Heard in the Hall

Comments on the proposed aquatics master plan

You may recall that a few months ago, an aquatics engineering consulting firm hired to create a 10-year aquatics master plan for Sioux Falls recommended building a large, indoor aquatics facility at Spellerberg Park within the next two to three years, citing its central location and size as the determining factors.

Estimated cost for the indoor facility would be about $18.5 million. The pool would draw more than 80,000 visitors a year and bring in an estimated $355,823 a year, according to the study.

A number of other suggestions came from the study, including: Maintaining family aquatic centers at current locations; maintaining the wading pool and spray park at McKennan and Pioneer parks, respectively; adding a sprayground to Frank Olson; and adding a medium-sized family aquatic center; all at a cost, during the next 10 years, of about $27.6 million.

The study, in its entirety, has become available to the City Council, and will be presented during the informational meeting tomorrow at 4 p.m. I’m not sure if there will be any new information presented, but I did take a gander at the study posted here, and it includes some comments given after the initial recommendations, and they’re pretty interesting. No names or affiliation with any groups are included in the comment.

City residents will get the opportunity to vote on a whether or not to replace the aging Spellerberg pool with a new outdoor pool next April, after petitioners got enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot.

Here’s some of the  comments, broken down by category:

Letter from Mayor Mike Huether to churches

Mayor Mike Huether has been encouraging residents to pitch in and help with clean-up efforts. Here’s a letter he sent to churches:

Dear Church Leader:

There may not be a better time than now to put stewardship in action in Sioux Falls. Sharing time and talent to help your neighbors clean up from last week’s ice storm is truly needed.

The faith-based community can make an unbelievable difference by recruiting volunteers, organizing cleanup efforts, and also identifying folks in need. The elderly, the disabled, and those with limited resources are especially worthy of your prayers and support.

Please rally those around you to make a difference now. When ready, please contact the Helpline Center at 211 or 605-339-4357 and they will ensure your time, talent, and treasure makes the greatest impact.

Thank you so much. Let’s tackle this together!

Sincerely,

Mike T. Huether

Mayor

A look at the city’s clean-up contracts

Since the April 9 ice storm, the city has hired three companies to assist in cleanup efforts, focusing on three areas:

SAIC: Will be responsible for documenting the amount of tree debris the city is picking up in case of a federal disaster declaration.

T.F.R. Enterprises, Inc: Will be responsible for cutting down hazardous trees and limbs within the public right-of-way.

Ceres Environmental Inc.: Will be responsible for for hauling downed tree branches from neighborhoods to the drop-off sites.

If you’re curious about the cost and their contracts, I’ve included them below.

Combined Contracts

How many people expressed interest in events center suites?

Beyond the 19 groups/persons who purchased the 18 available suites earlier this month in the future Denny Sanford Premier Center, between 12-15 other organizations or individuals expressed interest at some level in purchasing and did not buy one, Darrin Smith, director of Community Development, told me today.

The suites, which went on sale in February and range in price from $35,000 to $45,000, will bring in at least $750,000 a year. The receipts will be used for operational costs at the events center complex, not debt service.

Smith declined to give me a list of those organizations/business/people who expressed interest but did not purchase a suite, citing a lack of any signed agreement with the company handling the sale of the suites, and no formal relationship of the groups with the city.

Suite sales were first come, first served, Smith said, up for grabs after the city made the official announcement of the process being open during a press conference in February. After three days, the suites had all been purchased.

Smith reiterated several times that every person who expressed an interest in buying a suite, no matter when in the process they expressed interest, had an opportunity to purchase one before they sold out, saying some groups financially did not have the ability to buy one.

Loge boxes at the events center will be sold at a later date.

Suite box tenants:

Price

Term (years)

Alan Bowden

$ 45,000

10

Avera McKennan Hospital

$ 45,000

10

Brown & Saenger

$ 45,000

10

Byrne Cos.

$ 45,000

10

First Dakota National Bank

$ 45,000

10

Gunderson’s Cos.

$ 45,000

10

Hy-Vee

$ 45,000

10

Orthopedic Institute

$ 45,000

10

Carsforsale.com

$ 40,000

5

Gil Haugan Construction

$ 40,000

7

Grand Falls Casino Resort

$ 40,000

5

I-90 Fuel Services Inc.

$ 40,000

10

Metabank

$ 40,000

7

Raven Industries

$ 40,000

5

Waterbury Heating & Cooling/Johnstone Supply

$ 40,000

7

Young Broadcasting of Sioux Falls

$ 40,000

5

Midcontinent Communications

$ 35,000

5

Siouxland Fabricating

$ 35,000

7

Source: Sioux Falls Community Development

Introductions and such (let’s just get it out of the way)

My name is Beth Wischmeyer, and I’ll writing about all things involving the City of Sioux Falls for Argus Leader Media, taking the reins from Cody Winchester, who recently accepted a job in Omaha.

