Bismarck has three indoor ice arenas, a turf dome with 16 Toptracer bays and a pair of 25-yard pools. When consultants asked households what a new indoor facility should add, the top answer was a place to walk.
At the October 28 public presentation of the city and Bismarck Parks and Recreation District's joint feasibility study, a walking/running track ranked first. Thirty-seven percent of randomly invited households put it in their top two amenities. Aquatics came next at 31%, then athletic courts at 21%. Ice sheets drew 6%.
Bismarck already has indoor laps. They are spread across several buildings, some cost a couple of dollars and some are free. The survey numbers also look a lot like the ones from before the 2020 vote, so these small loops are this winter's plan and very likely next winter's too.
The Track Was in the 2019 Plan, Too
The 2026 study is the second attempt. In 2019, BPRD unveiled a concept for an indoor recreation complex estimated at about $114.5 million. KX News reported that it included a four-lane walking/running track and an indoor cross-country track. It also had a separate ice arena, six tennis courts, five pickleball courts, two basketball courts, four racquetball courts and an indoor playground. In 2020, voters did not approve the half-cent sales tax that would have helped pay for it.
So the track at the top of the 2026 list was part of the package voters turned down six years ago. The current study says plainly that it builds on the 2019 Facilities Master Plan and the 2020 feasibility study. The lead consultant is CHA Consulting, working with Ubl Design Group and RRC Associates.
Where the Laps Happen Right Now
Until any new building exists, these are BPRD's indoor walking options, with prices and hours from the district's own facility pages.
| Venue | What you get | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Racquet & Fitness Center | 1/9-mile indoor track | $2 track-only admission | Sept.–May: Mon.–Thu. 5:30am–10pm, Fri. 5:30am–9pm, Sat. 7am–7pm, Sun. 10am–7pm |
| Fore Seasons Center | Weekday walking on the open turf or the challenge track with stairs and a platform | Free | Weekdays 9–10am |
At Fore Seasons, six laps of the open turf field or three laps of the challenge track equal half a mile. At Capital Racquet's 1/9-mile track, a mile is nine laps.
Capital Racquet also stands out in the survey. Among the indoor facilities rated, it was the one that clearly improved. Sixty-seven percent of invited households said it meets community needs in 2026, up from 51% in 2019. The building with the track is the one people grade higher than they did seven years ago.
Water, Courts and Ice Cover the Rest of the Week
The second and third survey priorities, aquatics and courts, also have winter homes today. They just come with scheduling limits that a new building is meant to ease.
Swimming. The BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center is open September through May. Hours are Monday through Thursday 5:30am–10pm, Friday 5:30am–8pm, Saturday 7am–7pm and Sunday noon–7pm, and the pools close 30 minutes before the building does. Day admission is $8 for adults 19 to 64, $6.50 for seniors 65 and older, $6 for students 13 to 18 and college students with ID, and $5 for ages 1 to 12. A household pays $20. The building has two 25-yard pools and a dive well from August to mid-May.
Courts. The World War Memorial Building is open through March 31, 2027. Its courts are free open gym whenever nothing is scheduled on them. Drop-in pickleball there is free for all levels on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am to 1pm, on the East and Lower courts. At Capital Racquet, drop-in pickleball costs $5 for nonmembers and is free for CRFC and BSC members. Monday, Wednesday and Friday blocks are split by skill level, and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday sessions are open to all levels.
Weekend school gyms. BPRD's Open Gym program started Nov. 7 and runs through March 7, 2027. It's free for all ages, 1 to 5pm, at 11 Bismarck schools:
- Saturday and Sunday: Centennial Elementary, Liberty Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Solheim Elementary, Sunrise Elementary
- Sunday only: Dorothy Moses Elementary, Rita Murphy Elementary, Robert Miller Elementary, Horizon Middle, Simle Middle, Wachter Middle
Horizon Middle is closed Nov. 22 and Jan. 17. Basketball pickup games are allowed at Horizon and Simle.
