Participant Poll Show 53% Vote YES for Outdoor Pool

Veterans for the VA Host Telephone Town Hall With 7638 Voters

Veterans for the VA held a telephone town hall on Tuesday night focusing on why voting Yes to keep an outdoor pool at Spellerberg Park is the prudent way to vote on April 8^th.  Measure 2 on the ballot calls for the city of Sioux Falls to spend no more than $7.5 million on an outdoor pool at Spellerberg Park. A YES vote for Measure 2 keeps an outdoor pool and rescues the city from spending nearly $20 million on an indoor aquatics center at Spellerberg Park which would add $13 million in new debt to the city’s finances while impeding veterans access to the VA and increasing traffic and parking problems in the Spellerberg neighborhood.

Tom Muenster, a local veteran, long time Sioux Falls resident and leader of Veterans for the VA had this to say, “We are not at all surprised by the great turnout for last night’s call.  Spending nearly $20 million on an indoor aquatics center at an inappropriate site while adding $13 million in taxpayer debt is simply a misguided plan.  When voters hear the facts they vote YES to keep an outdoor pool at Spellerberg Park because it is the fiscally responsible choice.”

More than 3800 households participated in the telephone town hall to learn about how voting YES on Measure 2 helps Sioux Falls upgrade to a modern outdoor pool at Spellerberg Park while avoiding the pitfalls of municipal debt associated with building the indoor aquatic center at Spellerberg Park, which is opposed by seven of the eleven candidates running for office on April 8^th.  “With over $400 million in debt already, Sioux Falls has a larger debt than the entire State of South Dakota.  Adding another $13 million for an indoor pool is simply too much debt to put on the taxpayers creditcard,” said Muenster.

Veterans for the VA reached nearly 8,000 voters in over 3,800 households during the telephone town hall last night.  When polled about their position on Measure 2, 53% of voters stated they planned to vote YES for an outdoor pool while only 41% planned to vote no.  “A majority of voters are clearly concerned about the impacts of spending $20 million on an indoor pool that piles on more than $13 million in new debt,” said John Matthius, a Save Spellerberg member who also participated in the call.   “When voters hear about the added debt, along with the negative impact on the neighborhood, on the trees and green space in Spellerberg Park, and the adverse impacts to veterans’ access to health care services at the VA hospital, they understand that supporting a proposed indoor aquatic center at Spellerberg Park is the wrong choice.”

Neighbors have been citing their concerns to an indoor pool at this site for a number of years.  Suzanne Van Bockern, a member of Save Spellerberg, said, “Voting YES for the outdoor pool at Spellerberg Park is the right choice to protect the park, protect the VA and protect the neighborhood.”  Residents near Spellerberg Park gathered over 7,000 signatures needed to put the issue of capping spending on a pool at $7.5 million.  A vote on April 8th will determine whether their fellow residents heard their pleadings to rescue Spellerberg Park.

Visit www.siouxfallsfacts.com to get the facts.