Meeting, what meeting? Guest Toon: SE Podcast
l3wis 
2018
Local Musicians protest ‘Senior Housing’ last night at the City Council Meeting
I really enjoyed the public input last night at the Sioux Falls City Council meeting. It was also refreshing that the mayor was absent and wasn’t running the meeting. Council chair Kiley did an excellent job of running the over hour of testimony about Icon Lounge, noise ordinances downtown and allowing exotic pets in Sioux Falls.
The biggest group to appear were local musicians. One thing I learned long ago from hanging out at Nordic Hall and later the Pomp Room; Don’t F’ck with local musicians. They have to scrape and scrap enough the way it is to get gigs, so when you threaten to close one of their venues down, they get a little irritated. I will say though they presented their side of the argument very professionally, as did many other presenters last night.
As I told a councilor last night, the problem with public input isn’t the presenters it’s the smart ass running the meeting. He was absent last night, and it went well.
One of the funnier moments was when one presenter said that we are turning downtown into a senior living/housing district and it should be an entertainment district first, residential second. Noise ordinances should take precedent to commercial use first downtown and residential second. I couldn’t agree more.
The last presenter offered the best solution. He said that the city should do a baseline noise study all over downtown and see what the ‘average’ decibel is currently and determine a new sound level from there. I think several councilors agree. If I was a betting man, I bet you the average decibel level downtown on weekday afternoon is a little over 60.
Hopefully the city will do such a study and fix the noise ordinances downtown to cater to entertainment first and residential second.
Stehly’s 2nd attempt to repeal downtown parking ramp may not happen
Stehly tried to get another councilor to sign onto the repeal, but so far has been unsuccessful;
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS, SD (THE “CITYâ€) REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 119-17 AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF ITS SALES TAX REVENUE BONDS AND OTHER ACTIONS RELATED THERETO.
The city attorney’s office has said that Stehly has the legal right to propose the repeal.
What is frustrating about the Downtown Parking Ramp is the obvious, the developer involved, Legacy is being sued for wrongful death and a whole host of other stuff. Why would the city want to be involved with an entity that is facing such serious charges and fines?
Stehly spoke about it yesterday at the informational, imploring her fellow councilors to repeal the bonds until the legal matters are settled. The only response Stehly got was from councilor Rolfing who offered, “At least the city isn’t be sued.”
Wow.
And some wonder why such idiotic decisions are made. Just look to the decision makers.
City to spread their version of ‘Propaganda’ about Downtown noise ordinances
I got a reminder this weekend from a fellow city hall watcher that the city already had a discussion about noise ordinances . . . 10 years ago! I remember the discussion, it involved outdoor music at Stogeez and the time that music needs to stop.
Well, my response is that we need to revisit the topic, especially with the enormous growth of downtown over the past 10 years. I don’t think it is unreasonable to maintain a 70 decibel level during the day and 65 at night. Even without entertainment facilities downtown, the ambient noise downtown during the day hovers in that 68-70 area.
I can’t wait to hear the city’s argument on this;
One important fact the public should understand is that all of downtown is zoned to allow residential uses. The zoning for downtown also allows for commercial, retail, and a mix of other uses, which creates the unique atmosphere we all expect from a downtown environment. No changes have been made to zoning or the noise ordinance as a result of any new residential units in downtown.
If that is the case, how is a downtown nightclub able to operate for 6 years with NO intervention until residential units are built next door with an easement to hang patios over the roof of the nightclub?
It is no surprise to me that the city will fight any changes. Why? The building department once again screwed up and authorized something that should have NOT been authorized without a thorough discussion with the neighbors.
The Downtown Parking Ramp controversy was always about more than just Hultgren
As many critics of the deal pointed out, besides the enormous price-tag and sketchy lease deal, we felt Legacy’s involvement was troublesome. Well so do the families that were affected by the Copper Lounge building collapse;
John J. McMahon, Ethan’s father, and John F. McMahon, his brother, contend in their lawsuits that Hultgren Construction performed its construction and demolition activities “under a trial-by-error mentality.†Besides Hultgren Construction, the lawsuit also names Legacy Developments & Consulting Co., and Rise Structural Associates, the project engineer. Three limited liability companies – Boomerang, CLP and Olympia – that had ownership stakes in the project are also named.
The lawsuits contend that Hultgren Construction and Legacy Developments were closely related entities. Aaron Hultgren, Hultgren Construction’s president, was also the director of development and operations for Legacy.
“By using a captive construction company in Hultgren Construction instead of hiring a reputable, third-party construction contractor, Legacy was able to cut costs and save substantial amounts of money on its development projects,†the lawsuits say.
We have said all along that Legacy and Hultgren were working in tandem on the project. To single out just Aaron Hultgren as the ultimate culprit isn’t right. We had further proof of this when we found out about the illegal asbestos removal.
Why is a majority of the city council and city hall still supporting this project? That is the grand mystery.
The bonds are not set to sell until April. With this recent news I hope the council reconsiders once again if it is a good idea to go into business with this developer on this project or future projects. Taxpayers should not be held hostage by a city government that refuses to take a hard and reasonable look at this situation. It wreaks of corruption.