This seems like a no-brainer. I think it is fantastic that during the worst economy since the great depression that we have private companies willing to pony-up for public rec centers. But of course our mayor and the AL ed board seem to think that taxpayers should pony up to, because golly gee, we just should;
Since our public facilities require financial investments, there’s only one difference between those venues and the ones we still lack: The ones we need now are indoor facilities.
In a cold-weather state, it’s difficult to understand why some residents fail to see the legitimacy of public indoor recreation.
First off, we don’t lack indoor recreation. We have several health clubs and even a sports dome in Sioux Falls that are being used during the winter by people who want to use them. I am still baffled why the city thinks it needs to compete with these facilities. Taxpayers have made it clear on several occasions – they don’t want to pay for them. If you want to use these facilities, you go to them and pay a fee to use them. What a simple concept, Huh?
Huether seems to understand that it is shortsighted to think that the private sector is solely responsible for bringing indoor venues to Sioux Falls.
Like I said, if Sanford and Avera want to build these facilities for us and plaster their names all over them, let them. I think it is shortsighted to get in their way by saying, “Oh, you don’t have to pay for all of it, we want to give you some taxpayer money to, even though you will receive all the marketing benefits from the partnership.” Let’s just say ‘thank you’ and move along already.
Sioux Falls already is well behind where it should be,
According to who? The AL ed board? For once, I would like to see the ED board backup their generalized statements with actual proof. Poppycock.