Looking Back

You win some and you lose some.

Since the founding of Friends of Rapid City Parks in 2005, this little organization with a big vision has proven the truth of the saying: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

Organized originally to stop erection of the Civic Center’s electronic sign in Memorial Park on Omaha Street, Friends has stopped development of state offices and an apartment complex in Braeburn Park (known as “the dog park,”), received concessions and changes in plans to expand Central High School into the park, joined the successful fight to change the way Rapid City governs the use of billboards, and engaged hundreds of citizens in the civic conversation about the green ribbon that runs through our city. We have not always been successful, especially in the fight to stop paving areas of the greenway for parking, but we are not discouraged from fighting another day.

Friends hasn’t just been about “stopping” or “opposing” actions related to parks. The organization has thrown its support and resources behind creation of new parks, the urban orchard project, the Fat Tire Festival, and has fielded volunteers for park clean up days. We have co-sponsored six annual city candidate forums, as well as public events on the history of conservation and to increase awareness of the history of the 1972 flood and its role in reshaping Rapid City’s future.

In the coming year, leading up to the observance of the 40th anniversary of the flood, we hope you will join us in our work to ensure that Rapid City area parks are managed in a way that preserves this legacy for future generations.

Won’t you join us by filling in the membership information on the right side of this page?

Meet Our Board Members

Steve McCarthy founded Friends of Rapid City Parks in 2004 to defend the greenway along Rapid Creek from development. He has led citizens in actions to stop proposed developments at Braeburn Park and other sites along Rapid Creek. He served on a citizens committee to revise floodplain development policy for Rapid City. A supporter of the arts, historic preservation and other civic organizations, Steve is on the board of the Red Cloud School, served on the Rapid City Regional Hospital board, is a member of the Scenic Rapid City Committee, and is active in preservation and restoration of historic buildings downtown. He is the owner of McCarthy Properties, Inc. of Rapid City, and started MAC Construction of Rapid City. He received his Bachelor of Arts from St. John’s University in New York, and a Master of Arts degree from City University in New York. He came to Red Cloud in 1968 as a Red Cloud Volunteer teacher. In 1999 he was named a Bush Fellow and obtained his Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard University.

Don Frankenfeld has lived most of his 63 years in Rapid City. The 1972 flood killed some of his friends and neighbors, and destroyed most of the homes along what had been his newspaper delivery route a decade before. Don is a founding board member of Friends of Rapid City Parks and an ardent advocate for preservation of the memorial greenway along Rapid Creek. A dedicated walker and occasional hiker and cyclist, Don is a particular fan of little-known Mary Hall Park and of the Braeburn dog park at the western edge of Rapid City. Don has been a board member and supporter of community organizations including United Way, Wellspring, Center for Restorative Justice, Rapid City Regional Hospital and Equality South Dakota. A forensic economist, Don testified more than any other person on behalf of claimants to the Federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Even though she has lived in the Black Hills nearly all her life, Kerri Severson Stover can’t imagine being anywhere other than here. As children, she and her sister spent hours running, playing, ice skating, and swimming in Rapid City’s parks. Her love for green spaces never left her, and Kerri still enjoys walking, splashing with her dogs in the creek, and even practicing yoga in the park. After several years teaching high school English and leading a non-profit mentoring agency, Kerri is currently a high school guidance counselor. Occasionally she will teach a yoga class or two at the Yoga Studio in Rapid City, and logs miles on her road bike, particularly to raise pledges for the fight against Multiple Sclerosis.

Jim Olson can be seen riding his bicycle along the scenic by-ways of the Black Hills or up and down Sheridan Lake Road on the way to Wilson, Olson & Nash where his law practice focuses on Real Estate, Business Planning and Organization, Estate Planning and Probate, Land Use and Development Law, and Contracts. Jim worked as the City Attorney for the City of Rapid City after graduating from law school and passing the South Dakota Bar. Jim enjoys singing with the Shrine of Democracy Barbershop Chorus and skiing with his grandsons. He also serves on the Rapid City Library Board and has served other community organizations including the Rapid City YMCA Board, Allied Arts Fund Drive Board, Black Hills Symphony Board, Rapid City Board of Education and the Rapid City Public School Foundation.

Hillary Dobbs-Davis has served on the Friends of Rapid City Parks board since mid-2009. As a walker, bicyclist, disc golfer, kayaker, hiker and rock climber, Hillary is committed to maintaining Rapid City’s parks and expanding the resources devoted to them. To support her outdoor habit, Hillary works for Black Hills Corporation as a senior communications coordinator, handling various community and media outreach initiatives and administering the company’s charitable giving through the BHC Foundation.

Come see us at the Fat Tire Festival

Ride your bike, bring the kids! Friends will have a booth at the Fat Tire Festival featuring games, giveaways, puzzles and more. We’ll be in Founders Park near the big fish from 1-4 on Saturday and Sunday, May 28 & 29. Enter a free drawing and win a tote full of Friends of Rapid City Parks gear.

Win Parks Gear

Friends speaks out in Forum article

An opinion piece pointing out continuing encroachment into the memorial greenway by Friends president Steve McCarthy appeared in the May 21 Rapid City Journal. You can read it here.

