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And guess what else? They built the facility so they could expand it and it’s parking! What a concept! They also have it next to a proposed Middle School! WOW! Planning ahead. I bet the lockers are big enough to at least fit your sunglasses and car keys into.
I often wonder how construction costs in Sioux Falls could be that much higher then in Watertown? I actually think it would be MORE expensive to build in Watertown a facility like this.
Like many Sioux Falls city projects, I believe the contractor and price is set before the bidding process even begins. The CMAR process is a boondoggle to make sure contractors rake the tax payers over the coals. It’s unfortunate that with all the ‘smart’ people we have working within city government (that we pay quite nicely) couldn’t see that the Indoor Aquatic Center was a complete rip-off. But Mayor Ramrod had to have it. This is what happens when you don’t let taxpayer’s decide on these projects. A NO vote on an outdoor pool only said that people might prefer an indoor pool. But since there never was an official vote we will never know. Was it a preferred location? Good Price? etc. We see what happens when we only let the mayor pick these projects, we get a huge price-tag and a $25 million dollar administration building.
Mike Huether continually tells the public the indoor aquatic center was completed on time and under budget.
Reality Check —- The consultant the City hired gave public presentations (prior to the vote on the outdoor pool) that put a price tag of $19.4m on the project. The final capital cost was over $24.m.
The consultant put the annual operating costs at $770,000.
Reality Check —- Per Don Kearney, Director of Parks and Rec, that figure has now skyrocketed to $1.5m annually.
Legends was hired to generate sponsors. Even the Mayor has expressed disappointment over the low number of sponsors (to date, I believe the number is 2). BTW, does anyone recall what we paid Legends for this spectacular feat!!?
I noticed they have 550 parking spots available in their plan and they don’t even have to us a city street for 1,000 or people to show up. Gosh an actual plan for the future and they aren’t even a BOoM TOWN. What is our BOoM TOWN mayor going to do? If this were built in our BOom TOWN of Sioux Falls it would cost us at least $35 million? BOOM goes the budget! No wonder Tracy Turdbak left Watertown. They might have needed him to balance the budget on real numbers?
But but, the Aquatics Center has a wall of shame they won’t have. Also, we’re so rich we built a private tennis stadium for our mayor. We’ve got plenty of empty store fronts along Minnesota, 41st, and 12th. We’re so rich, we ran retail out of town and live on our own wealth without taxes.