Scotty Hudson had a great suggestion this morning about starting a new Facebook group called ‘Build it Nowhere‘.
What I can’t figure out about the whole EC debate is the lack of other options. I think there should have been an option ‘C’ and ‘D’
We both know the Mayor wants the Arena location, and his former campaign manager wants the DT location, but what about another ‘ghost’ site. What would be the economic impact of building it somewhere else – anywhere else in the city? Also a study if we didn’t build it at all? How much would we really be losing?
Love it!
I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so thanks I ‘spose.
BTW, 3 days after the AECOM report hit City Hall on April 11th, the following happened in order:
-They hired Darrin Smith’s anti-smoking pal Mike Knuth
-Bender went to Avera and Sanford and got $25K raised
-Someone regisered http://www.builditsiouxfalls.com
There’s also a Build It Everywhere and Build it Right on Facebook.
Should’ve trademarked all of those so I could join Dan Dailey in the “soon to be rich thorugh litigation” club.
Dan isn’t looking for money, and he certainly knows he won’t get it. I will say this, this is a man who sacrificed life and limb in an unneeded war, he certainly doesn’t need his constitutional rights trampled on, he fought this case for you and me, not for himself. Is he a little off and crazy at times? Sure, you would be to if you had to go thru what he did because of the Vietnam war and the excessive abuse of the city over a slab of concrete.
As for the EC, we all knew how this was going to play out. The mayor took our money and paid for a study that fits his ideas. That’s how it works in private industry, and he has yet to figure out govt’ shouldn’t work that way.
L3wis:
I agree on DD, my comment was tongue in cheek.
“That’s how it works in private industry, and he has yet to figure out govt’ shouldn’t work that way.”
Correction, that’s how it works in private industry cases like Enron, Worldcom etc. where someone cooks the books in order to secure funding for an investment. If this were a public company the SEC and shareholders would have a slam dunk class action case, kinda like DD.
Ah, well, like I have said 2 million times, he was the marketing exec for the worst CC company in the nation . . .
Scott, those were some rather cheap shots you took on KRRO. I guess if we need Paul Westerberg to join BID before you will consider any of our points valid?
BTW, BID was invited by the Land Use committee Chair to come and present, rather convenient for you to leave that little detail out.
Oh Sy, it was all in good fun…and I blasted the media more than anybody…and I apologize for the error.
Sy, I think Scott was pretty funny. I will admit my LOL moments were when he talked about the local media. Especially KDLT. I WAS CRYING! Sy, don’t you think it is a bit comical, and ironic that you have befriended a guy who was Barry’s deputy campaign manager? Smile. You are on Candid Camera.
Funny or not, Scott also suggested that someone is paying Hilde for his efforts, therefore his passion on this issue isn’t real or credible. That’s playing right into the Mayor’s hand and I would suspect we will see that completly false accusation tossed around more in the coming weeks.
We’ve had this discussion in here before, so obviously what’s been posted by both Hilde and myself on the topic is also being called into question.
I’m a lot of things, but liar isn’t one of them.
I have never and will never call you a liar. I know you’re passionate about this topic. But if the Mayor’s actions can be criticized, why can’t those on the other side? And actually, this was a question that Cade raised, and I pretty much said I don’t know.
My sarcasm was directed mainly at the media, and how non-stories such as the creation of a Facebook group is treated as news…and how they’ll milk a never-changing story forever and ever. Yes, this week there’s some actual news to report on the subject, but the press release crap of the previous six months shows the ridiculous nature of our local TV crews.
One option that has been hardly talked about, and in city hall they probably want to keep it this way, is the possibility of building it at the intersection of I-29 and I-90. Granted, the economic gain from this site is most likely significantly less than say the arena area, in my opinion, I have always thought that area would be a good option. Thoughts?
Snook, the original task force looked at that back in 2005 along with the land Sanford wanted to donate and the Fairgrounds.
I believe they eliminated it because a site of 10 acres or more would run in the millions of dollars just to buy, and millions more to run the infrastructure in.
Also, the suburban sports facilty was a popular concept in the ’70s and ’80s, but Cities that went down that road had mostly underperforming facilites. Many of those were scrapped and replaced with downtown facilities like Minneapolis & Denver have done.
‘Build it Nowhere’, I’m liking it but (like Heuther) maybe I need a 500K consultant to tell me what I want to hear and the population at large doesn’t.
