Sioux Falls parks department highlights improvements coming in 2025

Winter Wonderland preparations, winterizing under way now

It’s batten down the hatches over at Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation. The leaves are blowing off trees and it’s time to weatherize restrooms and drinking fountains.

“We know the inevitable winter is upon us,” Park Operations Manager Josh Johnson said.

“It’s important for us to make conscious efforts to take care of what we have,” he added.

The annual shift from mowing lawns to plowing parking lots is under way. But Johnson and Mike Patten, the city’s parks planning and projects manager, took time to preview several upgrades to the city’s park system that will take place or be finished in 2025.