I’ll be updating this blog often , as well as my Twitter account: https://twitter.com/Argus_BWisch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beth-Wischmeyer-Argus-Leader-Reporter/205434019509466

And of course, nearly every single day on argusleader.com.

Have a story idea? News tip? Question? Don’t hesitate to call or text me: 370-8267. Or shoot me an email: bwisch@argusleader.com.

See you out there!

-Beth

Trimming trees and ethics violations

Theresa Stehly wants to know what happens if a city councilor violates city ordinance.

For example, she says, what happens if a councilor got a letter from Project T.R.I.M., failed to trim his or her trees, so the city comes out and does it, charges $150, and said councilor never pays?

Stehly proposed this scenario during Thursday’s Charter Revision Commission meeting, and asked whether it would be grounds for an ethics violation.

City Attorney Dave Pfeifle told her city councilors are held to the same standards as other citizens, and failing to trim trees and not paying a fine would be similar to getting a speeding ticket or parking ticket.

“So there’s no recourse there?” Stehly asked.

“They’re treated the same as everyone else,” Pfeifle said.

“Shouldn’t they be held to a higher standard being they’re an elected official?” Stehly asked. “Could I file an ethics violation against someone for breaking city ordinance?”

Pfeifle said she could, but it’s doubtful that would be grounds for an ethics violation.

Stehly continued to give scenarios, including asking what happens if a city councilor assaults someone.

Pfeifle said an assault or a felony would be different, and that yes, that may result in an ethics violation.

Shortest meeting in history

Mayor Mike Huether introduced himself to a boyscout before Tuesday’s City Council meeting and told him that he was about to witness, “The shortest meeting we’ve ever had in the history of city government.”

No items were on the agenda for real business, and councilors had a roll call vote and a vote to approve a few minor items.

The meeting ended at 7:15, and the majority of time was spent on public input. Three citizens talked about subjects ranging from Project T.R.I.M., which deals with city tree trimming, the BNSF railyard negotiations and homeless numbers and lack of affordable housing.

Checking IDs for booze sales

Councilor Greg Jamison wonders whether some Sioux Falls small businesses would be willing to spend $3,000 for a machine that scans IDs and works to ensure cashiers cannot make underage sales.

Mike Wehrkamp of Munchies said it’s a small investment considering how much he’s paid in fines for underage sales in the past 12 years.

For example, he said he now has to pay a $2,000 fine because a cashier sold to someone with a red ID, and he estimates it’s going to cost $30,000 in beer sales to pay that fine.

The City Council on Wednesday approved various retail liquor, package liquor and retail line license renewals for city businesses.

Councilors are pushing for a statewide change to make stricter penalties for businesses busted for selling to minors, but for now, have little room to yank licenses if it happens.

So, as a policy, councilors require business owners that have failed compliance checks to come to the council meeting, explain what happened, whether the employee was fired and answer any other questions. In most cases, the business owners fire the employee who sold during the compliance check.

The business owners also have employees undergo extensive training, but said part of the struggle is when employees simply choose not to check an ID. Or they check an ID, and enter the wrong date in the computer, or hit an override button.

‘They were just little innocent babes’

“This Connecticut shooting is the saddest thing. I’m sad about this, verge of tears, multiple times. They were just little innocent babes.”

That’s the text message I got from my 21-year-old sister today, who’s in the car alone driving home to Sioux Falls for Christmas break. She’s a student at the University of Kansas, and has almost six hours ahead of her.

Her text makes me want to cry. It’s so true. “Little innocent babes.”

Another woman walking down Phillips Avenue today heard the news while at lunch at Grille 26. She and her husband were celebrating her birthday, but the mood turned somber.

“It’s Christmas time,” Vicki White said, adding that no time is a good time for this. “But these families now have to bury their children instead of buying gifts and celebrating Christmas.”

Civically-engaged young people

I recently wrote a blog post about some young Cub Scouts attending City Council meetings. Well, two of those fifth graders are now partly responsible for an amendment that allows kids like them to fly remote-controlled airplanes in city parks.

And I have to say, it’s pretty cool to see them walk proudly up to the podium in Carnegie Town Hall, have some help bringing the microphone down to their level, and then read a few prepared comments. Vincent Bormann, 10, spoke Tuesday night. His friend Mason Helm spoke at a meeting last month.

They did an awesome job. Everyone knows getting up in front of people can be a scary thing, but these two didn’t seem fazed by it. Helm told me after the meeting he spent a few days preparing his speech, and those of us in the audience could tell.

Councilor Kermit Staggers has a grandson that’s pretty knowledgeable about city politics, too. He was there Tuesday night in the audience, diligently listening and taking notes. He’s also a Cub Scout whose group attended the meeting last month where councilors heard initial complaints regarding The Vault, and I’m guessing he wanted to see how it turned out.

Good for them. These kids are going to do big things when they grow up.