City officials, sustainability advocates and donors broke ground May 6 for Trinity Eco Prayer Park, a project selected by the Green Cities Task Force as a pilot project to demonstrate sustainable practicies. The park is located at the corner of Fourth and St. Joseph Streets downtown.
Trinity Eco Prayer Park will boast an innovative, thoughtful alternative energy strategy that uses solar-powered bollards and pedestrian scaled overhead lights to illuminate the park’s pathways while not being tied into an electrical grid. Solar panels located on a shelter in the park will generate electricity that will feed back into power lines.
A stormwater garden will reduce runoff and pollution in the area. Plants, grasses, and trees that grow naturally in western South Dakota will fill the park, with a landscape design that visitors can potentially adapt to their own yards, said Ken Steinken, coordinator of the park project.
“We wanted to create a park that works with nature and models thoughtful stewardship of the planet by reducing the amount of water, electricity and gas used to maintain the park,” Steinken said. “Our hope is that this park will not only be a place for small concerts, family gatherings, and weddings, but also a place for education—where school, church, and community groups can learn about the landscape and natural ecosystems that surround Rapid City.”
Steinken said that the park is being entirely funded by financial commitments from the Trinity Lutheran Church members, as well as individuals and businesses not associated with Trinity Lutheran.
Photos and background on the project, including a list of native plants appeared in Friends’ August 2012 newsletter and are archived on the website.