The plan, in full.

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Summary

A master plan was created for McKennan Park in 2005/2006 by Brian Clark + Associates (now Confluence) in preparation for the park centennial in 2008. The project was fully funded and implemented by Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation in two phases:

Phase 1 construction occurred in summer 2008 and included wedding garden and pergola, park shelter, new walkway in the north half of the park with lighting, basketball court reconstruction, centennial marker, formal garden irrigation, tennis drainage improvements, monument signage at NW and SW park corners and Potato Man sculpture (in conjunction with SculptureWalk).

Phase 2 construction occurred in summer 2009 and included monument signage at the SE park corner, the tennis building, tennis court lighting, parking reconstruction, horseshoe area fencing, shuffleboard court and new walkway in the south half of the park with lighting.

In 2020, Friends of McKennan Park Neighborhood Association (FMPNA) retained Confluence to develop a new master plan for McKennan Park with consultation from the McKennan Park neighborhood residents and City of Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation. A primary purpose of the plan was to identify small projects to be championed by FMPNA for future grant opportunities. In addition, the wading pool, band shell and ice rink had previously been identified as areas in need of improvement and were considered in the master plan.

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Process and public input

Friends of McKennan Park Neighborhood Association

The Friends of McKennan Park Neighborhood Association Executive Committee was the primary contact for the project with meetings held online or by phone. Due to Covid-19, input from the greater FMPNA Board was solicited via email from the FMPNA Executive Committee and forwarded to Confluence for incorporation into the plan.

Initial public input

An online public survey was developed and open for input between July 24th and August 24th. A link to the survey was distributed through the FMPNA Facebook page. 237 total responses were received.

Neighborhood meeting

A draft plan was presented in an open house format at the McKennan Park Shelter at the 2020 National Night Out and FMPNA annual meeting on October 6th. Approximately 50 people attended throughout the evening, although most did not sign in or complete comment cards. Many positive verbal comments were received in response to the proposed master plan.

A visual preference survey was used to help determine priorities for neighborhood initiative projects.

Highest priorities of those who participated were:

1. Play elements: 2-5 year old play elements, custom play feature, shaded play area
2. Digital traffic speed monitor
3. Temporary art exhibits
4. Hansel & Gretel fountain

Lowest priorities of those who participated were:

1. Lending library
2. Creative/modern seating element
3. Photo moment/selfie wall

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Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation

Information gathering

Confluence met with Tory Miedema and Kelby Mieras on July 16th to gather background information and understand the priorities of Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation. Discussion included the following:

• Review CO-OP Architecture's analysis of the bandshell
• Review 2020-2024 Parks and Recreation System Plan, especially related to aquatics and ice recommendations. Wading pool reconstruction is currently included in the CIP. Are there other program elements to introduce that could replace ice skating?
• Is additional parking needed within the park with the wading pool reconstruction?
• McKennan Park playgrounds were replaced in 2019
• More ash tree removals are planned in the park
• What is the future of horseshoes at McKennan Park?

2020-2024 Parks and Recreation System Plan

The 2020-2024 Parks and Recreation System Plan was consulted during the master plan process. Plan goals applicable to McKennan Park were related to the wading pool, ice rink and project funding.

Goal 4. Replace McKennan wading pool with facility of similar size, updated to meet current ADA and industry standards. Develop a new park Master Plan to maximize use of space already owned by Department. Develop a business plan for the pool and park to maximize operational efficiency. Develop an updated program plan for the pool to maximize its usage for all residents of the city.

Goal 5. Develop a new approach to providing ice rink with additional winter recreation enhancement, regionally, for citizens to enjoy more consistently during the winter season.

Provide more operational days and better, more consistent ice by transitioning to refrigerated ice rinks. Determine an optimal existing ice rink to convert to a refrigerated rink based on infrastructure and condition.

• Establish the optimal location for the first converted refrigerated ice rink and provide the proper amenities to go with them to entice more users and a wider age segment of people. Theme the sites to make them more attractive to users.
• Program the refrigerated site versus setting them up for open skate to broaden their appeal with broomball games, skate lessons, skate parties for neighborhoods and youth organizations.
• Provide concessions, warming fires, music and ways to improve the ambiance of the sites.
• Develop a business plan for the site to maximize its use, value and revenue it can support for a quality experience.

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System plan goals, plan review and adoption

Goal 6. Develop additional funding methods to support the system and the Department.

Establish an independent Parks & Recreation Foundation to explore external funding opportunities working in concert with the Parks and Recreation Board and the Mayor's Office.

• Explore private donations for parks facilities and programs.
• Continue to identify capital improvement projects for outside funding.

