Johnson visits National Grasslands Visitor Center to check on ongoing construction

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Watering grass is one thing, but a burst pipe is something else.

“We had a major flood that came through the visitor center, so through those upgrades and those renovations and the funding we’ve been able to secure, we’ve been able to restore our lobby to what it was like prior to the flood. And then also the theater room to what it was prior to the flood,” said Kelsey Bean, manager of the National Grasslands Visitor Center.

The center received more than $350,000 for repairs after a pipe burst in 2022. They were also awarded more than $420,000 from the Great American Outdoors Act for exterior renovations, including a fossil wall exhibit, a small amphitheater, and an animal trackway.

“This Visitor Center was a good asset before, but after this renovation, it is gonna be next level. And this is the national visitor center for the 21 national grasslands we have. It is a national resource and making sure that it’s even better than what it was before has been a top priority of USDA,” said South Dakota’s lone Representative Dusty Johnson.

Bean says the upgrades will be beneficial.

“We’re gonna have opportunities to give patio talks, to give interpretive programs within that amphitheater so people have a place to where they can sit down that’s shaded. And we’re also gonna get a fossil exhibit wall that’s gonna be on a retaining wall and that’s gonna have fossils that you can find out on National grasslands throughout the U.S.,” said Bean.

“Ultimately a good visitor center is about telling stories. And when you’ve got top-quality staff and when you have top-quality exhibits, that means the stories come alive to an even greater degree. And that’s gonna mean more Americans, more people from all over the world will understand the power of our national grasslands,” said Johnson.

The construction for the exterior of the facility is expected to be completed in July, however, completion of the interior is still pending.

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