Behind The Scenes Building Jacobson Plaza
Jacobson Plaza has been open to the public a matter of hours, and Jerry Fromm already can see from his Lloyd Companies office six stories up at The Steel District that it’s a success.
“I’m looking out my window and there’s at least 100 kids playing there,” said Fromm, president of Lloyd Construction.
For more than a year and a half, his team has been the one occupying the site most days, as Lloyd Construction helped transform more than
26,000 square feet at Falls Park into a multi-faceted play area.
The company was selected by the city of Sioux Falls through a competitive bidding process.
“Our involvement with each construction project at The Steel District gave us the best control over the what the site looked like, the schedule, coordinating access and ensuring everything was completed as efficiently as possible,” Fromm explained.
In addition to building Jacobson Plaza, Lloyd developed and built the entire adjacent Steel District property and was contracted by the city to construct the River Greenway development along that stretch of the Big Sioux River.
Jon Jacobson, senior principal for landscape architecture firm Confluence, found great benefit it working with Lloyd Construction on the greenway project.
“We were very concerned about how access would work and if we had had separate general contractors, it could have been difficult,” Jacobson said. “Lloyd was wise in their approach and really helped in implementation.”
Jacobson Plaza, which opened June 30, includes multiple amenities for all ages.
The city’s largest playground is universally designed so it can accommodate anyone, regardless of their age and abilities.
A 14,000-square-foot ice ribbon is 20 feet wide and nearly two football fields long.
“The ice-making items were unique and complex,” Fromm said. “We were installing cooling coils and placing the concrete in an exterior environment, which was a bit unusual compared to a controlled indoor environment.”
The T. Denny Sanford splash pad is the largest in Sioux Falls with a variety of water play experiences.
“The splash pad involved intricate plumbing and equipment installations, all of which required precise coordination and expert oversight,” Fromm said.
Both the ice ribbon and splash pad required expert concrete work, Jacobson said.
“Lloyd used trusted subcontractors. One was Limoges Construction, which did a lot of concrete work and was critical on this project,” he said. “They have a 20-plus year relationship with Lloyd and that really brought a benefit to a complex process.”
Pawsible Dog Park is especially meaningful to the team, as it was built with a donation from the Lloyd family. This off-leash artificial turf dog park includes sanitizing system, seating, shade, a drinking fountain, and separate spaces for small and large dogs.
“It was fun to help bring the entire vision to life,” Fromm said.
The plaza also includes The Lodge, a gathering hall with a restaurant and space to rent skates and host events.
“There were multiple elements in one construction project which was a first for us,” Fromm said. “The value add for this project was our careful coordination of diverse components, tight timelines and a commitment to quality from the ground up.”
From the city’s perspective, “when I walked the site, I couldn’t be happier with the quality of construction,” said Mike Patten, park development manager.
“The concrete is perfect, the landscaping looks nice, the finishes and quality of craftsmanship are as high as you can ask for. I’m super impressed with the quality of the end product that Lloyd provided.”
The construction team “was well-organized and equipped with the tools needed to keep the owner up to speed on progress, budget and issues that arise during a project,” park development specialist Tory Miedema said. “I always felt I had a handle on where we were at and what to expect for a finished project due to their communication.”
A project this extensive never goes entirely smoothly, Jacobson added. That’s where Lloyd always stepped up, he said.
“They’ve always approached any kind of issue on any of the projects like their reputation is on the line,” he said. “They really want to do a good job and stand behind the product and we have a really positive set of projects because of that.”
Lloyd “was good at problem-solving, when an unforeseen condition arose or error was found in construction documents,” Miedema agreed.
“They were able to lay out options, cost impacts, and ultimately work with the city to choose the best solution to keep the project moving within budget parameters They also were very accommodating and flexible with working around events within our park system or getting us partial occupancy to ease start-up or move-in.”
The finished product “turned out great,” Fromm said. “Working with the city and Confluence was a great experience and we’re excited about the additional traffic it’s going to bring to the Steel District. We’re proud to be part of the project and think it’s a valuable addition to downtown.”
