The biggest park is coming. Jacobson Plaza is on track to open next week, as early as Monday, according to city staff. The facility will be home to the city's largest park, a splash pad, a dog park, and an ice ribbon (when it's not 100º outside).
Stavem send-off. Incoming Superintendent Jamie Nold and the Sioux Falls School Board on Monday gave a heart-felt send-off to outgoing Superintendent Jane Stavem, who attended her last board meeting as head of the district. Stavem took the helm of the district in 2020, navigated the pandemic, implemented district-wide behavior programs, instigated several community partnerships and worked to – as she consistently put it – make Sioux Falls the "best district in the nation."
"You have worked tirelessly to provide equitable opportunities to help our students maximize their individualized potential to launch them into their futures," Nold said.
In addition, Board President Carly Reiter also held her last meeting after 12 years of serving on the school board overseeing the largest district in the state.
Get ready for fireworks!* Sioux Falls Fireworks, a local nonprofit, is gearing up for a big event on July 4 at the W. H. Lyon Fairgrounds. Gates open at 7 p.m., and you can enjoy inflatables, food trucks, live music and a flyover. Fireworks start at 10 p.m. Learn more about this free event here.
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More internships for young adults with disabilities. The Sioux Falls School District this year expanded its Project SEARCH program, which helps students with disabilities transition from school to the workforce. The last four years, the effort has been exclusively at Dow Rummel (background here), but starting in the fall, students began 10-week internship rotations at Sanford. Three young adults completed the program in the last school year.
Next year, the goal is to double from three people to six people in the program – and ultimately eight per year, with the goal of learning practical skills to help them thrive in future jobs, according to Nikki Whiting, supervisor in the district's special education department.
Minnehaha County has big plans. The Minnehaha County Commission on Tuesday approved a $200,000 contract with Architecture, Inc. to create a campus master plan, or, as Commissioner Joe Kippley put it, a way to "most strategically use the square footage we have" as a county and plan for future growth. With approval from the commission, Architecture, Inc. is looking to have that plan completed by March 2026.