Watertown Air Stay Hotel Construction Keeps Street Closed Through October, Full Reopening Expected in Late Spring
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Prairie Pro development team for the Air Stay Hotel provided a project update during the Watertown City Council open forum, outlining recent weather delays, upcoming structural work, and potential temporary street openings for the upcoming holiday season.
Casey Olivier, representing Prairie Pro, addressed the council remotely, explaining that recent rain and other unanticipated construction issues have affected the schedule. Throughout October, crews are focusing on structural work, including finishing the third floor and installing roof trusses expected to arrive later this week.
Roof Trusses and Ongoing Street Closures
The roof trusses measure 66 feet long and require a crane, so the street will be temporarily used for staging and installation. Weather permitting, Olivier said truss placement will take about five days. After the trusses are installed, the project will move into sheeting, enclosure, and mechanical rough-ins for electrical, plumbing, and elevators.
City Manager Alan Stager acknowledged public frustration regarding the ongoing street closures but explained that brief, intermittent openings are logistically difficult. Stager noted that crews took three hours to implement a partial reopening last week.
"To ask them to go day by day on the street opening seems to be something that would cause further delays," Stager said.
Because 66 feet of materials are staged, Stager confirmed the street will remain closed for public safety at least through the balance of October. Additional closures will be required until Prairie Pro can transition its material staging and contractor vehicles into the parking garage.
Holiday Traffic Coordination
To mitigate impacts on local businesses during the busy holiday season, Prairie Pro has contacted nearby grocery store County Fair.
Olivier told the council the development team is exploring options to accommodate Thanksgiving traffic and the lighted holiday parade on Black Friday. The goal is to determine if portions of the closures can be temporarily lifted or if construction can be sequenced to open the northeast corner or two lanes of traffic.
Local Economic Impact and Final Timeline
Prairie Pro noted that the subcontractors hired for the electrical, concrete, excavation, and exterior work are overwhelmingly Watertown area and South Dakota companies, keeping project dollars within the local and state economy. This also allows for scheduling flexibility compared with contracting an out-of-town company.
While intensive interior and street-dependent work will continue through November and early December, the overall project remains ahead of its maximum contractual deadline.
"Their contract with the city technically goes till November of 2027. We are still on schedule, but we are thinking that we are going to have a late spring full opening of that road," Olivier said.
Mayor Ried Holien permitted the update during the open forum but deferred any extensive council debate on the street closures to the end of the meeting.
