Dear Friend,
I was riding my bike on the path that runs through the city last week, my mind reflecting on the wonderful revitalization of our downtown area and the preservation of our green spaces we have worked so hard to prioritize. I think you will agree with me that there is no place like Rapid City, and our outstanding parks are part of the reason.
Forty years ago, however, that very space was covered with water… and was the site of more than 200 deaths in 1972 as the tiny creek bed that runs through our great city became an unexpected, rushing, rapid river. From that point forward, Rapid City and its leaders and citizens have worked diligently to ensure that building development along Rapid Creek would never, ever happen again.
“People must be vigilant,” former Rapid City Mayor Don Barnett said in the Rapid City Journal a few years ago. “Whenever it has been tried, it has failed. The only thing that will preserve it is if people remain attentive. [We] have to beat it back every time.”
This is our mission—and the need for vigilance has never been greater. Today, we once again turn to you for your support. As the 40th anniversary of the tragic 1972 flood approaches in June, please add your voice to the hundreds of citizens within our community committed to our green spaces by making a commemorative gift of $19.72—an amount that calls us to remember those who perished in the flood. A generous matching gift of up to $5,000 to Friends of Rapid City Parks means $19.72 becomes $37.44, and $100 becomes $200, and so on. This will help us to reach our $10,000 goal by June.
Your tax deductible gift and membership will help Friends of Rapid City Parks surpass our goals this year:
- Acquire at least one of the parcels designated by the Floodplain Development Committee as “park”
- Press for adoption of an ordinance that adds parkland to the municipal system
- Urge the removal of the tennis court at Eighth Street, restoring green space along that section of Rapid Creek
- Support the Vision 2012 Project, which calls for completion of the storm water, trail and beautification project at West Boulevard and Omaha Street
- Champion increases to the park and recreation budget to support their increasing responsibilities
- Encourage engagement and increase visibility for park-related educational programs
As I look back on 2011, I am so proud of what we have accomplished together. We averted development in Braeburn Park and engaged hundreds of citizens in civic conversation about the greenway that runs through our city. We signed petitions, wrote alderman and spoke out at city council meetings.
But we’ve done more than just “opposed” development. We’ve thrown our support, time and talent to the creation of new parks, fielded volunteers for park clean-up days and helped to plan the Urban Orchard Project and Fat Tire Festival. We’ve shown—through action—what being “in and of a community” really means.
Our green “ribbon” in Rapid City distinguishes us from all other cities in the country. Let’s keep it that way! With your active membership and financial support, we will—together—we will honor those who lost their lives 40 years ago, continue our good work and preserve this legacy for future generations.
Steve McCarthy