Jamestown parks update highlights Nickeus Park playground opening plans

Jamestown families will get their first look at the Nickeus Park all-abilities playground at a grand opening celebration set for May 20 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., capping a project that has become one of the city’s most visible parks investments.

Jamestown Parks and Recreation says the renovation is largely finished at an estimated cost of $1.6 million and includes 71 play elements, accessible sidewalks and parking, a restroom and shelter plaza, companion seating, accessible picnic tables and ramped playground access. The project was built around the goal of making the park usable for more children and caregivers, and it has remained closed while crews finished a restroom building and a pedestrian bridge.

Funding for the work has come from a $623,000 matching grant from the North Dakota Park System Grant Program, along with money raised by a volunteer committee. Publicly posted materials still show a final fundraising gap. One update said about $46,000 remained, while Jamestown Parks and Recreation’s Nickeus Park Inclusive Playground page says $85,000 is still needed to finish the inclusive playground, shelter and restroom.

The update was featured on NewsDakota’s “Let’s Talk About It,” a community program heard Monday through Friday at 1:20 p.m. on Jamestown 107.1 FM and KQDJ 1400 AM. The department says its website is the main hub for community programs, park improvements, upcoming events and its Strategic Plan, and the current homepage also points residents to the 2026 Spring/Summer Activity Guide and a new JPRD app.

That same calendar shows more activity ahead this season. Jamestown Parks and Recreation is promoting a Tennis Block Party on May 28, the Kite Festival from May 29 to 31, and a TRAC Parking Lot Party on June 20. The department also lists Hillcrest Golf Course, Two Rivers Activity Center and the Winter Sports Building among its facilities, with its office at 1002 2nd Ave. SE in Jamestown.

The Nickeus Park work fits into a broader access overhaul around town. On May 5, 2025, the Jamestown City Council approved a $2.5 million bid from Industrial Builders Inc. to replace walking bridges at Klaus, McElroy and Nickeus parks, underscoring how bridge and accessibility upgrades have become a steady part of the city’s parks agenda. For Jamestown residents, the next milestone is simple: the park opening on May 20 will show how much of that spending is now visible on the ground.