2018

Mayor TenHaken, an obvious world of difference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z4NJCYOVYs

I will first say, there are still things that concern me about Mayor Paul. I’m still trying to figure out his relationship with his staff. I still think he should have given Legacy the boot on the Village project and I still think he needs to give some directors the boot.

That all aside, I have been impressed with his different leadership style. He doesn’t seem to like the spotlight. I like that. I think in government modesty and a humble approach to your job is always best. You are there to serve.

In the video above, I am really excited he took an idea I threw at him early on in his administration at public input about working with the county(s) and school district.

As for public input, I’m glad he wrangled this in and didn’t let it get changed drastically. In fact, public input couldn’t be better (mostly due to the new state law) that allows public input at all public meetings and 1st readings.

But for the most part I have to give Paul props for running the meetings with respect, openness and allowing the city council to debate the issues without being cutoff.

Trust me, I know everyone thinks I am a Negative Nancy trying to find problems with his administration, and also trust me, I am constantly watching. But I will say this, Paul has been doing a pretty good job so far and that isn’t just me talking. I hear it a lot from citizens, and that really is the proof in the pudding.

LifeScape Parking lot expansion further proof the indoor pool was built in the wrong place

I think the debate is over, we wanted an indoor pool and we got one. But a major issue at the time was the location of the pool. While I wouldn’t be opposed to a public indoor pool built at a city park, Spellerberg Park was problematic from the get go.

Besides the fact that there is no room for expansion, one of the major issues was parking expansion of the VA. We knew the VA was going to expand, we knew they would need more parking and we knew they held the quit claim deed to Spellerberg. If the pool wasn’t built there they could have easily expanded parking into the park. NOW, we have LifeScape tearing up affordable housing in the center of our city for parking because they NO longer have space at the VA.

I still believe a public/private partnership with Sanford at the Sports complex for an indoor pool would have made more sense, and really there is nothing stopping them from doing their own pool in the future.

While the negotiations behind the RR redevelopment was one of the worst in the past administration, building the indoor pool at Spellerberg is proving also to be another poor decision from a RAM-ROD mentality of the previous administration.

UPDATE: Without a Narcissistic, Sadistic, Egomaniac Bully as Mayor, the council is free to get things done

The City Council did their due diligence last night and saved a historic neighborhood from another commercial development that are eating up our core.

A developer thought they were going to play the game of buying crappy houses, let them go to sh*t and than have an excuse to tear them down. The council said, ‘Not so Fast.’

Watch George Hamilton school the council on what exactly the developer was up to.

UPDATE: So in this KDLT story, the developer states the obvious;

Developer Sam Assam will need to get a cost-estimate for repairing the homes and see if that outweighs the cost of demolishing them, then bring his case before the Board of Preservation again.

Well DUH it is cheaper to bulldoze a house. I think we have established that McFly. But what I can GUARANTEE and Hamilton is right, it way more cheaper to refab these houses if their structures and foundations are solid than it would be to tear them down completely and build a whole new structure. At the informational meeting on Tuesday, the Affordable Housing manager said a starter home costs about $220 now in Sioux Falls.

But the bigger question is not whether they can be demolished or not. Why are we allowing commercial development to creep into a neighborhood. I don’t even care if it is a Historic neighborhood. We should keep our affordable housing neighborhoods.