Just a little here, a little there. It’s for a good cause, you know.
And that is how Rapid City will destroy the Memorial Greenway.
The latest incursion on the park that was designated to honor those who died in the 1972 Black Hils Flood, and to create green, natural boundaries along Rapid Creek that serve as flood prevention, public space, walking, bicycling, and other allowable recreational uses will now go under the bulldozer. Why?
So that downtown businesses can keep their employees’ cars out of those storefront spaces that are far more profitable when filled with the vehicles of paying customers.
Don’t let them fool you: this parking lot at 8th and Omaha is not “for the park.” It is not “for stormwater management.” This is a publicly subsidized parking lot on land that belongs to the citizens of Rapid City, serviced by buses paid for by the citizens of Rapid City, to help out private business people who want more convenience for their customers.
Sure, the private business that will be the major beneficiary is kicking in some bucks. But more than three-fourths of the cost will come OUT OF YOUR POCKET, whether from the coffers of local taxes, federal taxes, or state grants that are provided by federal taxes.
And the loss of more open space in the greenway can never be repaid.
Friends of Rapid City Parks will keep fighting this fight, but we can’t do it alone.
If you don’t want to see more paradise paved, call or email your member of City Council, or show up at tonight’s meeting.