South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

2017

Denny Sanford Premier Center Event Center SF City Council Sioux Falls

Proposed Contract with Siding Inspector

l3wis 3Comments

Here is a copy of the unsigned contract (DOC: siding-contract)

As you can see the inspection will cost us $25,000 with possible change orders. The council will approve the contract on Tuesday during the consent agenda portion of the meeting.

Here are some ‘interesting’ points I found in the contract;

• All work shall be performed by or under the direct supervision of a professional Engineer licensed to practice in South Dakota.

• Should there be any destructive or intrusive testing by the Engineeer, the Engineer acknowledges the City has no stockpile of the panels and the Engineer will use due care to maintain the building in the same condition as it was prior to initiating testing. Engineer will restore the site to the same condition as it was prior to such testing at its own expense.

• Consult with the City Engineer or his designee to obtain available data for review and coordinate access to the site with SMG, the City’s operator of the building, as needed. This will include site security (including exterior barriers or fencing if needed) and protection from interference with testing.

• The Engineer shall not sublet or assign any part of the independent review under this Agreement without written authority from the City. Further, if the Engineer hires a subcontractor for repair due to damage from the independent review, the Engineer must provide at least 72 hours’ advance notice as to the date, time, and method of repair and allow the City to make modifications to the proposed methods for such repair, if necessary, and to inspect the repair work.

• The City may at any time by written order make changes within the general scope of this Agreement in the work and services to be performed by the Engineer.

• The City agrees to pay the Engineer a fixed fee in an amount not to exceed $20,000 (hereinafter the “Fixed Fee”) plus reimbursable expenses not to exceed $5,000. Additional compensation will not be made for expenses exceeding the Maximum Fee unless the requirements as set forth in Section 5.4 of this Agreement are satisfied.

It seems there will be a designated or city engineer present during the inspections, which is fine, but I hope it doesn’t tamper in anyway having a fair assessment.

Downtown Sioux Falls SF City Council Sioux Falls

What is the true cost of a parking ramp to EVERYONE?

l3wis 10Comments

Click to enlarge

Hat tip the long time commenter here on DaCola offered this link to an interesting study from 2015 on parking ramp costs;

Parking is expensive. It costs thousands of dollars per stall to build. It occupies valuable real estate. It is ubiquitous, accompanying nearly every building built across the United States. Yet at nearly every destination, drivers don’t directly pay for the parking they use. Instead the cost is hidden, bundled into the grocery bill, benefits package, and rent of every shopper, employee, and tenant.

Everyone pays the same amount for parking whether she or he walked, rode transit, carpooled, or drove alone, but rarely does anyone see that price itemized on a receipt. As a result, most people are unaware of the heavy financial burden they bear for the sake of parking. The above graphic takes a look at one area where parking adds significantly to a household’s expenses: Rent.

So how much does one parking spot add to an apartment’s rent? There is no single answer to that question. Construction costs are affected by local soil conditions, zoning requirements, site constraints, regional differences in construction costs, and the type of parking to be built. On the other hand, the rent needed to justify an initial capital investment varies according to local property taxes, financing costs, resident turnover and delinquency rates, et cetera. The graphic attempts to present the range covered by these variables while providing numbers that might be considered typical for structured parking in the United States.
Obviously they are talking about apartments vs. hotel rooms, but the concept still applies. While the city tries to justify the cost because this is coming from ‘user fees’ I still consider them a tax. Whether you agree with me or not, as the study points out, using a parking ramp makes the price of everything else go up. For instance if a retail business DT rents parking spots for their employees that cost is passed on to consumers.
Hopefully the council has a good discussion about this before approving this plan.
Denny Sanford Premier Center SF City Council Sioux Falls

Cautiously Optimistic

l3wis 0Comments

The city has announced they have found a firm to inspect the Events Center siding.

I am optimistic for a few reasons;

In addition to a review of the exterior metal wall panel system, the consultant will also review the air and moisture barrier system behind the metal wall panel system.

I have never been to concerned about the structural soundness, the moisture issue concerns me the most, so I was glad to see they are looking at it.

The firm they are using (Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.) has a tremendous reputation as an industry leader in what they do.

Jeff Kreiter, the Sioux Falls citizen who sat on the RFP committee, has a great resume making him suitable for the selection committee.

The contract will be on the City Council consent agenda for their approval on Tuesday, November 21, 2017. The intent is to have the study complete by December 31. A report will be presented to the public in 2018.

Not sure what the report will cost, but my guess with travel expenses, etc., it will probably be around $30-$60,000.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

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