Settled in 1876 during the Black Hills Gold Rush, Deadwood, South Dakota has a history synonymous with the Wild West. Deadwood gained notoriety as a lawless boom town where opportunistic pioneers, frontiersmen, prospectors, and outlaws risked it all in pursuit of fortune.

Present-day Deadwood presents a journey through history. Visitors are captivated by historic attractions, national monuments, and reenactments, and enjoy abundant opportunities for events, gaming, and outdoor adventures.

Deadwood is nestled in a gulch around three miles long and half a mile wide. Accessible parking is a significant contributor to hospitality. The challenge is to provide convenient parking options within limited space.

Says Kevin Kuchenbecker, Historic Preservation Officer, “With three million visitors each year we need to find a place to park everyone. To maintain our historic district, we must manage our existing parking well, not create new spaces. Our new system helps us track our parking needs and accommodate that appropriately.”

Parking Troubles are Put in the Past

Parking wasn’t always easy in the historic town. Coin-only meters impeded walkways, experienced frequent downtime, and detracted from the historical ambiance. Deadwood managed parking with disconnected systems lacking data insights that reveal revenue-generating opportunities.

As tourism expanded, so did capacity needs. Deadwood took the recommendation of Rapid City to contact IPS Group. The IPS Fully Integrated Smart Parking Ecosystem centralized real-time integration, management, and business intelligence for pay stations, enforcement, permitting, and mobile payment.

Welcome to a Seamless Parking Experience

Parking evolved from a mere necessity into a substantial source of revenue that could fund improvements that impact customer service and protect Deadwood’s history and character.

• Replaced meters with IPS Pay Stations to reduce service issues, and improve curb management and customer satisfaction.
• Implemented IPS Enforcement Management Solution to increase citation efficiency and decrease delinquency.
• Deployed PARK SMARTER™ mobile payment to support a contactless parking experience.
• Managed secure, seamless API integrations with the IPS Data Management System to enable a real-time 360˚ view of parking operations.
• Enabled a gateless garage and validation service using IPS Permit Management Solution integrated with third-party License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology.

A Partner to Lean On

Support from IPS has empowered Deadwood to make policy decisions that align with its historic preservation and tourism goals.

Says Jeramy Russell, (former) Planning and Zoning Administrator, “IPS was able to identify every problem and provide a solution. As we transitioned to IPS, it was a happier feeling coming into work because I knew it was an integrated system with everything working together.”

For the full case study, click here.

About Us

IPS Group has delivered Smart Community technology solutions for over 20 years. Learn how the IPS Group Fully Integrated Smart Parking Ecosystem helps communities optimize resources, and improve efficiencies and quality of life. Click here to schedule a Q&A today. ◆