Goal excerpts have been paraphrased; the full document can be found at plansfparks.org (Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation System Plan, February 2020).

Plan review

Confluence reviewed the draft plan with Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation Administration team on September 15th. Meeting attendees included Don Kearney, Tory Miedema, Mike Patten, Rich Carlson, Jackie Nelson and Kelby Mieras. Discussion included:

• The CIP has funds budgeted for the wading pool in 2023 (design) and 2024 (construction)
• There is no funding for other projects such as band shell renovation or skating rink improvements. Parks & Recreation expects private funding support in order for these projects to move forward.
• Don suggested looking for other program elements to replace ice skating.
• A dog park surfaced as a possible program element during the public survey. Park operations staff does not support a dog park at this location.
• Rich Carlson will be in touch with the horseshoe group to discuss the possibility of moving tournaments to Elmwood Park. This would allow reduction in the number of pits at McKennan Park, freeing up green space for other uses.
• Replacement of the irrigation throughout the park is a priority for Parks & Recreation, possibly to occur during the wading pool replacement project.
• Question was raised if FMPNA would be interested in providing funding for annual planting in existing plant beds.

Adoption

The plan was developed on behalf of the FMPNA. Parks & Recreation chose not to present the plan to Sioux Falls Park Board for formal adoption.

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The plan: big ideas

Wading pool

The existing wading pool was constructed in 1971 and was identified as in need of replacement in the 2020-2024 Parks and Recreation System Plan. The existing pool has approximately 2,900 square feet of water surface area. The master plan shows replacement with up to a 3,000 square foot zero-depth entry wading pool, which is comparable in size to the Drake Springs wading pool. Play features would be included along with pool deck amenities such as seating, and shade structures. An ornamental fence would enclose the pool area and a new pool building would include restrooms, changing areas, and space for pool equipment.

The 2021-2025 City of Sioux Falls Capital Program has $430,000 budgeted for wading pool design in 2023 and $2.5 million for construction in 2024.

Existing parking is limited within the park and survey results show the neighborhood is opposed to loss of green space to create additional parking within the park. Existing circulation within the dead-end parking lot is very poor. A new drop off would improve circulation greatly.

Bandshell

A bandshell facilities condition assessment was completed by CO-OP Architecture in September 2020. Approximately $600,000 in needed repairs have been identified to renovate the bandshell.

In addition to bandshell renovation, improvement to the seating area should be considered; ADA accessible decorative surfacing and historically appropriate bench seating would replace existing bleachers. Recent tree loss has opened views from the bandshell area to 26th Street. Furthermore, many remaining spruce trees are aging and have been limbed up, no longer providing much screening. Screening of 26th street traffic could be improved with additional berming on the east side of the bandshell and planting of evergreen trees on both east and west sides.

There is currently no funding identified in the 2021-2025 City of Sioux Falls Capital Program for bandshell improvements.

Refrigerated ice rink

The 2020-2024 Parks and Recreation System Plan recommends development of outdoor refrigerated ice rinks to extend the skating season and provide consistent, quality ice. Specific locations for refrigerated rinks were not identified in the 2020-2024 Parks and Recreation System Plan. FMPNA requests McKennan Park be considered as a site for development of a refrigerated outdoor rink.

Warming house, skate rentals and mechanical equipment could be housed in a combined pool/ice rink/restroom building. Additional amenities could include a concessions stand, open year around, and small party room available for rentals for use with both the pool and skating rink.

Amenities such as outdoor seating, warming gas fire pit, music, and overhead string lighting would contribute to a unique winter ambiance. Fire pit operation would be controlled by park staff during staffed ice rink hours.

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The rink, and additional opportunities

The existing rink at McKennan Park is nearly 40,000 square feet in size. The proposed plan suggests a refrigerated rink up to approximately 20,000 square feet in size. Configuration should allow recreational uses such as broomball, pond hockey, learn to skate and curling. The rink would not be regulation size for competition.

It is very difficult to grow quality grass on the current rink area during the summer. A refrigerated rink would be constructed on a concrete pad that offers additional use opportunities in the summer. Uses could include roller blading, roller skating, plaza space for food trucks or vendors, or anchor points could be installed in the concrete for event tents.

There is currently no funding identified in the 2021-2025 City of Sioux Falls Capital Program for ice rink improvements.

Sculpture garden

McKennan Park was originally designed on an axis with the formal garden and pergola to the north and band shell at the south. The existing wading pool interrupts this axis. A smaller skating rink creates an opportunity to shift the new wading pool east and re-establish the axis, freeing space for a sculpture garden to anchor the south end of the formal garden. Sculpture should be carefully curated to be meaningful to the park and neighborhood. Interactive and/or temporary or seasonal exhibits are valuable as they draw repeat visits.

Picnic shelter

Parks & Recreation will investigate the possibility to move horseshoe tournaments to Elmwood Park. The plan proposes removal of 12 horseshoe pits with 6 pits to remain, along with shuffleboard to stay in place as well. This will open additional green space, creating an opportunity to add a second picnic shelter near the playground.

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Traffic and pedestrian safety

Pedestrian safety and speed of traffic was brought up as a concern throughout the planning process. The following recommendations should be considered to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety. FMPNA should continue discussions with Sioux Falls Public Works department to identify possible funding sources and implementation strategies.

General

• Install traffic speed monitors on perimeter of park
• Crosswalk striping at all park access points and regular maintenance to keep markings visible. If artistic, colorful striping is desired FMPNA should consider costs of future maintenance and repainting. Custom crosswalk painting is not likely to be maintained by Sioux Falls Street Department.
• Consider cobblestone or historic brick paver at intersections for traffic calming. Cobblestone or brick are historically appropriate materials for the neighborhood and could be appropriate for slowing traffic at intersections on 21st, 23rd or 24th Streets. Cobblestone or brick would not be appropriate for use in pedestrian crosswalks, where accessible surfaces are required. Installation over a concrete base is recommended for long term durability.

26th Street

• Crosswalk and push button signal on 26th Street and 2nd Avenue/Pendar Lane
• Existing curb ramps on 26th Street are oriented diagonally and direct pedestrians into dangerous 26th Street traffic. Diagonal curb ramps should be replaced with perpendicular curb ramps, directing pedestrians in the desired path of travel.
• FMPNA has safety concerns with pedestrian and traffic conflicts on 26th Street. Sioux Falls traffic engineering notes traffic calming devices are difficult to implement on 26th Street due to classification as an arterial street. FMPNA requests consideration to convert a portion of the turn lane to a raised median, possibly with cobblestone surfacing to reduce maintenance.

2nd Avenue

• Curb extensions on the east side of 2nd Avenue at 23rd and 24th Streets should be incorporated to slow traffic and reduce pedestrian crossing distances. An accessible walk needs to be established within the park to 24th Street before a crosswalk can be added at this location.

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Friends of McKennan Park Neighborhood Association initiatives

The following list of potential projects have been identified as possible initiatives to be led by Friends of McKennan Park Neighborhood Association. Projects should be selected if they will enhance the park by adding interest and detail, not unnecessary clutter or detract from the valued open green space. Past projects include the McKennan Park floral nameplate, flagpole, and funding for this master plan. Prior to implementation, FMPNA initiative projects must be reviewed and approved by the City of Sioux Falls and Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation through the established processes.

General

• Historic style clock
• Accent lighting (landscape, sculpture, etc.)
• Additional historic style trash and recycling receptacles throughout the park

Play

• Playground shade at existing playground
• Toddler playground for ages 2-5 with shade canopy
• Creative, custom play elements

Garden

• Convert annual flowers at McKennan Park floral nameplate to perennial flowers
• Plant identification program
• Hanging flower baskets along primary park walkway and 21st Street boulevard
• Historic style planter urns with annual plantings
• Assist with formal garden maintenance, planting and enhancements

Art

• Temporary, interactive displays that become the annual "must see"
• Interactive and fun art/music elements or events
• Areas to showcase musicians, crafters, inventors

History

• Interpretive history displays or sculpture throughout the park, interactive when possible
• Restore or reinvent the fascination and charm of the sunken garden. Specifically, restoration of the Hansel & Gretel fountain.
• Installations reflecting on lost features of McKennan Park such as the zoo or miniature village.

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Plan implementation and funding

Project prioritization and implementation will rely heavily on FMPNA leadership and fundraising efforts. Funding from City of Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation is expected to be limited to replacement of the wading pool. Grant opportunities should be explored, and potential donors identified.

• Sioux Falls Neighborhood Project Grant
• Deadwood Fund Grant
• DAR Historic Preservation Grants
• Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation
• Private Contributions
• Boulevard Beautification Fund

Conclusion

Helen McKennan wanted the park to be a place where "children, young people, and mothers with their little babies could come and rest in the cool shade, drinking in the fresh air." For over 100 years McKennan Park has fulfilled this mission. With the vision and support of Friends of McKennan Park Neighborhood Association, McKennan Park will continue to be known and loved as the jewel of the Sioux Falls park system for generations to come.