City Completes Annual Project NICE/KEEP

Published on April 28, 2026

The City of Sioux Falls hosted its 36th annual Project NICE (Neighborhood Improvement Complaint Easement) and Project KEEP (Keep Environmental Enhancement Permanent) last week. The initiative began more than three decades ago after the city saw an increase in nuisance complaints related to code enforcement.

“This is really about working alongside our residents to keep neighborhoods looking their best,” said Dustin Hansen, street operations manager for the city. “When we focus on a few areas each year, it gives us a chance to connect with people, take care of concerns early and help create cleaner, more welcoming spaces for everyone in Sioux Falls.”

In 2026, 3,350 addresses were included in cleanup areas, with 238 staff members volunteering to help remove debris. More than 340 tons of debris was collected. Last week’s cleanup also resulted in the collection of 1,538 tires and 932 mattresses.

The city developed the NICE project to identify neighborhoods at risk of nuisance concerns and help residents address them. A few years later, a similar project, KEEP, was developed to work in conjunction with NICE. The goal of these projects is to take a proactive approach to reducing or limiting nuisance issues in the community.

"Projects NICE and KEEP bring the community together to help Sioux Falls neighborhoods stay clean and vibrant as the city continues to grow," said Dominic Miller, environmental health manager for the city. "Our staff looks forward to it each year as an opportunity to serve residents. It's a true team effort, with multiple divisions coordinating the event and employees from across departments volunteering their time to collect debris."

Each year, the city uses data to select areas of Sioux Falls for the annual NICE and KEEP projects. In 2026, the NICE area was bounded by West 26th Street on the north, Interstate 29 on the east, West 41st Street on the south and Sertoma Avenue on the west. The KEEP area was bounded by West Sixth Street on the north, Minnesota Avenue on the east, West 18th Street on the south and South West Avenue on the west.

For more information on this effort, residents can visit siouxfalls.gov/nice-keep.