If you read Item #40 on the council agenda, you will see the council is requesting to take some power away from the Parks Board;
(e) To review and make recommendations to the mayor and city council on any matters affecting
the establishment, improvement, maintenance, and regulation of the parks, including any
proposed revisions to this chapter 95. The issues shall be submitted to the board for
recommendation prior to official action; and
(f) Advise and assist the parks and recreation director relative to parks and recreation; .and
(g) Nothing in chapter 95 shall prohibit city council official action governing the use of the city’s public parks.
While this is a great first move by the city council, it will take a while to ban alcohol in the park. This is the 1st reading, and they can’t approve it until a second reading, then there is a 20 day waiting period before it takes affect, then the 1st & 2nd reading process starts all over for banning the alcohol. I still believe this could be done by an executive order by the mayor, but he seems to want to wash his hands of the situation. Drove by about 5 PM last night at Van Eps. Several people were ‘napping’ in the park. Actually it looked like a civil war battlefield.
Speaking of the Parks Board, I see long time member Mark Millage is being replaced;
Mark Steinborn; Parks and Recreation Board Appointed for a term from July 2014 through July 2019 (to replace Mark Millage).
Not all parks are under the control of the park board as they are property of the city of Sioux Falls and not of the park board. A little known loophole out there. I do not know which parks are which, however.
maybe some patrons of the park will show up to speak against the ban.
In the AL today, Parks Board member Pat Lloyd (yes, mega developer Craig Lloyd’s wife) was okay with the council rule change, but hoped the council wouldn’t overuse their authority. LOL. First off, besides the fact that Pat is an appointed volunteer and NOT ELECTED, and the fact that the board works in virtual secrecy (meetings are not recorded) she doesn’t want our ELECTED officials to have too much authority? WOW! That tells you the kind of view the elitists in this town have of our city council. But this pissing match between the Parks Board, City Council and city attorney is just a gigantic circus distraction away from the mayor who could have put a halt to this already.
So who will get blamed when someone is either killed or dies of alcohol poisoning in the Park?
-So who will get blamed when someone is either killed or dies of alcohol poisoning in the Park?
maybe Kum n’ Go?
I also find it humorous that, as I heard rumored, that not all of the Parks Board members were called about having an emergency meeting.
The city should begin using the park as a civil war re-enactment battlefield during the summer months. This would impress all our esteemed VIP guests who come down the hill from the airport, and it would also be highlight the sacrifices all early Sioux Fallsians made in defending their beautiful city from the savage invaders who tried to steal their freedom to charge uncapped interest rates.
Another point about the ‘supposed’ emergency meeting request. Funny how the mayor can’t get a board he appoints to have an emergency meeting over Van Eps Park, but he can call the another board he appoints (Ethics Commission) on a Tuesday, on Wednesday they plan a Thursday meeting to give him the right to plaster his name on a facility that is receiving public funds. In a matter of 3 days he somehow got a board together about something as non-important as naming rights, but when an emergency situation arises, he can’t get anyone to find time to meet. Yeah right.
Let it go. Huether wants this space for this city’s human fallout. He doesn’t want them downtown where CNN sees them.
Build that fence! We must protect our borders!
Great idea, if they fence if off maybe the park goers can claim it as reservation land so we can build a casino there. Watch out Grand Falls, here comes Van Eps Gaming Lounge.
Tuesday nights – All you can eat cigarette butts and Natural Ice