Ice. Ice ranked low in the invite survey, but it's the easiest of the four to find this winter. Weekday public skating at VFW Sports Center started Nov. 10. It's free, Tuesdays through Thursdays from noon to 1:15pm in H.A. Thompson & Sons Arena. The weekend sessions are:
- Saturdays, 3–5pm, Schaumberg Arena at Capital Ice Complex, through March 6, 2027
- Sundays, 3–5pm, First International Bank & Trust Arena at VFW Sports Center, through March 7, 2027
- Sundays, 6–8pm, Wachter Arena at Capital Ice Complex, through March 7, 2027
Weekend skating costs $5 per person or $10 per family, and skate rental is $5. BPRD asks skaters to check the facility calendars before heading out because schedules change.
Turf and golf. Bismarck's three BPRD golf courses closed for the season on Oct. 31. Fore Seasons Center stays open all year, and its Toptracer league runs Dec. 7 through March 14 with registration open through Nov. 30. The 16 Toptracer bays cost $20 for 30 minutes or $40 for an hour, and BPRD recommends reserving up to three days ahead. When the dome has no events, Terrific Turf Time is $4 per person per session, capped at $12 per family.
The 2026 Survey Reads Like 2019's
This explains why the scattered setup is likely to stick around. The Bismarck Tribune compared the 2026 invite survey with the one from 2019, before the 2020 vote:
| Survey statement | 2019 agree | 2026 agree |
|---|---|---|
| Improve existing facilities AND invest in a new indoor facility | 52% | 53% |
| Invest in building a new indoor facility | 41% | 43% |
In 2026, 54% of invited households supported moving ahead with a new indoor recreation and sports facility and 21% were opposed. Among open-link respondents, a group that included nonresidents, support was 81%. Only 10% agreed that Bismarck should put no resources into either current or new facilities.
Overall support has barely moved since 2019. Satisfaction with specific buildings has. The share of invited households saying the indoor turf fields meet community needs fell from 64% in 2019 to 42% in 2026. The BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center fell from 67% to 59%. Multi-use indoor facilities, BSC AWC and indoor athletic courts all landed in the survey's "high importance, low needs met" category. Dissatisfaction with the buildings has grown, and support for a new building has stayed about where it was before the 2020 vote.
The Site and the Funding Come Next
The survey showed no clear citywide favorite for a location. Invited households tied at 21% between Northeast Bismarck and having no strong preference, with Northwest Bismarck at 19%. Southwest Bismarck got the least support in both samples, at 8%. Respondents tended to prefer the part of town they live in.
On funding, 70% of invited households supported private/public partnerships. Support was 45% for a hospitality tax, 41% for a bond referendum, 36% for a sales tax and 21% for a property tax. The consultants said funding will take a "diversified partnership approach" that could combine public-private participation, private fundraising, possible bond funding, naming rights and institutional or community partners.
City Commissioner John Risch attended the presentation. He told the Bismarck Tribune he doubts residents want to pay for it:
"When I look at all the projects Bismarck's got under consideration ... I just think it's really going to be a challenge; from a fiscal standpoint, it's going to be difficult."
He also told the Tribune he believes the sales tax in Bismarck is already "maxed out."
Between Now and February
The study's next phase covers program elements, conceptual designs, capital and operating costs, site analysis and economic impact. A draft report will go to the partners and to the community for comment. The final plan report and presentations to the City Commission and Park Board are targeted for January or February 2027. The project website lists two addresses for input on the October presentation, [email protected] and [email protected].
That puts the boards' review in the middle of this winter's indoor season, with public skating at Capital Ice Complex and the school open gyms still running into early March and the Toptracer league going through March 14. For the rest of the season, the track people want most is nine laps to the mile at Capital Racquet for $2, or a free hour on the Fore Seasons turf on weekday mornings.
If you'd like to know how amenities like these show up in your home's value, Patrick Koski can walk you through it. Get a free home valuation and consultation.
