Councilor Erpenbach grasping at straws over snowgates

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Like the Drake Springs pool vote, it seems some on the city council just can’t stand the fact that citizens passed snow gates. Like Drake Springs*, they need to get over it and move on. Like I told a person yesterday, I didn’t vote for the Events Center, but the citizens said they wanted it, so it is what it is, all I can do now is make sure the facility is ran properly, and the councilors should do the same about snow gates. Huber put on a great presentation that was factual, positive and forthright, and all Rolfing and Erpenbach did was grasp at straws about snow gates usefulness. Michelle even went as far as saying it might potentially affect real estate values. She mentioned that people on the end of the block may not get as good of service as people in the middle, and somehow in her crazy reasoning, this would affect home prices on corner lots. (Actual Presentation, starts at 1:04)

WOW. Michelle has said some pretty ridiculous things, but this takes the cake. It also shows how little she knows about real estate and should concern us that she is voting on affordable housing issues and planning and zoning.

First thing I was told when I was looking for my first home, “Don’t buy a corner lot.” They are notorious for more sidewalk to scoop, more yard to mow, more trees to trim, and you are responsible for scooping the sidewalk ends. Some people like corner lots, but they are known for more maintenance, this isn’t some real estate secret, and certainly, snowgates are not going to change these facts.

Michelle and Rex need to accept the vote of the people, and move on, snow gates are a part of city ordinance passed by the citizenry by over 70% of the vote. Stop crying about them.

*Actually, ironically, it is good thing citizens voted for an outdoor pool at Nelson Park, since the Aquatics Consultant the city hired said due to groundwater issues at the park, an indoor pool at that location would have had maintenance issues.

Posted in: Michelle Erpenbach, SF City Council, snow removal, Snowgates

SF City Council Chair & Chamber Board Member goes back on his promise to the Ethics Commission

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karsky-and-hutch-goats

It’s okay to lie about being ethical, because I own goats.

Last night I handed out the below verbage during public testimony. It was concerning Dean Karsky and his dual membership to the city council and Chamber board of directors. Dean did not recuse himself from voting on any of the items, he just sat there. He didn’t even ask a city attorney (the main one was absent) if he should recuse himself. Apparently Dean just lied to the Ethics Commission about recusing himself from voting on Chamber related items.

Tuesday November 4, 2014

Recently Council Chair Dean Karsky attended an Ethics Commission meeting to ask them if it was okay for him to serve on the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. They said it would be okay because Dean proposed he would ‘recuse’ himself from voting on any agenda items that are directly related with the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. The Ethics Commission agreed with Dean’s proposal.

Tonight I submit to you several agenda items that Council Chair & Chamber Board of Directors Member Dean Karsky should recuse himself from due to conflicts of interest with Members of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. By voting to allow Chamber members to do business with the city you could assume a conflict of interest because Councilor Karsky could give an unfair advantage to Chamber members versus non-members.

The concerning items are as follows;

Item 1) Approval of contracts, several Chamber Members are getting contract approvals with the city. They include; Infrastructure Design Group, Inc., Sayre Associates, Inc., Vision Video Interactive, LLC, Stockwell Engineers, Inc., Short-Elliott-Hendrickson, Inc., Soukup Construction, Inc., Thompson Electric Company, Friessen Construction Co., Inc., and several other snowplow contractors.

Item 2) Change Orders. Chamber Members include; First Rate Excavate, Inc., Beck & Hofer Construction, Inc., Krier & Blain, Inc.

Items 3-8) Fuel contracts, Chamber Member, Howes Oil

Item 10) Liquor Retail License renewal, several businesses are Chamber Members

Items 11-13) Malt Beverage transfers, Chamber Member, Staybridge Suites

Item 17) One day wine license, Chamber Member, Active Generations

Item 18) One day liquor license, Chamber Member, Avera

Item 28) Water tank lease agreement, Chamber members, Soukup Construction, Sioux Falls Two-Way Radio

 

All other items concern internal city business, change in ordinances or re-zone housekeeping, and don’t present a conflict for Council Chair and Chamber Board of Directors member Dean Karsky.

