Race Against Winter: Pine Ridge Youth Center Scrambles to Repair Crash Damage

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - A vital safe space and creative outlet for youth on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is working against the clock to repair severe exterior damage after a truck crashed into its building.

Ground Control, a free indoor skate park and multimedia arts studio founded in 2020, was struck on the morning of October 20 by an alleged impaired driver. Founder and CEO Kyle Mesteth was working inside his office when the collision occurred.

“It was almost 9 in the morning, and I just heard this loud crash that I’ve never heard in this building before,” Mesteth said. “I was like, someone crashed into the building. That was my first initial thought, and it’s what happened, really.”

While no one was injured and the facility’s main structural integrity was spared, the impact caused heavy localized damage. The vehicle smashed through an exterior steel door and security cage, stopping just inches short of a primary load-bearing corner beam.

With winter weather already moving into western South Dakota, sealing and securing the building has become an immediate race against time and dropping temperatures.

“Where the truck ran into, there was a steel door there and a steel cage, and the truck ran right into it and like, missed the corner beam by inches,” Mesteth said. “We’re thinking of a garage access and replacing the cage as well, just to secure it back to normal.”

To cover the cost of construction materials—including new steel doors, hardware, framing lumber, insulation, drywall, and metal siding, Mesteth launched an online GoFundMe campaign.

For the Pine Ridge community, the incident struck an emotional chord. Mesteth, who was born and raised on the reservation, created Ground Control to eliminate the winter “off-season” for local skateboarders and give neighborhood kids a warm, supervised, and free environment to spend their time. Beyond skateboarding ramps, the facility functions as a creative incubator hosting hip-hop shows, art sessions, and music projects.

“A lot of people are angry about it,” Mesteth said. “They’re like, ‘The one place where the kids can go, things like this happen.’ And you know, it’s just unfortunate that it had to be us, or anybody for that matter. But we’re figuring it out and we’re moving forward.”

For Mesteth, the crash reflects the deeper systemic challenges facing the community, and serves as a stark reminder of why youth-focused sanctuaries are so necessary.

“All of this is just the results of poverty and oppression,” Mesteth said. “You could build something amazing like Ground Control, but things are still going to happen on the outside, and it’s literally knocking on our door. Through places like Ground Control, we can change the narrative and we could break cycles so that the youth that are growing up coming here don’t make the wrong decisions or slip through the cracks.”

Beyond completing the urgent exterior repairs, Mesteth envisions further expanding Ground Control in the future, including adding a fully equipped stainless-steel kitchen to serve hot meals to visiting youth.

Community members wishing to support the rebuilding effort can find the campaign link on Kyle Mesteth’s Facebook page, or contribute directly to the organization through www.lakotafuture.org/

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