Recreation and Events Center: Second Town Hall Meeting Scheduled
Pierre, S.D. – The City of Pierre will host its second town hall meeting regarding a proposed recreation and events center on Thursday, February 18. The meeting will be held in Room 106 of Capital University Center and will begin at 7 p.m.
The February town hall meeting will be the second in a series of three town hall meetings concerning the recreation and events center project. The first meeting was held in mid-December.
“I was very encouraged by the response we saw to our first town hall meeting,” said Pierre Mayor Laurie Gill. “The comments we heard were quite positive. People were very interested in hearing about the possibilities a new recreation and events center could bring to Pierre.”
Gill went on to say that new architectural renderings will be shown at the February town hall meeting to address some of the questions posed at the first meeting.
“We hope to show the different ways the floor space can be configured to accommodate a variety of special events.”
The third and final town hall meeting is tentatively scheduled for April. The City Commission will use input provided at the town hall meetings to help inform a June vote on whether or not to approve the building of a recreation and events center.
People who aren’t able to attend a town hall meeting are encouraged to provide feedback at cityofpierre.org. A feedback tool has been established on the proposed recreation and events center page.
The proposed $14.5-million dollar facility would replace the recreation space that was lost when the City Auditorium was closed in 2011. As proposed, the recreation and events center would be 57,000 square feet and capable of accommodating a wide variety of organized sports activities, as well as regional tournaments, trade shows, small concerts, meetings, and other special events.
The proposal timeline suggests construction could begin as early as 2017 with the facility opening as soon as 2019.
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