City proposes bringing back open gym in some former community centers

The city of Sioux Falls is proposing to reopen some gyms in former community centers to offset a need for more recreation space.

The city transitioned the community centers back to the Sioux Falls School District to support after-school programming within several elementary schools.

The city evaluated other opportunities for indoor recreation, including wellness centers, fitness clubs and other entertainment venues.

“There’s plenty of opportunities. There’s a lot of affordable options, but there’s definitely a need for more,” said Jackie Nelson, the city’s recreation manager, in a presentation Tuesday to the Sioux Falls City Council.

“We started looking at what would it cost if Parks and Rec were to reopen open gym.”

The city determined opening gyms for four hours Saturdays and Sundays and on no-school days at one west-side and one east-side school would cost $85,000 to $90,000, including staffing, janitorial expenses and administrative overhead.

The city looked at potential partnerships to support reopening the gyms, including the Sioux Falls Family YMCA, which is bringing forward an updated strategic plan that calls for enhanced youth programming and strategic partnerships, Nelson said.

“Our need and their need are really coming together very nicely,” she said.

The city is proposing an amendment to its agreement with the YMCA for after-school programming and transportation to add that the organization will provide open-gym opportunities on weekends throughout the school year.

The schools where open gym would be offered haven’t been determined yet.

The community centers also represented a loss of space for events and meetings, so the Parks & Recreation Department evaluated what other options exist in the community.

There are a number of room rental options with varying fees, including park shelters, the Midco Aquatic Center meeting rooms, Tuthill House, Falls Overlook Cafe, Great Bear Ski Valley, the Great Plains Zoo, and Elmwood and Prairie Green golf courses. Siouxland Libraries has 10 meeting rooms  available for free that are meant to be used by established organizations.

Hotels, restaurants, churches and other organizations also have space available.

“There’s quite a bit of opportunity within the community. Are there holes? Absolutely. Are there gaps? Yes,” Nelson said, adding it’s something that the parks system will look at with additional venues opening in the next couple of years.

Multiple times during the presentation, Nelson alluded to future indoor recreation space. That could be brought forward as part of a proposed bond to fund swimming pool replacements, but nothing has been recommended yet.