated into 418,780 pounds of trash; 18,600 pounds of metals; and 62,880 pounds of wood. E-waste, during its free collection week at the Brookings Regional Landfill, added up to 20,671 pounds.
The next City Council meeting will be 6 p.m. May 12 in the third-floor council chambers in the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 Third St.
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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