Item #47, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS RECERTIFYING THE COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM (CRS) PROGRAM.
Background & Objective: A required annual report from the CRS program on the Hazard Mitigation Plan. The current plan is at the end of its usefulness and a new plan is in the early stages, so no new efforts have been put into adding new items to the existing one. This is why the report is so short this year.
(I have never seen this program before, so I would be curious how long it has been since this has been updated considering we have been hit by tornados, severe storms, and flooding over the past few years requiring FEMA reimbursement. Would have been nice to have an informational meeting presentation.)
Will it be built in Sioux Falls? I would assume that they would either have to build it in the city limits or in a suburb of Sioux Falls in order to have the workforce. A rumor swirling around is to build it at the 1880 Cowboy Town or the Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town (which is on I-90).
There’s not much left on the current site, perched as it is on the bluff overlooking a packing plant, Falls Park, downtown and the verdant city beyond.
There’s the diversion channel to the east, rail lines and the airport to the north and housing to the southwest.
Where oh where will our prison go?
What an opportunity to transform the industrial and penal character of that high-profile section of the city, not just on the top of the bluff, but down below.
Maybe, and this is crazy dreamy stuff, the prison and the packing plant are a package deal.
The whole debate over where Wholestone Farms should build their plant only refocused the reality of the legacy of Smithfield.
Lalley is suggesting we tear down the old prison AND Smithfields and use the area for redevelopment. Yeah, it’s a pipe dream and Lalley knows it.
Smithfields isn’t going anywhere and as for the prison, I wouldn’t be surprised if the state sells it to a private developer who may remodel the existing prison for a different use like Dakotabilities did with the former Jefferson elementary. Take the bars off the windows and you could repurpose it for a pretty cool apartment building.
We will see if the legislature even passes the funding. $52 million seems like a lot of coin just for land acquisition and design. And where would we get money to actually build it? This facility could easily cost north of $100 million.
Prison building is just a scam on the taxpayers to make the private vendors who service the prison money and little else.
Will local leadership like Sioux Falls district legislators, council and mayor fight to keep the prison in the city limits? Likely not, but I would encourage the state and the city to do an economic impact study of the financial benefits of the prison. Personally I think we could save taxpayers millions by releasing all non-violent offenders with ankle monitors and drug tests while on parole. But that would require our legislature to have compassion, something they locked away decades ago.
Last week a person told me a funny story about a retired priest attending Christmas at the Cathedral (he will remain nameless). Either before or after the show he introduces himself to the lady sitting next to him and says,
“You look familiar. Did you attend one of my parishes as a child?”
(This certain priest served in many parishes throughout South Dakota)
She replies,
“I’m Kristi Noem, your governor.”
I found the story funny considering Noem’s quest to be someone on a National level and the fact most of her administrative staff has to be recruited from out of state. Maybe Noem should give the good father a job since she only hires people that don’t know her.
The official soap of the South Dakota Governor’s Mansion
You would think this would be a fight between the woke radical liberals and the right wingers, but now Kristi is fighting with her fellow nuttery;
“As a result, my office will no longer work with the Alliance until and unless its executive director chooses to act professionally,” Noem said, criticizing Woods for “sending this letter and releasing it to the media at the same time, instead of reaching out to my office to have a productive conversation about how we can work together.”
I won’t bore you with the letters sent back and forth, but if you read between the lines, Noem isn’t mad about the letter (BTW, she wasn’t attacked) she is mad she couldn’t have a closed door meeting to sweep this under the rug.
I also chuckled a bit in the Alliance letter boasting about protecting our kids from weed and gays, as if they are one in the same. I will admit, back in the day when I was high on pot I did some pretty crazy stuff, but sex with another man wasn’t one of them 🙂 It didn’t even cross my mind (whilst eating ketchup flavored cheese balls and playing Mario Brothers for 3 hours).
I guess I have never understood homophobia, it is just an excuse to be a hater, or just plain ignorant.
Let’s assume for a moment you don’t have any gay friends, relatives, or co-workers. Let’s even go a step further and assume you have never knowingly met a LGBTQ member of our society? Where is the vitriol coming from?
Drag shows for youth are meant to EDUCATE them about an alternative lifestyle before they grow up to be another a**hole republican.
If you want to protect our kids volunteer to be a mentor, a youth sports coach, a Sunday school teacher, a school crosswalk guard, or any other various youth associations. Being face to face and truthful with kids goes a lot farther then disgusting laws and legislation that only fuel a hateful divide and further cement the pitiful ignorance and hate of the radical right running our state.
By the way, I have noticed Noem’s wardrobe over the past couple of years, and I would be hard pressed to admit any of her clothing items were designed by a straight person.Her next piece of legislation will be titled ‘Fairness in Women’s Clothing Design’.
l3wis 