07-03-2025
New work starting at Outdoor Campus East
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The Outdoor Campus East building in Sioux Falls is about to get bigger.
Regional supervisor Kip Rounds briefed the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission on Friday about the expansion project.
He said Peska Construction is ready to go.
'We expect them to get started in the next week or two,' Rounds said.
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The building's footprint will be expanded to add space for 12 archery lanes for year-round shooting, as well as three classrooms that can be converted into a single area for larger meetings, and more storage.
The 18-month construction plan points to completion in fall 2026. Rounds said the state Department of Game, Fish and Parks regional office at the campus will remain open.
The expansion is the second phase of new work at the campus, which opened in 1997. A July 2024 groundbreaking marked the start of phase one's 12 outdoor archery lanes. Rounds said that part will be completed on March 12 and will open to the public 'very soon, as soon as the spring weather breaks.'
Archers will face west, and the outdoor lanes include a baffle to deal with errant arrows and provide a sun shade for shooters.
He noted that Harrisburg High School's construction class built the target holders. You can view a rendering of the building here.
'We're extremely happy about the way it turned out,' Rounds said.
State Wildlife Division director Tom Kirschenmann said the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation reached its $3 million goal of donations for the overall project. Federal Pittman-Robertson funds also will be used, he said, along with some department revenue.
State lawmakers are considering requiring GFP to get authority from the Legislature for any projects exceeding $2.5 million. Republican Sen. Chris Karr has specifically referred to projects such as the Outdoor East Campus expansion and the shooting range complex being built east of Rapid City as examples.
The Senate voted 35-0 to add the requirement. The House is scheduled to debate it Monday.
GFP Commission chair Stephanie Rissler, who often works in Sioux Falls, said Friday that she frequently visits Outdoor Campus East.
'It's full of people. It's full of families,' Rissler said. 'They do great work.'
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