One of the inherent joys of living in the Black Hills and working in the Great Plains is the long drives through the region's diverse landscapes. The Great Plains are chock-full of unique landforms, roadside attractions, second-take oddities, giant mining operations, spectacular views, and an ever-changing sky.
Summer 2023 Construction Activity
Normal day in the life of Mike Bender:
Wake up early and stagger out the door to check forms at Dinosaur Park.
Navigate Rapid City Street Construction to find a way up to Dinosaur Park.
Park on the north half of the lot at Dinosaur Park, grab the digital level, and get ready to relay bad news about sidewalk cross slopes being over 2%.
Climb the hill to the current pour location.
Exchange a few barbs with the crew tying steel together.
Be pleasantly surprised with the forms!
Hang out until the pump truck and concrete arrive.
Observe placement.
Check watch!
Yikes! Time to head to Spearfish!
Repeat steps 5-8 once he’s in Spearfish!
Grab something cold to drink.
Arrive back at the office just in time to download a stack of pictures and write up a couple observation reports.
Exchange a couple memes with the team regarding concrete.
Check the news.
South Rim Parks Master Plan
In collaboration with the City of Lead, we created a Master Plan to be used to identify future community-supported projects and to guide project funding and development of Prospect Park, Manuel Brothers Park and the Lead Dog Park as well as important adjacent community properties.