Walking, sit-ups and dips –by the end of the year, you’ll find encouragement to do all three along Pierre’s waterfront. The City is rehabbing more than 2,800 feet of its walking trail system and adding new amenities this construction season.
In Steamboat Park, more than 1,500 feet of the walking trail between Poplar and Central Avenues will be rebuilt. The current eight foot asphalt path will be replaced with a 10 foot concrete path. Additionally, three rest areas will be added along this stretch. Each rest area will include a park bench and an exercise bench.
Mindy Cheap, City Recreation Superintendent, says that the City is always looking for new ways to help the community stay healthy.
“One exercise bench is designed for doing sit-ups, one for tricep dips, and one for pull-ups,” said Cheap. “I’ve wanted to integrate exercise equipment into our parks for a while now. It just took a bit of time to find the right equipment for this environment.”
In Griffin Park, about 1,300 feet of the eight foot asphalt trail will be rebuilt. It will also be expanded to a 10 foot concrete path between Crow Street and Capitol Creek. Rest areas will be added here as well and will include park benches.
The two projects are partially funded by Recreational Trails Grants provided by the South Dakota Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks. Collectively, the project cost is $240,000. The grant covers 80% of the projects; the City pays for the remainder. Work will begin as soon as weather and contractor schedules allow; work on both trails is expected to be complete this fall.
The City maintains about eight miles of trails. They tie into both Fort Pierre and the state’s trail system; this connects Pierre’s trails to both the Oahe Downstream Recreation Area, Farm Island, and the Capital campus.