Posted in: Dean Karsky, SF City Council, Sioux Falls

Another wealthy developer and land owner in SF looking for a handout?

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So the Friessen family has owned the Lake Lorraine property for over 35 years and has kept it a very PRIVATE place. A 22 acre lake that the public was strictly not allowed to use. But that all may change, with the help of your tax dollars of course;

Developers are hoping to form a public/private partnership with the city of Sioux Falls to maintain and program the park and train system around the lake.  They’re visiting similar communities in Minneapolis to see how it’s been done there.

“We’re also exploring opportunities with the city’s Live Well program, which the city is promoting right now and they’d like to make this the pilot program,” Van Buskirk said.

This is the first I have heard of this proposal, but like most plans the Parks and Planning department makes, they keep it top secret until they can spring it on the uninformed council. I see they have even used our tax dollars already going to Minneapolis doing ‘research’.

Don’t get me wrong, I think having a public lake in the center of the city is a great idea, in fact I have suggested that Spellerberg be turned into a natural filtration pool. And a trail around the lake would be great. But how is this going to work? Are the Friessens going to give the lake to the city? Will they cease paying property taxes on 22 acres of water? How much will it cost taxpayers to maintain this lake? Remember the Soukup family’s ‘gift’ a few years ago?

This private development will do very well for itself, I think they should maintain the lake themselves and continue to pay the taxes on it. If they want to open it to the public, great, but I think the city needs to get out of the business of taking these supposed ‘gifts’.

Besides, if the family chooses to maintain the lake themselves, they can profit from having different rental activities on the lake.

Posted in: Developers, Development, Planning Commission, Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

The Mayor’s proposed CIP Budget

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If you are a city government ‘nerdy’ like myself, you will get a kick out of the proposed budget (DOC)

Funny how the SFPD can’t scrounge up $2,200 to fix windows they damaged but we have all kinds of money for other things.

Here are some highlights;

$100K for Event Center ‘improvements’ (Budgeting for improvements on a building that isn’t even completed yet. Anybody know a good ‘sider’)

$2.76 Million to the Pavilion ($500K for a generator, $320K for escalators, $200K for sculpture garden improvements) I would also like to respond to a commenter that said they believed the Pavilion already brought in good shows. I agree. I think what most people want is MORE shows and diversity. Nobody is asking the Pavilion to stop what they are doing currently (Musicals, Symphony, Plays etc.) they just want to see other stuff there. One of the biggest hurdles is that promoters don’t like dealing with them anymore.

$4.8 million on the River Greenway. Continuing to subsidize developers bulkheads and landscaping along the 15th dirtiest river in the country. We could sure buy a lot of lagoon pumps, honey wagons and manure spreaders for $4.8 million.

$800K for the Sanford Sports Complex Improvements. I thought the SSC was awarded millions in TIFs so they could improve the site. Hornswaggled again by the Sanfords of the world.

$400K towards McKennan Park Band Shell replacement. Was there something wrong with the current one?

$5.6 million for Falls Park improvements. Once again, I ask the question, What is wrong with Falls Park? It it is beautiful and well maintained.

$10 Million for new parking ramp Downtown. Didn’t we just tear one down for $1 and proposing to close the one next to Sushi Masa? Now that’s prudence!

There are many projects for water, sewage and drainage in the CIP. Which I find odd. They keep telling us that they had to raise our water/sewer rates because there are enterprise funds now to help pay for upgrades. Why dip into the CIP?

Posted in: Sioux Falls

Reflections on the 4th

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Oh, I have never been one to get sappy on our national holiday, mainly because I am bitchy anyway, and I really don’t know what to think of our country anymore. As I lurked into M.B. Haskett’s for an adult cider before the parade today, I asked Michael, “What the Hell are you doing open today?” He replied, “I’m practicing my true patriotism by capitalizing on the holiday.” Or something like that. To which I had an ironic response to a woman a couple of hours later when she asked me if they were charging on the DT parking meters, “Ah, no, it’s a national holiday.” She seemed to have forgotten as her American Flag kerchief waved in the wind. Gawd, some people are f’kg stupid.

