State officials mum about outdoor learning center

By Kevin Woster, Journal staff | Monday, July 07, 2008

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State Game, Fish & Parks Department officials continued to talk — quietly for now — with Rapid City businessman Stan Adelstein about a land deal that could provide a location in the northwest part of town for a new GF&P regional office complex and outdoor learning center.

GF&P Secretary Jeff Vonk of Pierre remains mum on the details of the discussion but does confirm that negotiations continue.

“The issue of a new regional office complex with an outdoor learning center of some size is still important and being considered,” GF&P Secretary Jeff Vonk of Pierre said. “But it would not be appropriate to discuss details at this point.”

But details could emerge this week when the state Game, Fish & Parks Commission meets Thursday at the Ramkota hotel in Rapid City. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., but the first hour is reserved for an executive session that bars the public and reporters. The open session is set to     begin at 11 a.m.

One of the commissioners is Jeff Olson of Rapid City, a strong believer in the concept of combining a regional office complex for GF&P staffers with an outdoor learning center for the public. That has worked in Sioux Falls at the agency’s “Outdoor Campus,” in ways that Olson would like to see duplicated in Rapid City.

The Outdoor Campus is a busy and popular combination of agency offices, natural history museum and auditorium, classroom, hiking trails and an outdoor fishing pond. The complex is next along the Big Sioux River near The Empire mall in the southwest part of Sioux Falls.

“The Outdoor Campus has been such a success and done so much for Game, Fish & Parks and connecting the agency with the public that I’d love to see one out here,” Olson said. “To me, it just makes a lot of sense to combine that with a new regional office. And we really need a new regional office.”

Two years ago, GF&P examined a number of potential sites for the proposed complex in Rapid City. They included the existing regional office at 3305 W. South St., the adjoining Mary Hall Park and a GF&P land at the Cleghorn Springs Fish Hatchery site on Rimrock Highway west of Canyon Lake.

Eventually, the agency settled on land owned by Adelstein off Sturgis Road behind the Hills Materials office as its preferred option. The land adjoins the city’s Wilderness Park and borders a Jewish synagogue.

Adelstein liked the idea of guaranteeing green space next to the synagogue while preserving an unusual mix of prairie, stream, slough and forest inside the city for public use. Although the deal is far from done, Adelstein said he was “quite sure” his interests and GF&P’s could meet.

“This will be such a wonderful project,” he said. “It’ll be a wonderful thing for the synagogue, and for the community. Life has been good to me in this town. And in return, I try to be good to the community.”

Former GF&P Commissioner Ken Barker of Belle Fourche has long been an advocate for the new regional office complex combined with an outdoor learning center. But Barker’s first choice was the Cleghorn Springs location, possibly combined with adjoining city property. But that idea was complicated by flood-plain issues and concerns by dog owners that their use of the adjoining city dog park would be infringed.

Barker still likes the Cleghorn location, because the state already owns additional land there not used by the hatchery. And while he agrees that Adelstein’s property is beautiful, it’s not as visible and accessible to the general public as Barker would prefer.

Wherever it ends up, however, it should become a reality in Rapid City, he said.

“It’s the face of Game, Fish & Parks, and it gives the agency a great opportunity to interact with the public in a positive way,” Barker said. “Add that to the very real need for a new regional office, and I think it’s something that will benefit Game, Fish & Parks and the community for many years to come.”

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com