There’s no money and litigation exceeds 6 figures. If you can’t recognize that city government has become other than democracy, OK. I fought 2 wars. The worst was 7 years against Munson & Heuther dictators. There’s not enough room here to describe the tactics they deployed to destroy me. If you think citations are bad, how about monthly police in your face at your door and Tornow signs on the street in front of your house. Or maybe code enforcer goon visits blocking your door with his hand on a weapon. It didn’t work but it made me a little crazy. Am I running for mayor. Never, because I’m a disabled vet who had 5 heart surgerys and could not handle the stress. More importantly, I’d never represent you. At some point citizens should realize this is not the middle east, it’s middle america.
PG, you’re a true local hero. 🙂
The interstate idea is a bad one. One of the best arguments BID has is that if the EC is built DT, people will have to spend money one way or another coming and going to events. You always want an EC within city limits around entertainment districts, not in the middle of cornfields.
Thanks Scott. I apologize for the rant. The complete story (there’s much more) is truly disgusting. I think Huether’s next Lear charter should be one way on ConAir to Leavenworth. I’m about to retire and there’s going to be a book. Munson and Huether will be mentioned 68 times. The book proceeds will be donated to Stop Home Rule USA. Sioux Falls will get top evidentiary recognition.
“First they laughed.
Then we battled.
Then I won.”
Ghandi
i vote for “build it nowhere”. yesterday hildebrand was on kwsn talking about why it should be downtown. he stated that when people go to twins games they stay downtown, walk around downtown, eat downtown, drink downtown. when me and my family go, we stay in bloomington, drive to the mall of america, ride the train to downtown, watch the game and then get back on the train for the mall of america. i’d guess a few thousand others do that too, since the train is full once it leaves the mall. i’d also guess that if a new events center is built here, a good majority of the people from out of town will also do the same thing. the last time we went though, we drove downtown, parked in the ramp across the street from the ballpark, and then exited RIGHT ONTO THE FREEWAY, and then drove back to the hotel in bloomington.
@ Sy, thanks for the info! That does sound familiar. Makes perfect sense. I just hope this project gets figured out.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the cities that are the so-called models of why we need it downtown also have freeway access.
@ L3wis, I agree with you. Thats why I was assuming the plan for the interstate area was forgotten. I just haven’t heard about it in awhile, and was curious.
@ Snook = You’re most welcome.
@ PG = what Scott said.
@ Scott = Next to an Interstate/Freeway is actually a bad thing. Think about Jazzfest or the SE Fair. Both are right next to two interstate exits and the bottlenecks they create for ingress and egress lead to traffic backing up and congestion. I’ve been to both many times and at the end of the night when the band says “Thanks, good night!” when you turn around and head towards your car you have at least 20 minutes if not closer to 30 until you’re through the herd of people and cars all basically trying to get onto the Interstate.
I don’t agree with that at all. The Fair bottleneck is because the entire access is two streets – Lyons and whatever the east/west street is. Jazzfest is held at a place not built for large crowds. The access is not built for such an event, and admittedly the freeway entrances aren’t either. If this city had some sort of crosstown highway (which they should), I would imagine that part of the plan would be creating viable plans to hop onto that. Of course, this is the city whose downtown leader once suggested forcing all east/west traffic to meander all through the downtown area.
Go to Minneapolis, Omaha, and even Sioux City and you don’t have such problems as the entrances/exits are designed primarily for access to the stadium/EC. Getting in/out of the Metrodome is the only real problem, and that’s due to the interior streets. Those who stay downtown, though, generally have rooms a dozen or so blocks away.
I know I’ve probably mentioned this here before – but – Sioux Falls had an opportunity to have a cross-town freeway built back in the early 60’s. Designs were complete, funding was figured out, but before the land acquisition process could begin – a group of “common sense citizens” – with the same attitutde to “Build It Nowhere” petitioned to a refer the project to a vote. And that is WHY there is no cross-town freeway. It is NOT due to a lack of foresight by the governments of the past – it is due to the anti-progress “common sense” of Joe-Six-Pack.
It wouldn’t be joe six-pack who would be against a crosstown highway right now…it would be the First Sioux Falls crowd who believe in forcing people to travel through downtown.
Rufusx, I remember the crosstown campaign. It was at a time when there was honest reporting from the media and citizens had free speech. You know, before a developer bought the mayor or media and before 500K consultants rammed dictator policy down your throat.
What Rufus is saying is unless JSP get’s the long term consequences of a project, they won’t typically vote in the overall best intrests of the City.
And when your Mayor falls into that same category, you’re totally effed.