STURGIS, S.D. – A scenario asking Sturgis residents to provide their wish list for a new Adventure Park show an overwhelming majority prefer a three-to-four acre aquatic water feature over a swimming pool.
Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie said more than 100 people participated in two public open house events this fall hosted by the city at which Sturgis residents were given play money to put toward amenities for a proposed adventure park on land the city recently purchased in south Sturgis in Vanocker Canyon.
The pile of City of Sturgis bucks provided each participant came in denominations of $1 million, $500,000, $100,000 and $25,000 which added up to $3.8 million. That total is what the city hopes to have to spend on the project from various sources, including a Tax Increment Finance District from housing and development on the Vanocker Canyon property.
Once totaled, results showed that 111 people voted for the aquatic park and four voted for the pool. Residents also preferred a large obstacle course on the body of water versus a medium or kids’ obstacle course.
The totals also show that 141 people voted for Zoom Flume Slides, which provide an adrenaline-pumping ride into the water from above.
And, a large number of participants voted for a winter sledding hill at the Adventure Park during the off-season.
Here is a table of the results from the two meetings:
