Park improvements gain momentum

Thanks to tireless efforts by the Hill City Park Board, Heart for the Parks and numerous community volunteers, improvements at Memorial Park are gaining momentum. Recent projects include new field fencing, the construction of dugouts and plans for an updated digital scoreboard. 

Following the damaging windstorm in December, much of the fencing surrounding the east baseball field was left in disrepair. The damaged fence was removed with salvageable materials set aside for future projects and new fencing installed. 

“The city put up the new fence around the smaller field that was destroyed in the winds, taking down and reusing as much as we possibly can,” said park board vice president Lori Comer.

In addition to the new fencing, dugouts are being constructed at both fields. 

According to Heart for the Parks president Leslie Larsen, the Hill City Evergreen Garden Club made the initial donation for the project around 14 years ago. 

The project recently received additional funding and construction was initiated. Hill City High School Career and Technical Education instructor Travis Santistevan has spearheaded the build, enlisting help from high school shop class students and additional help from community volunteers. 

“What I love about the dugouts is that our high school kids helped build those,” said Comer. “Some of our middle school kids were working on them yesterday, and families are working on them. They can take a lot of pride, like 20 years from now, those kids are going to go down there and say, ‘You know what, I was part that. I was part of building this.’”

A new digital scoreboard will be replacing the old, rusted, manual Coca-Cola scoreboard that has not been used in years thanks to two donations from community families.

Comer said the project began when a community member approached her with an offer.

“They said, ‘We’ll pay for half of the scoreboard if you can find someone from the community to pay for the other half,’” according to Comer, who accepted the challenge. 

After posting a photo of the old scoreboard on Facebook and asking for a matching sponsor, Comer said she found one within 30 minutes. 

Additional improvements are also planned for Matkins Field on the east end of the property, which is expected to be renovated into a football practice field.

“We are going to have to haul in dirt, and we’ll have to scrape it and get all the rocks out,” said Comer. “We will have to put drain tiles in so that it doesn’t flood.”

The city, park board and several other community organizations are also working together on a long-term plan to connect Hill City’s three major parks through a trail system. 

“We have three beautiful parks, but you know what, we don’t have any way to connect them,” said Comer. “We had students here from SDSU (South Dakota State University) the week before last, and we had a big meeting,” she said. “We need to make sidewalks or we need to build trails connecting them so that they’re safe for the kids and the adults.” 

Recent work at Memorial Park also included grading the road leading into the park, leveling the parking lot and preparing a 100x100-foot site for a future dog park near the east field.

“I am talking to a family in Rapid that are potentially interested in sponsoring the dog park, which would be amazing,” said Comer. 

Heart for the Parks also recently received a 501(c)3 designation, allowing the organization to operate as a tax-exempt nonprofit and become eligible to apply for grants.

“We are going to work on a grant through the South Dakota Community Foundation,” said Comer.

The park board will host a Party in the Park fundraiser July 26 at Memorial Park. The event will feature food, live music, live and silent auctions, lawn games and other family-friendly activities with proceeds benefiting ongoing park improvements.

Fueled by community donations, volunteers and growing public support, plans are moving forward with organizers hoping that each completed project inspires the next.

“I don’t want to wait 20 or 30 years for this to get done,” said Comer. “I want it for my kids, my grandkids and someday my great grandkids—for everyone that is young at heart, that want to just go down there and enjoy it.”