The latest rumor swirling is that Sanford may be pulling back on there ‘study’ of an indoor pool. Don’t know all the details yet, but I think they probably got pressure from certain folks to pull back until after Tuesday’s vote.
Does that mean Sanford will not build a pool? Not sure, they may just go about the study quietly.
Stay tuned.
Rick Knobe announced on his program today that Sanford is pulling back from their offer (his interpretation) and he will be discussing this further today in his 6 o’clock hour.
I saw Nate White on the news and he basically said they’ve had so many calls from people since the vote that they felt they had to study the issue. In other words, Matthius and his crew lit them up and bitched about it to the point where they were sick of hearing from them.
I don’t doubt Sanford wants to walk this back, an indoor pool out there will serve more of the existing projected visitor base of the SSC vs. neighborhood kids and citizens since most of the latter won’t frequently want to drive 20 minutes to take a dip…at least not when the weather’s nice. Also, they had a master plan for the site. It also will alter plans for private hotel development as those people usually build pools in the hotel to serve their guests. Why would it make sense to dis-incentivise that?
I’m guessing the 50 acres they have left was left for future outdoor soccer fields, ball diamonds and maybe more football fields as those sports will continue to increase at least as fast as the population grows along with additional parking to accommodate the growth.
KSOO just said that Sanford had a ‘meeting’ with Huether, Don Kearney and Councilor Diamond Jim. Now magically they changed their mind. The King Bully gets his way again. I wonder what the F-Bomb count was in that meeting ;(
City Councilor Jim Entenman is a member of the Sanford Board of Trustees.
I bet fiddle faddle has a hell of a ballot language for this one. If this f bomb indoor pool is so important then why can’t the taxpayer vote on it and get some locale choices ?
Anon – thanks for bringing this up.
I know I have thrown a few ‘grenades’ about conspiracy theories on this site before, but I have a zinger for you; I think this is all grand theatre. How is it that a Board of Trustee member not know about the indoor pool plan by SSC? Sanford has talked about this for a long time, then Jim acts surprised, then turn around on Monday after a Friday announcement and act like troubled waters were diverted? Am I watching a Monty Python or a Woody Allen film, or Nick at Night?
What do Diamond Jim and Mike have in common? Salesman. One sells overpriced motorcycles and the other used to sell sub-prime credit cards. This whole scenario was cooked up. Why? Because Sanford will still build an indoor pool no matter what ends up at Spellerberg.
And all this BS talk about how the Spellerberg pool will be a ‘rec’ pool, and not a ‘sports’ pool? WTF? I don’t know how to swim, but I am pretty f’ing sure that swimming is a sport and exercise. Why else would they propose bleachers by the lap pool? FOR SWIM MEETS! DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also get a kick out of all this talk about ‘revitalizing’ the neighborhood. Spellerberg is a wonderful hood. They have a great fine dining restaurant, the houses are not old, but aged well, the trees and forage are of right age. And a guy called into the Knobe show today and said he was offended by the fact his neighborhood needed to be ‘revitalized’ and he is right, it is quaint and quite beautiful.
This is a backdoor deal if I have ever seen one, to line the pockets of contractors. This has nothing to do with sports, recreation, revitalizing neighborhoods or the children. This has to do with a Bully’s ego.
Build an indoor pool, I don’t give a rat’s ass, but do it with a clear conscience and transparency. Have the citizens of ‘want’ in Sioux Falls lost their marbles? I am starting to wonder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSuB4t3q_dA
If a pool supposedly can “revitalize” a neighborhood, why not put it in that wonderful area just west of downtown? It would be truly centrally located then!
My concern with this particular indoor pool is accessability
Who will use the thing as it is currently designed? Remember, this is being designed and priced as an Olympic style pool. To meet Olympic style regs for meets it must be 50 meters and 10 lanes. So, why do we need 10 lanes and 50 meters again? If this city is just building a facility for Joe Sixpacks kids to frolick in, why not build a true indoor facility with no 50 meter 10 lane pool? Let the sports nuts build the 50 meter pool as a stand-alone at the SSC. Win win for everybody.
The city of Omaha runs three indoor pools. All have competitive swim meet lanes. One has open swim only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00. Another has the same as above, with Wednesday nite from 7:30 to 9:00 open swim. The third has same as above, with one more week nite open to open swim. The other times are relegated to pay packaged amenities like swimming lessons. Hint. Bring your wallet…and your first premier bank card credit card….you’ll need it.
So what will we have? Very limited open swim times which we won’t hear about til after mmm cuts the ribbon. Family passes in Omaha go for $175 a indoor season. Not exactly spare change when you consider the median household income for those families living within a three mile radius of Spellerberg is only $40,590 a year.
