While this doesn’t surprise me, it is clear that the AL ED board has become a lap dog for the Mayor’s agenda and anything ‘Events Center’;
Jamison, who increasingly is positioning himself as the loyal opposition to Mayor Mike Huether’s agenda, has found the oddest time to propose that Sioux Falls build a downtown convention center and recreation center at the current Sioux Falls Convention Center, and remodel the Sioux Falls Arena.
Jamison is not the only one who opposes Huether’s agenda, you also have councilors Erpenbach and Brown, this blog, and several citizens who have had it with the Events Center talk.
The proposal comes just when Huether’s leadership on the events center is beginning to gel.
In what ways is it gelling? We still don’t have 1) a funding source 2) an election date. Give me those two things, then we can start talking about gelling.
. . . having too many plans breeds confusion, serving only to harm all efforts.
The only one confusing voters is YOUR NEWSPAPER with idiotic editorials like this one. The fact remains, there is already a plan in place to remodel the Arena after a EC is built, why not do that on the front end to give us more time to plan the EC right? Oh, because that would make sense.
The Argus has some good beat writers. But the Editorial Board? They have had the cart in front of the horse from day one on this one and they claim Jamison is “confusing” the issue? The Editorial Board needs to step down from it’s ivory tower and mingle with Mr and Mrs Joe Sixpack and seniors on fixed incomes.
In what ways is it gelling? We still don’t have 1) a funding source 2) an election date. Give me those two things, then we can start talking about gelling.
Funding source? Did you just say funding source?
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
And an election date? They are still trying to figure out how to rally around that one, cuz a 35% turnout just ain’t gonna cut it.
l3wis. You’ve worked around the printing of marketing schemes? You’ve seen it all I’m sure. How do you think the wording on this issue will be presented to us?
Heuther will probably want to bond most of the cost, so I’m sure he will rattle on and on about Economic impact outweighing the bond payments and interest.
So, after THREE tasks forces and what – 12 years? You think there should be MORE TIME to properly plan? Too rushed?
It hasn’t been about the time, it has been about all the dumb plans. Vote on it already, then plan it.
Without even going into the usual debate I have about need, the multiple plans, task forces, and indecisions just proves to me that whatever is eventually built is doomed for failure. If the planning is this mismanaged, I can only imagine the cost overruns, shoddy construction, and highly inflated operating expenses that will become the standard. That quarter of a million we generally give the Pavilion every year to break even will be nothing compared to what the taxpayers have to provide to the clowns that will run the EC.
I’ve travelled a fair amount over my career and I’ve been to conventions at Events Centers just like I’ve been to events at Convention Centers. Isn’t a convention basically a series of planned events over a few day period? We may very well be talking about a distinction without a difference.
Candidate Huether has even strolled downtown and told business owners he favors a Convention Center down there, how does he think that will ever happen if we dump $125 million or so building a huge concrete box next to our existing Convention Center that may or may not be used for spillover events?
Jamison is correct on his basic point though, the Arena and existing Convention Center would be better as a rehab project as a multi-use rec center for 1/3 the cost of the original plan that Stehly, Rath and co. shot down.
This topic is wasting a lot of people’s time, including mine. Things shouldn’t be this complicated.
When you need a new pair of shoes, you go buy them. Sure, you put it off for awhile, but eventually buy them.
We act like we are building the pyramids.
Okay, DL, let me get this straight.
1st – it’s too fast, we need to slow down.
2nd, It’s got nothing to do with time.
3rd, It’s too slow – dragging out too long, we need to just git ‘er done already.
So, unlike the ususal politician talking two sides of an issue simultaneously, you’ve somehow managed to take THREE (3) different positions simultaneously here, while also denying having any position???
This is my position
1) I personally think we should just remodel the Arena.
2) If a majority of voters approve funding to build a new events center, I will let the will of the people to stand.
3) If we do decide to build a new EC, it should be built DT.