We’ve heard all the excuses, time and time again, that Mayor TenHaken was handed this mess and had his hands tied. Hogwash. They could of canceled the bond for the Bunker Ramp (which probably would have resulted in a hefty fee of around $1 million) but in the end would have saved us this nightmare scenario and millions in bond payments.
At the city council informational on Tuesday, the finance director has finally admitted that the debt service on this POS is dragging the system down;
The solution? Well the first thing I would not have done was give $50 million dollars in tax breaks for 2 parking ramps attached to luxury condos and offices. Why would we subsidize private parking structures when ours are not full?
So now they want to do this;
It’s possible drivers may need to pay for metered parking in downtown Sioux Falls on evenings and Saturdays in the future.
I am on the fence about this. On one hand other cities do this and if the parking ramps remain free on nights and weekends, it could be okay. I also like the fact that it encourages people to either ride share or take other forms of transportation (like an E-Bike) to get DTSF. While I go DTSF almost every day for some kind of errand, I can’t tell you the last time I fed a meter or parked on Phillips Ave. There are FREE parking options DTSF, you just gotta walk a little.
I just wonder who the city thinks they will recruit to be a meter maid on Friday and Saturday nights? No thank you! Enforcement will be the biggest hurdle.
This is what happens when we have feckless leaders in city hall and on the city council dais. They knew it was a bad idea to move forward, the warning sirens were louder then a train whistle, but they were too gutless to tell the public, so now we are paying for it . . . in dimes and quarters.