Make no mistake about it. This thing is being designed for the 1%ers who’s kids are in swim clubs. The master plan with a 50 meter pool and 3500 square foot wade in pool is 19.4 million. The cost without the 50 meter pool and 1700 more square feet for the wade in pool is over 6 million dollars less.
So again, why not build the pool to accomadate ALL of the kids of SF, at reasonable rates with reasonable hours of open swim, and let t Denny cater to the monied class who need the 50 meter swim meet pool.
Another little known tidbit about the aquatics master plan that is included with the 50 meter 10 lane indoor pool. Frank Olsen pool will be closed and replaced with a spray park. A recent year saw over 37,000 users pass thru its gates, to be replaced with a spray park? In one of the most highly concentrated kid centric areas of town? Where a family pass for the season is $70. Replaced with a facility that nearly triples the family pass price with very limited open swim time?
Where do I line up for this one?
@ Scott, the original Rec Center plan was proposed for downtown, or at least next to it at Drake. Avera was going to be the private partner with the City and IIRC the initial cost back then was $32 million. It included 2 indoor hockey rinks, indoor 50 m pool, indoor soccer/football fields and basketball courts, plus a gym and a rec pool. It was to be phase 1 and phase 2 was the downtown Events Center at Cherapa.
You may recall that plan was torpedoed in an extremely low turn out, off year spring election to the tune of 60%-40%, that set in motion Sanford’s plans as well as our current EC. Back then the Stehley, Rath, Staggers contingent claimed it was going to ruin their neighborhood and was only going to be a playground for the rich. About 10K voted no, and about 7K voted in support. The City took no position and there was no organized group or funds supporting that plan.
Now we look kinda stupid for that vote, since eventually a plurality came around and realized not only does Sioux Falls need top tier facilities, but they can also easily afford them and they will be heavily used if built.
@ poly. Look at the design again, the 50M is off in it’s own space down a hallway from the rec & therapy pools. Several teams at a time could be in there practicing or competing and it will have no impact on the other pools.
I agree they are short changing Frank Olson, hopefully that neighborhood will want to keep it’s pool and add they spray park, but once again it will likely come down to cost vs. benefits.
@ Anon Entenman is on record as supporting the pool at Spellerberg. Rolfing, Karsky and Erp all do as well.
Jamison campaigned against it, but is looking for common ground. He’s in the camp of “build something smaller at Spellerberg and the 50M at SSC”.
Don’t know where Kenny & Sue are, Kermit’s position hasn’t changed.
Perhaps Sanford involvement was a method to hinder the pool petition drive. Huether always has a devious game plan that’s ‘dirty pool’. There will be an indoor pool citizens don’t want and were denied a chance to vote down. The Spellerburg location is not a good site. We know Huether will further ‘drain’ city assets. He can’t be stopped. I’m hoping he’ll show some mercy and build it at another more practical location where a future mayor can turn it around into something practical and self supporting.
I am currently a swimmer from the Masters Swim Team. (AND a person that makes under 25,000. I still go and swim so don’t make fun of people THAT YOU THINK CAN’T Afford IT) I feel the indoor poor would be beneficial. I grew up breathing and living swimming!!
Tanya. I’m the last person here who would make fun of you. Same for anyone else. For you, competitive swimming is a passion. For the family of 4, and a household income under $40,590, recreational swimming in a very limited amount of open swim time is simply unattainable.
That’s part of the problem they are trying to solve, poly. With a year round swim pass and an indoor pool there will be more opportunities for swimmers from every tax bracket to use the place.
And I’ll ask you again on this thread, doesn’t it make sense for the VA to support the Spellerberg pool with a therapy pool that will save them $86K a year and a trip across 26th st?
Sy. All I’m really interested in is seeing ALL the kids of this town able to use an indoor pool. I did a little reading about the 3 city indoor pools in Omaha. All 3 pools season passes are nearly 3 times as much as a season pass is in SF. And that’s just a seasonal pass lasting about 8 months. On top of that pay as you go activities there keep the open swim times to bare bones. 8 to 14 hours a week split up over two to four days a week.
As for the VA using the therapy pool? Great idea. Just hope that 86k a year does not cause the Crippled Children’s poll to have to shut down operations.
Sy – “I saw Nate White on the news. . . . ”
How’d you like to be Nate White? Haven’t heard much attributed to him since that 5/9 news story. Boy did he ever get a heapin’ helpin’ of corporate politics. Talk about a sacrificial lamb.
Kelby & Mike Begeman threw him under the bus so fast ol’ Nate never knew what hit him. For falling on his sword, I’m sure Nate the loyal soldier got . . . . to keep his job. Ask Nate how Sanford’s mantra “Improving The Human Condition” improved HIS condition!
Sanford Health. You reap what you sow. What a hypocritical snake pit…built on the ill-gotten gains of Denny Sanford.