Barb Iverson Skate Plaza nears midmonth opening

It’s down to a matter of days before skaters will be able to test their skills at the new Barb Iverson Skate Plaza.

After almost a year of construction and a decade’s worth of dreams, the plaza at Nelson Park, 10th Street and Cliff Avenue, is wrapping up work and on track for a July 11 ribbon-cutting.

Skaters could begin using it as soon as later this week, said Tory Miedema, park development specialist for the city of Sioux Falls.

“We had just a great jump because of the relatively warm and dry winter,” he said. “The flooding didn’t damage anything; it just slowed construction a bit.”

All the skate park improvements are done. “We are just doing the final grading and sidewalk connections, and we should be ready,” Miedema said.

The concrete skate park is 25,000 square feet, with a street course design. There are railings, steps, grind rails and also a bowl zone.

“The bowl design is very popular; it will be really cool to watch people skate on it,” Miedema said. “There are a lot of boulders for skaters to skate off and landscaping to create the park feel.”

It’s the first modern concrete skate park in Sioux Falls and ranks among the largest in the country.

“We’re so excited to draw attention to the park,” said Andy Howes, vice chair of the nonprofit Let’s Skate. “Skaters now will have a first-class park in Sioux Falls after a project many years in the making.”

The skate plaza is a private-public partnership that saw numerous volunteers from Let’s Skate, the city and local businesses, Howes said.

“The original idea goes back a long time,” he said. “It’s over a decade’s worth of work and dreams.”

Let’s Skate raised $1.6 million for the project. The city put $750,000 toward the skate plaza, which “stretched those tax dollars,” Miedema said.

The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. July 11.

Let’s Skate is doing a final fundraiser after the grand opening with the support of many local businesses and chefs working together.

The Let’s Skate Family Picnic will be July 12 at 46508 267th St., west of Sioux Falls. Tickets are $100 or $750 for a table of eight and are available here.

Looking forward, Miedema said the city is still working out how to operate the new park.

“The initial idea is to operate it like other skate parks,” he said. “Meaning unsupervised as it is open with no fences or gates.”

The skate park has added lighting, which will enable park users to skate as long as the park is open.

“We are talking with police officers to see how everything goes in terms of safety,” Miedema said. “We will keep in contact with them depending if we want the lights on late.”

The plaza is named in memory of a longtime Sioux Falls middle school teacher. Learn more about her below.

Middle school teacher’s memory will live on at future skate park