A few months ago I posed the question of what the city would do with the ice center. I even suggested if they don’t sell it, they could use it for a new city services building, or even better yet, team up with Lincoln & Minnehaha county to offer services.
At the time a city councilor told me that the city wants to sit on it until they run 49th street straight through to Western Avenue, then sell it for development.
Not such a bad idea, but in the same breath, this person told me that the Glory House was interested in expansion and wanted to purchase the property.
I think that would be a fantastic use for the land. Besides, the Glory House isn’t going anywhere, so why not expand at that location? I guess the city has refused sale to them. Seems puzzling that the city has no problem with the expansion of the Arch in a residential neighborhood and the same with a homeless shelter, but a facility that is not very close to residential housing and helps ex convicts back on their feet the city would refuse. Hopefully the council can put pressure on to help this sale go through.
Parking is NOT an issue?
Recently a Spellerberg neighborhood resident when to an open house at the new Aquatic center, they asked what was going to be done to the open ball field area. They were told the parks department was going to try to budget for expanded parking in that area. If this conversation took place and is true, this goes against what was promised with the green space left at Spellerberg. But no surprise with the chain of lies that has come with building this facility. This place will be more cursed than King Tut’s Tomb.
Bring on the Trailer (Foundation) Parks!
There has been a lot of talk about affordable housing in Sioux Falls lately. I have told people if we don’t start tackling the problem aggressively right now, we will be in a crisis mode in 4-5 years. Even with rumors the only reason the city is changing the discrimination laws when it comes to housing is to get more HUD money, one wonder what are plans are?
Foundation Park wants to bring in 40,000 workers. Where will they come from? Where will they live? While we hope these will be all living wage jobs, we know that living wage housing will be cramped. That only leaves us with building enormous apartment complexes, twin homes and more trailer parks. While Foundation Park is a great idea, there doesn’t seem to be much thought going into housing for the workers.
Logistics buddy is the lone occupant of the new foundation park. Nearly all of its jobs will fall under this category. There are 2740 Freight, Stock, and material handler jobs in SF. The median income for this occupation is $12.46 an hour. Looking through the Department of Labor site, shows SD as a lone beacon in the upper midwest for poverty level salaries in this job group.
Sioux Falls has two previous development parks that cost tens of millions to run utilities for those locations. One, park number 7 sits where the current walmart north is. That one sits with over 50% of its land empty. The other, park number 8, sits south of 60th street north, just east of I-229. At least 80% of that park sits empty with millions poured into it for development.
Don’t be fooled. City water rates have nearly quadrupled since 2006 so the city can gamble on these parks. Park 8 is a complete failure, 7 shows little sign of anything beyond walmart, and Foundation has one tenant. 46 million dollars to develop that park in the next three years for streets, water, sewer, storm drainage, and electrical. No doubt about it. The city is gambling with our water bills to put median income jobs of $13 an hour, or less, in what are now, nearly empty parks.
When is the last time the Glory House has had a thorough audit? What kind of money do they receive to have programs for Native American’s and how many Native American’s have been running those programs and for how long? That place is a joke. It’s supposed to be nonprofit but what are the wages of the Administration or board members?
Just don’t get Darrin Smith involved. He’s nothing but disaster. The best place for him is the Washington Mausoleum. Nothing happens there so there’s nothing to screw up.
All nonprofits are required to file a Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-N (postcard return for very small nonprofits) with the IRS each year. Glory House’s Form 990s for each year 2002-2014 may be found here:
http://nccsweb.urban.org/communityplatform/nccs/organization/profile/id/460308425/popup/1
The Form 990 includes financial information, executive salary info, list of board members, and other information.
As a supporter of the aquatics center and a resident of this area, I will come unglued if the green space becomes parking. That was the biggest issue I wanted confirmed as a supporter and I was told under no circumstance would the green space go away.
LOL Karma. With all the lies that built up to this project you are suddenly surprised they may have lied about the parking to?
Not surprised, hugely disappointed. Shame on me.