SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Jacobson Plaza in downtown Sioux Falls is expected to be partially completed by early 2025 with the ice skating ribbon and warming house.
Park Development Specialist Tory Miedema said the ice ribbon will be finished in time to open for a few weeks during the upcoming winter season so everyone can “get a taste of it.”
“We’re looking at completing the ice rink portion of Jacobson Plaza around the end of the year, which we’re on schedule for,” he said. “We’re looking at maybe opening up the ice rink for a month or two in the season in like January or February.”
The $16 million park will include the ice ribbon and warming station, food service, splash park, dog park and the first all-abilities playground. The entire plaza won’t be completed until summer 2025, but crews are focusing on the ice ribbon for a temporary opening before it gets warm.
“In the wintertime, obviously the ice ribbon will be open and then during the summertime, we plan on programming the ice ribbon with stuff like mini golf or bumper cars, that type of thing,” Miedema said.
The ice ribbon is 20 feet wide and 530 feet in length, which is approximately 14,000 square footage of ice. The recommended capacity is 175 to 250 people at a time. Miedema said the ice ribbon will be the first outdoor refrigerated ice rink in the city.
“We’re really really excited to be able to offer that really quality ice instead of just depending on Mother Nature,” Miedema said. “I think we must have had maybe 13 days of ice last year and to actually have it when people want to be outside and not when it’s freezing.”
Although crews are focusing on getting the ice rink done by the winter, Lloyd Construction is still working on the other aspects of Jacobson Plaza.
The $1.5 million splash pad will have different sections to accommodate younger children, as well as the traditional splash pad features like dump buckets and sprinklers. Miedema said the all-inclusive playground is similar in size to the one at Sertoma Park and the dog park is roughly the size of the Kirby Dog Park downtown.
Across the street from the plaza are multiple shops and restaurants that cap off the end of Phillips Avenue, including Mary’s Mountain Cookies. Owner Becky McElroy said the store is coming up on its three year anniversary in the location and the incoming plaza is one of the reasons they chose that building.
“Our store looks directly across (the plaza),” McElroy said. “Prior to the construction, we enjoyed watching everybody walking their dogs and walking over to Falls Park. We’re excited to be able to see all of that activity and everybody enjoying family time.”
Miedema said the plaza will eventually connect with Falls Park, the River Greenway trail and the new steel district housing developments.
“It’s basically kind of like the book end of downtown,” he said. “Obviously this area was just green space before, but we really wanna activate it and and bring everybody down and get to Falls Park and then get in the rest of Falls Park as well.”
