There are two new pickleball courts at Lyons Park this fall, and the city has reported them done and ready for play since early September. A short walk away there's a new playground built for younger kids. The park also has a new bike rack, an ADA swing, and changing tables in a restroom that's scheduled to close for the season at the end of October.
All of that is new in 2026, and nearly all of it went into one park. Hartford's Park & Recreation Board had $300,000 for park improvements this year. More than half of it was set aside for Lyons Park, which city documents also call City Park. The board's wish list for 2027 points the same way.
Where the $300,000 went in 2026
The board's own budget sheet in the September 28, 2026 Park & Recreation packet lists every line. Grouped by park, here's how the money was set aside:
| Park | 2026 projects | Budgeted |
|---|---|---|
| Lyons Park | Younger-kids playground, two pickleball courts, pickleball practice board, ag-lime for Field A | $173,500 |
| Swenson Park | Entrance sign, shade structures and bleachers, two scoreboards, netting | $89,500 |
| Turtle Creek Park | Concrete tee pads for the disc golf course | $1,500 |
| Unallocated | Later used for shelters, the flag football shed move, restroom changing tables | $35,500 |
Lyons Park's share works out to about 58 percent of the year's budget. The two biggest single items in the whole plan were both there: $70,000 for the playground and $70,000 for the pickleball courts. The playground closed out under budget at $61,110 in total expenses.
Swenson Park, home to the sports complex, got the second-largest share. Its projects are also the ones still underway as October winds down.
The courts that got a sequel before their first season ended
In late July the pickleball courts were still a slab. The July 27 Park & Recreation packet reported that the city council had backed the board's plan to build the courts with the existing design. The concrete was poured, fencing was in progress, and painting was being scheduled.
Five weeks later, the staff report in the September 1 city council minutes put it plainly:
"The pickleball courts are done and ready for play."
The board had already asked for more before that report came in. Its 2027 budget request, which went to the council ahead of the city's August 17 budget meeting, opens with another double court with fencing at Lyons Park, priced at $70,000. That's the same amount as this year's pair. If the request moves forward, the park would go from two new courts in 2026 to four within two seasons.
A few pickleball details are still open:
- The practice board. A $1,000 practice board was budgeted along with the courts. As of the September 28 packet, the board still had to settle on a location. In July, members had talked about using the exterior wall of the new restroom building.
- A camera. The September packet notes the courts were still waiting on a surveillance camera.
- Lights. Pickleball lights for City Park appear on the board's longer-range project schedule with the cost marked "TBD." They aren't on the 2027 request.
Lyons Park also appears outside city documents. The Sioux Falls Area Pickleball Club lists it on its regional places-to-play page.
The smaller additions at Lyons Park
The courts and playground were the line items with price tags. Most of what's changed at Lyons Park since then came out of the board's $35,500 unallocated fund and routine staff work.
The board used part of that fund to finish improvements to the picnic shelters, which were reported complete at $8,265.22. Six changing tables were ordered for park restrooms. By the October 6 council meeting, staff reported that the changing tables, the new bike rack, and ADA swings at both Lyons Park and Turtle Creek Park had all been installed. A donated park bench went in earlier, according to the September 1 staff report.
The 2027 request adds to the same park. It includes a new basketball court at City Park for $48,000, with the court, poles, and nets. It also has $7,000 for three sand diggers and miscellaneous concrete work, split between City Park and Turtle Creek Park.
What's still being finished at Swenson Park
Swenson Park's 2026 list looks different. It's mostly sports-complex equipment, and much of it was still in progress in the most recent minutes. As of the October 6 council meeting and the September 28 board packet, here's where each item stood:
- Entrance sign. Done. The project schedule notes the Swenson family donated part of its $26,000 cost.
- Two scoreboards. Staff reported on October 6 that the support structures had gone in the week before and that they planned to hang the scoreboards that week.
- Playground equipment. The city budgeted in 2025 to refurbish and set up the old school play system at Swenson Park, but it didn't go up last year. On October 6, staff were still reassembling it.
- Bleachers and shade. The bleachers had arrived by late September. The shade structures for the ball fields were still needed.
- Netting between Black Tie and the soccer fields. This is meant to keep stray balls on city property. The board still had to choose the type and size.
The flag football shed has also been moved to a new spot, using $743.43 from the unallocated fund.
The 2027 request includes $80,000 for Swenson: $50,000 to irrigate one field and $30,000 for more handicap parking and concrete work. Chad DeJong had pitched the board on irrigation and sprinklers in July and was on the September agenda to present more detail.
The trail that didn't get funded, and the one getting mile markers
The biggest change that didn't happen this year was a trail from 12th Street to the sports complex at Swenson Park. The city applied for a South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks grant and wasn't awarded any money. The July packet says the agency received several applications and had limited funds. The city's share would have been about 20 percent, listed at $105,224 on the project schedule. The board plans to resubmit in the spring and look at other grant options.
Work is still happening on the trails Hartford already has. City staff replaced more than 200 feet of sidewalk along Mickelson Avenue and had about 300 more feet to go as of October 6. A local Scout, Hunter Strunk, has proposed an Eagle Scout project to put mile and half-mile markers along the city's existing bike trails. The board liked the idea and asked him to come back with specific locations and signage.
Turtle Creek Park had all of its 2026 projects finished by late September. That includes the new concrete tee pads at the Turtle Creek Disc Golf Course.
How 2027 is shaping up
The board asked for $270,000 for 2027. At its August 17 budget meeting, the council allocated $300,000 from the General Fund for park improvements and approved the 2027 appropriations ordinance on September 15. The September packet describes the extra $30,000 as unallocated money the board can use next year.
The council set the total, not each project. The list below is the board's request:
- Lyons Park pickleball, one more double court: $70,000
- Lyons Park basketball court: $48,000
- Sand diggers and concrete at City Park and Turtle Creek Park: $7,000
- Two shade structures at the pool, one for the large pool area and one for the wading pool: $65,000
- Swenson Park irrigation, parking, and concrete: $80,000
That adds up to $118,000 for new courts at Lyons Park alone, before counting its part of the sand-digger line. The board's longer-range list includes a $600,000 pool upgrade or replacement, a downtown park on a closed stretch of 1st Street, a hockey rink, and future parks in the Jans and Turtle Creek developments. None of those have dates.
Before the season closes
Park restrooms are scheduled to close at the end of October, and the pool has already been winterized. The city's events calendar listed the Park & Recreation Board's next meeting for Monday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m. Its minutes are where the scoreboards, the Swenson play system, and the practice board location should show up next.
If the new Lyons Park courts or the playground have become part of your week this fall, I'd like to hear how they're working for you. I'm Chris Foster with Chris Foster, and I'll be reading the October 26 park board minutes too. If you're curious what a home a few blocks from Lyons Park or Swenson Park looks like in today's market, Let's Connect.