SDPB to produce television documentary on 1972 flood

South Dakota Public Broadcasting will begin taping this June for a documentary on the 1972 Flood to be aired on the 40th anniversary next year.

If you lived in Rapid City during the flood and are willing to tell your story, SDPB wants to interview you. According to reporter Charles Michael Ray, the video documentary will also examine new USGS information on the major floods of Rapid Creek in the past 2000 years. The piece will also delve into current development issues in the greenway and broader flood plain.

Flood survivors who want to share their recollections can contact:
Charles Michael Ray
West River News Producer
South Dakota Public Broadcasting
2040 West Main #302
Rapid City, SD
57702
Charles.Ray@state.sd.us
(605) 394-3363 (office)
(605) 391-0475 (cell)
1-866-771-0162 (fax)

Park advocates demand city honor commitment to 1972 flood victims

RAPID CITY—Friends of Rapid City Parks is asking the city council to reconsider giving the nod to construction of yet another building in the memorial greenway, an act the organization describes as “desecration of sacred ground.”

“We don’t object to another field house; we want the city to find another location that would serve the recreational needs of our community” said Steve McCarthy, president of Friends of Rapid City Parks. The organization was founded to protect, preserve and promote Rapid City parks and has fought development in the greenway, set aside as a memorial to those who died in the 1972 flood.

“In the years since then,” McCarthy said, “more than 60 structures have been erected in the park. If we don’t stop encroaching on this sacred ground, our park land will be nothing but a strip of bricks and pavement through the heart of the community.”
McCarthy pointed out that the city has community gyms at South and West middle schools, and justified construction of a new Central High School gym on park land because it will serve as a community recreational facility.
Friends objected to construction of the swim center and ice arena in the park in 2002, and has spoken against expanded parking lots that have paved over acres of greenway land along Rapid Creek.

“We understand the rationale of building the new field house in a central location on land the city already owns, connecting to existing buildings,” McCarthy said. “But that land is not ‘free.’ It came at a very high price. We are asking the city to keep its commitment to the memory of those who paid for it with their lives.”

Pedestrian & Bike Path Proposals Under Review

Rapid City’s growth management department and Alta Planning unveiled a master plan in mid-April to make bicycling and walking an integral part of transportation in Rapid City. The plan recommends 10 priority projects including signage, bike lanes and shared lanes, that could be done in the near future. It builds on existing trails and paths that run through the parks by connecting recreational trails to educational, work and retail destinations.

Top recommendations are designed to overcome obstacles to walking and cycling, and give walkers and bikers access past major highways and corridors that divide the city. Longer term proposals include trail construction and ongoing education. According to the document, the long term vision is to make Rapid City “a world-class biking and walking community with a diversified transportation system in which pedestrians and bicyclists are a priority in transportation planning, design and maintenance; where streets that accommodate bicyclists and sidewalks are accessible and user friendly; and where citizens have many travel options in their daily lives.”

The plan provides suggestions for education, encouragement and enforcement programs to improve the walking and biking environment in the Rapid City area. The public had a chance to view the plan at an open house and the City Council voted to approve the draft plan on April 18. Council member Aaron Costello noted that the report is a draft and interested individuals can continue to submit their recommendations and comments on the plan. Download a copy of the master plan or executive summary.

Candidate Forum Time Rolls Around Again

Friends of Rapid City Parks will host two candidate forums this year in order to provide ample time for both city council and mayoral candidates to present their views and answer questions.

The 2011 city council candidate forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 31 at the Dahl Arts Center. A second event to showcase candidates for Mayor will take place Thursday, June 2 at 6:45, also at the Dahl. A reception prior to the mayor candidate forum will begin at 6:00. The public is invited and the events are free of charge.

The annual public forums provide park advocates an opportunity to ask candidates about their views on parks, environment, and preservation of the green ribbon along Rapid Creek. Read about the candidates in the Rapid City Journal.

This year 11 candidates are competing for 2-year terms representing Rapid City’s five wards. In the six years since FRCP has sponsored the forum, green issues such as water quality, open space, bike paths, parks, and development in the floodway have taken on increasing importance among city voters.

Parks issues that are sure to be raised include continued attempts to develop in the floodway, acquisition of new park land, maintenance and support of existing parks, and contribution of parks and open space to Rapid City’s quality of life.

Master Plan for bicycle & pedestrian paths

RCExecutiveSummary03152011_v3

Comments on Founders Projects Invited at Open House

The Rapid City Parks and Recreation Department has extended the following invitation:

You are invited to an Open House to view and comment on proposed improvements to the Rapid City Greenway Trails and Park System Project. The improvements include bike path and pedestrian path improvements near the Central States Fairgrounds, SDSM&T, Founders Park and Executive Golf Course. The project also includes facility improvements at Founders Park including a pedestrian bridge, landscaping, restrooms and parking improvements.

The Open House will be held on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM in the First Floor Community Room at the City/School Administration Center, 300 Sixth Street, Rapid City, SD 57701.

Questions should be directed to Brian Tideman, P.E. @ CETEC Engineering Services, Inc. (605) 341-7800.

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