Foundation Gives $500,000 for Frank Olson Playground

A $500,000 donation will fund the indoor playground at Sioux Falls' new Frank Olson recreation center.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Philanthropy

Photograph of a partially built modern recreation center with exposed steel framing and brick facade on a flat open prairie lot under a pale winter sky. — The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation has donated $500,000 for the indoor playground at the new $47 million Frank Olson recreation center, pending City Council approval. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation has donated $500,000 for the indoor playground at the Frank Olson recreation center. The playground is set to be named "Margie's Tree House Playground."

Why it matters

The gift helps fund a major component of the 75,000-square-foot Frank Olson recreation center, a city project with a capped price of $47 million. The Sioux Falls City Council must approve a gifting and naming agreement before the donation is formalized.

The $500,000 gift is a fraction of the $47 million capped cost of the 75,000-square-foot recreation center, which will include two pools, a gymnasium, a fitness floor, and the indoor playground.

The players

Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation

A philanthropic organization in Sioux Falls that channels donations toward local community projects and amenities.

Paul and Mary Ellen Connelly

Local donors listed alongside the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation as contributors to the Frank Olson playground gift.

The details

Paul and Mary Ellen Connelly are listed as donors alongside the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation. The gift will be given in December, and the city council will consider a first reading of a gifting and naming agreement ordinance at its Wednesday meeting.

November 2025: City council passed the final plan for the Frank Olson project.
Wednesday (November 2026): City council considers the gifting and naming ordinance.
December 2026: The $500,000 gift is to be given.
Spring 2027: Construction is slated to begin.
2029: The recreation center is planned to open.

Market Landscape

Private gifts that name municipal facilities have become a common way for Sioux Falls to supplement public funding for large recreation projects. The Frank Olson gift follows that pattern by pairing a named playground with a city-built center.

Residents will eventually use the indoor playground, pools, gymnasium, and fitness floor at the Frank Olson center once it opens in 2029. The donation reduces the amount of public money needed to finish the playground component.

The takeaway

Private donations can shape how public recreation facilities look and are named, so residents interested in the project can follow council votes on the naming ordinance. Watching the December gift and the spring 2027 construction start will show how the project is progressing.

What happens next

The Sioux Falls City Council will consider a first reading of the gifting and naming agreement ordinance at its Wednesday meeting, with the gift scheduled for December and construction slated to begin in spring 2027.