Lead, SD is one of the most fascinating and storied small towns around. From the “richest little town in America” to the devastating loss of the Homestake Gold Mine to it’s renaissance as home to unlocking the secrets of the Universe at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the past 150 years have been a wild ride.
Our work with Lead began in the early 2000’s when the town was struggling with economic and social loss after Homestake Mine closed. Tallgrass assisted with some downtown visualization that started to help the community see the potential in their downtown and to understand the implications of a planned Department of Transportation project to a downtown with narrow streets and sidewalks and limited parking.
These visualizations were used to clarify a ballot initiative to the community and got them started down the path of thinking about downtown revitalization, creating economic development through community gathering spaces, and how small towns attract and retain people in their community.
Ballot initiative decided, Tallgrass was thrilled to work with Lead again for the South Rim Parks Master Plan and the first phase of that plan, Manuel Brothers Park. We are currently working on the next phase of design development at Manuel Brothers Park.