A scene from Sleepy Hollow Sports Park when it was privately owned. Photo courtesy of Catch Des Moines

Sleepy Hollow Sports Park's currently closed tubing hill will reopen in July as a year-around snowsports complex, Polk County Conservation officials announced Wednesday during a presentation before county supervisors. Carbon Steel Pipe

Nation's largest year-round snowsports hill to open in Des Moines - Axios Des Moines

Why it matters: The project will boost the useability of the 76-acre park and make it a significant outdoor recreational attraction, county officials said.

Catch up fast: Sleepy Hollow, near the Iowa State Fairgrounds in DSM, was for decades privately owned and operated.

What's happening: A roughly $1.7 million redevelopment will begin in coming months, focused primarily on resurfacing the tubing hill and building a new pedestrian lift, conservation director Rich Leopold said.

Of note: Wolfe Mountain in Branson, Mo., currently advertises as having the nation's largest synthetic tubing run.

What's next: A lodge at the park will be renovated or rebuilt with a design phase likely beginning next year.

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