SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken on Monday led a news conference at the Great Plains Zoo to highlight alternatives to a summer without city pools.
A key feature was a new program with the Zoo and with the Washington Pavilion. Families that typically qualify for free passes to the pools can now qualify for free passes to the Zoo and to the Pavilion museums and exhibits.
The Great Plains Zoo reopens this Wednesday. The Pavilion museums re-open in June.
The Zoo’s Susie O’Meara is excited about the new summer initiative.
“I’m just thrilled to have the partnership with the city, to be able to offer the zoo as a place for all within our community.”
It was a packed news conference with Parks Director Don Kearney, the Washington Pavilion’s Darren Smith, and Jodi Fick, head of the city library system.
It’s unclear if the libraries will remain closed to the public this summer, but Fick talked about all the alternatives available until they do re-open. She said that all the library program have been re-worked to fit in an online format.
And you can still do a drive-by for library books and materials.
“. . .Placing your requests online and then you can come to our libraries and safely pick those up, curbside,” and Fick said that there will be extra book-mobile stops this summer.



