Not sure why, but folks who attend concerts at the Denty have told me that it takes sometimes hours to get a cab from the place after a show. I’m guessing peeps have figured out that the gig economy isn’t so great.
With all this talk lately about the bad positioning of the Denty and Convention Center many are asking why do we have to move something when we can just figure out how to utilize it better.
Before the Denty was built there was talk about running public transit shuttles from downtown parking ramps to events. I think they did it a couple of times and it disappeared.
Instead of moving the convention center, why not just start running free shuttles from DTSF to the complex during concerts and conventions?
You could do it for free, or even charge a $1, and would get more people spending money in our town when they attend these events.
Another funding source would be adding a ‘parking’ fee to every ticket sold. I suggested to the council years ago that they should be charging a city ‘facility’ fee to each ticket that strictly goes towards the mortgage, but they argued the artists and promoters didn’t like it. Oh well.
So why don’t we do it? My guess is that the management of the Denty doesn’t want peeps who are driving from Mitchell to spend any of their money anywhere else except at the Denty.
We act like the Denty is in outerspace. If I had to guess, the Denty is about 2 miles from DTSF. This is doable.
Let’s admit it, building a CC and EC at that location was a mistake, but instead of spending $300 million to fix a mistake, why not work with what we have?
All of the things you mention would simply be an easy and natural extension of a well-developed and adequately resourced public transit system.
The reason why there is no “shuttle from the Denty” is that what small excuse for a public transit system which ever existed in Sioux Falls has been dismantled during the years of Huether and MisTaken.
How about public transportation to provide service between the airport and the Convention Center? Or to/from the airport and other popular destinations in town, including lodging?
Well, OK, for public transit to/from the airport not only is there no public transit infrastructure to extend toward that service, but also a commission which runs the airport and is reliant upon income from parking fees at the airport*… so they kinda’ sorta’ wanna’ have people bring their cars with them to the airport when they leave town.
* From Symmone Gauer, “More parking is on the way for Sioux Falls Regional Airport”, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, April 12, 2023.
“What a lot of people don’t realize is that most things in the airport are funded by parking,” airport chairman Lon Stroscheir said. He said more than half of the cost to run the airport comes from parking.
Perhaps the ability to get a cab/Uber/Lyft to depart the Denty is a matter of convenience or safety (not wanting to drink & drive). I’m not sure shuttling from another location solves any convenience or safety (don’t drink & drive) issue – shuttle passengers still end up behind the wheel of their car once they’re deposited back to a remote parking lot. If there’s a parking capacity issue at the current Denty/EC/Arena location . . . . it likely wouldn’t be any better at the proposed DTSF location!
Why not just use the on-demand service to get to and from the Denty. In fact, when are they going to run that spur to the Denty from the Brandon train depot where all of the “high speed trains” come into?
Per yesterday’s news, Uber and Lyft drivers are organizing a walk off. Also, there’s not enough airline pilots and flight attendants are threatening a strike. This year could be disastrous for conventions and concerts. Public bus service is now privatized. The city no longer decides service and schedules. The best TenHaken can do is send transit a ‘Break Up Pizza’.
City Hall has become like ‘The House of Windsor’. Private parliaments manage everything. City leaders only appear for political events, parades, and ambitious but impossible entertainment concepts.