Pettigrew & Cathedral Neighborhood Associations Body Check the City & School District

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I attended the almost 90 minute meeting tonight (I will have a YT video up soon if you don’t have FB) and it was pretty clear what the neighborhood wanted, GREENSPACE! There was a standing vote, and besides the reporters and city/school staff, everyone was standing in approval of leaving it a park.

The most interesting part was that it seems now the staff from the city and the school district said they have NO PLANS for it. Kevin Smith from the city further pointed out that they don’t own the property but help maintain it.

Funny how transparency works, SUNSHINE WINS THE DAY!

Posted in: Downtown Sioux Falls, Pettigrew Heights, SF City Council, SF School Board Member, SF School District, Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

St. Joseph’s Cathedral remodel almost complete

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I have been very excited about this for a long time and have posted about it several times.

I have always been a fan of liturgical art and have a nice kitschy collection of my own. I guess the art restoration company that worked on it used turkey feathers to paint the columns to make them look like marble. I guess because 1) real marble columns are probably really freaking expensive, and 2) Kinda hard to replace them without using really gigantic jacks. I can’t wait to see the final project.

Posted in: Art, God, Sioux Falls

The best place to see art in Sioux Falls? The Cathedral.

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Image; KELO-TV

I have often thought that the Cathedral in Sioux Falls is one of the most beautiful buildings in Sioux Falls, and now with the renovations, it will be even more exciting. I had the pleasure of meeting Byzantine artist, Fedor, from Moscow who painted panels for the chapel at the Cathedral a few years back. I also had the pleasure of eating borsht with him at the Touch of Europe and getting kicked out of Scarlett’s after he decided to get grabby-grabby with a stripper. Oh, the irony of a liturgical artist getting kicked out of a strip club. His artistic hero? Andy Warhol. Go figure. He also sold me this painting below, which is one of my most cherished paintings in my art collection.

Posted in: Art, Sioux Falls

UPDATE II: City of Sioux Falls announces house cleanup pilot for wealthy historic homeowners

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UPDATE II: I guess these loans run thru Federal and State Historic Preservation funds so this is why the neighborhoods were targeted. I do suggest though that the city council comes forward with their own program for other neighborhoods like Pettigrew and Whittier.

UPDATE: I guess the loans ARE available to ANY homeowner within in these districts. But wouldn’t smaller loans in Whittier and Pettigrew make more sense?

Only the city of Sioux Falls would take a great idea to clean up ALL homes in and around historic districts and only target it towards people who can already afford to fix up their homes;

On Wednesday, the City of Sioux Falls announced a new program to improve homes in five residential historic districts and properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

Diane deKoeyer, neighborhood and preservation planner, shared more about the Historic Preservation Loan Program.

Eligible homeowners include those who live in one of the city’s five historic districts: All Saints, Cathedral, Hayes, McKennan Park, and Sherman.

The program is for property exteriors only.

While I am 100% supportive of any program to clean up older historic neighborhoods, the 0% interest loans should go towards ANY home within that district. What good does it do to clean up an historic mansion to its original glory only to have a 700 sq ft home next to it falling over? A neighborhood revitalization program needs to apply to the ENTIRE neighborhood to work. This just sounds like some of Paul’s rich buddies wanting interest free loans to offset the cost of their remodel. This is probably the best example of how trickle down economics doesn’t work, unless you are at the very top.

It kind of makes you wonder who is behind this. Remember the fella who is restoring the grocery store at 9th and Grange? He got a facade easement for the building from Sioux Falls taxpayers, he also got a parking strip paid for by taxpayers. Well guess what, this person also sits on the Board of Preservation and has been remodeling several historic home in McKennan Park. Gee, I wonder who might have pitched this idea?

Posted in: Uncategorized