When you live on the prairie, sledding hills are hard to find. But this winter, sledding at Baird Park will get a little more exciting – all thanks to an ambitious idea, Leadership Aberdeen, generous donors, and a partnership with the Aberdeen Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.
Early last year, the Leadership Aberdeen Class of 2024 began brainstorming options for their class service project when Buddy Yamaura proposed an idea. He had been talking with a friend about how great it would be to have snow at Baird Park all winter, and how Aberdeen needed more winter activities for families.
“Right from the start, there was a group within Leadership Aberdeen that was passionate about this idea,” Yamaura said. “Everyone wanted to do a pub crawl, and we decided to use the money to benefit Baird Park. It took off from there.”
After meeting with Mark Hoven, the director of the Aberdeen Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, the group learned how their idea could fit into the master plan for Baird Park and how much money they would need to raise. If the class could raise funds for the equipment, including a $45,000 snow machine and $110,000 snow groomer, the city would agree to install the necessary utilities and maintain the sledding hill.
The class hit the ground running, raising money at their pub crawl and working with potential donors. Class member Patty Black-Tracy noted the community quickly got behind the vision.
“We started getting traction when Aberdeen Area Federal Credit Union committed to the project,” Yamaura said. “Then Glacial Lakes Energy gave a sizable donation, and others followed. We received so much community support.”
Leadership Aberdeen classes always choose a service project to benefit the community, but the 2024 project ended up being the largest fundraising effort in the program’s 20-year history.
“Sometimes projects are about bringing awareness or helping local organizations,” said Gail Ochs, chief executive officer of the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce, the organization that operates Leadership Aberdeen. “It was great to see the class get so passionate about helping the community, and it’s amazing what a small number of people can accomplish.”
With more than $170,000 raised for the equipment from organizations and individual donors, the city turned their attention to getting the sledding hill ready for what will surely be its busiest season yet.
After extensive research with vendors and other communities with similar sledding hills, Hoven hopes they’ll only need to engage the snow machine once or twice a year. The process involves making snow continuously for several days, giving it about a day to drain any excess water, and then using the snow groomer to push the snow up and around the hill. This will create a minimum five-foot base of snow, and keep the hill from getting too icy.
“This will be different from the snow we’re used to on the hill,” Hoven said. “Snow from the machine will be heartier and will last longer. But the benefit is that we can always make more if we need to.”
The city has also evaluated the available parking, ensuring at least 40 cars can park at a time. Hoven knows this first winter will be a learning experience, and his team is already thinking about future needs like lighting and additional parking. If the hill gets too congested, Hoven said they could consider adding supervision during peak times.
“We’re going to work through this process as we go,” Hoven said. “But it’s going to be fun, and a safer experience than we had before.”
The sledding hill is phase one of a larger master plan for Baird Park, which could eventually include a warming house, hockey rink and trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Trails are even a possibility for this winter if the area receives enough natural snow.
“Baird Park is unique because it’s in a flood plain,” Hoven said. “That makes it more challenging to develop. We updated the master plan to better fit this project, which elevates the park and makes it a destination.”
The land for Baird Park was originally donated to the city in 2001 by the Baird family, in hopes that “cherished memories would be created here long into the future by children of all ages.” Thanks to the hard work and dedication of so many to bring new life to the sledding hill, there’s no doubt the Baird family’s wishes for the area are coming true.
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