(C) South Dakota Searchlight This story was originally published by South Dakota Searchlight and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Wind Cave tours suspended again, but officials hope to solve elevator problems for good this time • South Dakota Searchlight [1] ['Marcus Heerdt', 'John Hult', 'Seth Tupper', 'Joshua Haiar', 'More From Author', '- April'] Date: 2024-04-09 HOT SPRINGS — Long-lingering elevator problems at Wind Cave National Park will prevent cave tours this summer at the southwest South Dakota attraction, but park officials hope a replacement elevator system will be a permanent solution. The park recently announced that cave tours will be suspended beginning May 1 to accommodate the work. The elevator system, which provides access to the cave for approximately 130,000 visitors annually, has been problematic for several years due to its aging components. According to Tom Farrell, chief of interpretation at Wind Cave, many repairs have taken place over the years, and the existing system includes parts dating back to the 1930s. This will be the first complete rebuild, and the work is expected to continue into the fall. Consistent elevator issues Over the past five years, Wind Cave tours have been canceled on several occasions due to the park’s faulty elevator system. On June 29, 2019, Wind Cave’s elevators became nonoperational. At the time, funding was not available for complete replacement, so the park made repairs. After the first company hired could not complete the work, the park hired a consultant team and the project went out for bids a second time. Elevator Repair Service Inc., of Houston, Texas, secured the bid, began work in June 2020, and completed the repair work that November. Park officials considered conducting cave tours through an alternate walk-in entrance, but ultimately decided against it, because the route includes a descent of 155 stairs. “In the middle of the summer, we just didn’t think we could do something like that in terms of the amount of visitation that would be coming in,” Farrell told the Rapid City Journal at the time. “And if we had a medical emergency down there, we’d have to haul people up 155 stairs.” Even after the elevator repairs, the park was unable to offer cave tours due to the coronavirus pandemic. The visitor center remained closed. After an 11-month closure, Wind Cave reopened its visitor center to the public in February 2021, and cave tours resumed that March. Since the 2021 reopening, the elevator system has operated sporadically due to consistent maintenance problems. Once funding was secured for a complete overhaul of the elevator system, PKD Incorporated of Texas was hired for the work. The cost is just under $2 million with funding coming from a national account funded by fees collected at parks across the country. “We’re excited to finally be able to completely rebuild the old elevators, including replacement of the cabs, motors, cables and electrical equipment,” said Wind Cave National Park Superintendent Leigh Welling. Shift to surface programs During the cave’s closure, park rangers will focus on aboveground programming. “We appreciate everyone’s patience while we improve access to the cave and remind the public that there are still many things to do at the park,” Welling said. [END] --- [1] Url: https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/04/09/wind-cave-tours-suspended-again-but-officials-hope-to-solve-elevator-problems-for-good-this-time/ Published and (C) by South Dakota Searchlight Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/sdsearchlight/