Sutton Bay Resort

Sutton Bay Resort | Onida, SD

West Plains Engineering provided mechanical and electrical engineering services for the design of Sutton Bay Resort, an upscale outdoor recreational complex located 45 miles north of Pierre in Onida, SD. The resort is on the east side of the Missouri River on Lake Oahe. The facility included 48 total beds consisting of cabins and a main lodge. This remote site presented several design challenges and some limitations. One of these challenges was designing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems without natural gas, impractical LP gas storage requirements and single phase electrical power. A geothermal heat pump system was chosen to satisfy the HVAC requirements within these limitations. This system does not require any outdoor equipment to disrupt the natural beauty of the natural prairie setting. The heat pump systems are connected to individual well fields at each building. The HVAC systems are small enough to use the available single phase electrical power and will provide the necessary heating and cooling without additional fuel sources.

Construction Cost
$30 million

Date Completed
2014

Size
101,150 sf