New skate park finalizes design, nears construction

When it opens later this year, the new Barb Iverson Skate Park likely will be among the largest in the country.

“It’s so much more than any of us could have ever dreamed when we started this project,” said Walter Portz, executive director of the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association. “We had to make some compromises, which happens especially with inflation, but that’s OK. It’s still going to be one of the largest skate parks in the country, and it’s going to be amazing.”

At 20,000 square feet, there are “maybe 20 skates parks bigger” than Barb Iverson Skate Park will be, Portz said. The park is named after a popular Sioux Falls middle school teacher who died from cancer in 2021.

The city is scheduled to bid the project at Nelson Park in June with construction starting in July. The hope is to have it substantially done by mid-November, finishing up next spring.

Because Sioux Falls hasn’t had skate parks, it has evolved as a street skateboarding community, which is reflected in the design, Portz said.

“The majority of the park will be plaza-style,” meaning there are legs, benches, stairs and rails, “which are typically more like what you’d find in the natural architecture of a city,” he said.

The state-of-the-art park will feature a flow bowl area with spaces designed for skateboarders of all abilities, including an advanced section, a rock terrace feature, street plaza lane and grind rails.

“The other thing is we always say skate park, but it’s a wheel park,” Portz said, adding scooters, roller skates and wheelchairs can access it.

Lighting will be added if the bid comes in within budget; otherwise, the groundwork will be laid for it, and fundraising will support future installation.

The sport itself is surging in popularly, he said, crediting social media and its short-video format for inspiring kids to try it out.

“This week, I think I got four messages about people wanting lessons, and the private lessons that are out there are kind of at amazing capacity,” he said. “But even just having a public park and being able to do open-skate days and invite beginners to come experience a skate park is going to be inspirational.”

It helps that the sport is largely accessible to families of all incomes and that the current generation of parents “grew up thinking skateboarding was cool,” Portz added.

The Skatepark Association plans to hold another art show and block party event to raise funds and awareness this year and is finalizing details. It’s also working with the Sioux Falls School District to find ways to connect with after-school programming to help kids try skateboarding.

While Barb Iverson Skate Park will be the city’s signature park, Portz sees integrating smaller versions into neighborhood parks as they’re updated with new master plans.

“There’s all these great benefits to getting kids active,” he said, adding that the sport lends itself to kids organizing and taking ownership of it themselves — and that many spend entire days at the park.

“We’re just trying to find ways to build community within the city and give kids opportunities to get on skateboards.”

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