Another great letter (response) about the Event’s Center.
I wholeheartedly agree with John Mimmack’s call to “Build events center ‘right the first time,’ ” as his My Voice column in the Oct. 15 Argus Leader was headlined. Mimmack needs to pursue due diligence, however, if he wishes to insinuate that I support a downtown site for the events center out of personal gain.
Public records will show that I own no property in Sioux Falls, let alone downtown. I believe I sufficiently addressed the most salient reasons why an events center should not be built next to the Sioux Falls Convention Center in my Oct. 8 My Voice column. As an urban planner, I cannot in good conscience support a proposal that falls short in terms of fiscal sustainability and community enrichment.
A cost-benefit analysis would show that a downtown events center would be the most financially viable location, especially when considering the current economic malaise. If critics of a downtown site wish to debate the issue, they need to use facts to support their case rather than conjecture.
Furthermore, it’s become all too cliché to claim that anyone who supports a downtown events center has something to personally gain from it. Like Mimmack, I prefer Sioux Falls “build (a new) events center right the first time.”
That’s what bothers me the most about the EC arena location supporters. They seem to think that if you don’t support their flawed decision to build the EC by the Arena, they think you don’t support an EC at all. Not the case, I think we should build an Events Center, I just think the location and funding is extremely flawed and there is still time to fix it, we haven’t even voted on it yet. Joe is right, do it right the first time.