For Immediate Release

September 18, 2023

Sponsorships Available for Inclusive Mobridge Playground

Residents and organizations will have the opportunity to make a lasting mark on Mobridge’s East Play Park in 2024. The park, located on the corner of 9th Ave E and 2nd St S, is the only public playground on the south side of Mobridge. It has the smallest footprint of any park in the city and is located in its only residential area zoned for multifamily housing. Much of the equipment is at the end of its life. Reinvestment into the park will have a positive effect on local property values as well as quality of life for families living nearby.

Once renovated, the park will be the first inclusive play park in Mobridge, with a main play system accessible to all young people, including those who use wheelchairs, walkers, or sensory aids. The design also embraces our community’s history as a melting pot and celebrates the enduring presence of Lakota culture in Mobridge. In May, Wellmark Foundation awarded Mobridge Community Development Corporation a $100,000 matching grant to help foster excitement for the project. Local businesses and public organizations rallied to the cause with a combination of in-kind and cash donations and the entire match was secured by its August deadline.

Updates to the park are scheduled for spring of 2024. The main play system for the park will be purchased in October and cost approximately $115,000 with the remaining $85,000 budgeted for installation, concrete work, and contingencies. Sponsorships are available ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 to fund additional freestanding playground pieces. Similar to Storybook Land in Aberdeen, the project organizers hope to offer sponsoring residents and organizations recognition with placards on the equipment once it is installed at the park.

Freestanding pieces of equipment include a wacipi hideaway ($15,000), drum circle ($14,500), inclusive swing set with plenty of height for underdogs ($8,000), a shadow play flower ($7,000), corn stalk climbers ($6,500), music panels ($6,500), a spring rider canoe ($4,000), four benches ($1,250 each), and an expanded basketball court (15 sponsors at $1,000 each). Anyone interested in more information on the project or available sponsorships is encouraged to contact Heather Beck, MCDC Treasurer at 605-845-3509.