So here’s the deal, I just planned on riding my bike to the parade, then going home, but I saw so many strange things, I just had to blog about it.

My first observation was that almost every 3rd vehicle in the parade was a SF Public Works vehicle or SF Fire vehicle. My first issue with this is that public service employees deserve to have a day with their families, especially on the 4th. They are the ones that turn the screws in our city every day, and if there is one day they deserve to have off, it is the 4th. Obvisously, PD and FD is another story. So I ask the question, were they volunteering their time, or were they getting paid OT on the taxpayers dime to drive in the parade? Who is paying for the fuel? I would guess if there would not have been public vehicles in the parade, it would have been half the size.

Speaking of the size of the parade, when I thought it was over I decided I would ride to Falls Park on my cranky old bike, peeps thot I was part of the bullshit. So I started waiving, and at one point I yelled out, “God Bless America!” as I gave them the devil horns. Who doesn’t love R & R?

Two funny entries in the parade that really made me chuckle. The Rounds/Daugaard/Noem shit mobile, ah, I mean campaign vehicle, with none of them in tow was a Prius. I have never laughed so hard. But what gets better is that the Daughters of the American Revolution were riding in two Volkswagens. Heil to the chief!

But now for the pictures. Larry forgot to take off his black socks;

larrybuck

Oh this is a gem, the Horsebarn Arts center being used as a storage shed for SF Parks and Rec while we discuss the city’s cultural plan. Nice.

horsebarn

Me enjoying an Abita Turbo Dog at the Overlook Cafe, I will have to admit, a nice addition to Falls Park, even if the only adult on staff was overwhelmed by the laziness of her fellow teenage co-workers that were more concerned about picking their zits then helping her. Thank You spiked hair lady, you are a true American.

turbo-dog-falls-park

Speaking of the Cafe, I saw a strange encounter (besides the fact that Rick Knobe was ignoring me) he decided to share some lemonade, or something with Larry Pressler.

Here’s some fine pictures of our mayor shaking hands in the endless line for free pork sandwiches. Hopefully the E-Coli blowing off the Big Poo won’t land on your bun. Great part was Mikey was wearing the same shirt from last year (it was featured in the ads for the parade). I wonder what safe he made Cindy put this in? What an anal perfectionist. Oh, but nothing beats councilors Rolfing and Kiley riding in a brand new orange Camaro. how does that song go? Bitching Camaro . . .

mike porkline

Highlights of the parade was my former co-worker and man about town driving his daughter, Miss South Dakota, Meridith Gould down Phillips. Jeff is an amazing man and it is no wonder he has an amazing daughter, I have no doubt in my mind she is a great contender. Good Luck!

I want to finish with something, very un-American. Our country is made up of riffraff, no doubt, but if there is one thing we at least expect out of public servants, is that they do their jobs. Not today I guess.

As I was sitting on the patio of the Overlook Cafe, I saw a couple of kids playing on the rocks, close to the water by the main falls. Other people noticed to, and some officers quickly walked down there, but they didn’t even get close, in fact they walked away. As the kids kept playing, I got concerned, and with all the people down there, I thought, “Maybe they are safe, someone would have said something by now.” So I went to check it out. Not the case. I approached them and could tell the older kid was mentally challenged. I politely told them, “Please come back here guys, it is not safe to be that close to the falls.” Neither one of them argued with me and came back.

As I was leaving, I saw a large group of Fire Department vehicles and officers standing up by the parking lot, I went over and told them what I had witnessed and that maybe they should check it out. One of the fire officers said, “That’s the parents responsibility.”

Wow!

To serve and protect?

Posted in: America, Sioux Falls