Entries Tagged 'Sioux Falls' ↓
July 23rd, 2014 — Event Center, Hockey, Sioux Falls
From Detroit’s E-Box;
I was at the second night of pick your seat night, we are priority 283 I think. We got a lot better seats that I thought we might get. Here are my thoughts on all of it:
I can’t comment on this person’s experience, however, I’ll throw in my experience and thoughts. I’ve been a Stampede season ticket holder since 2005 (with the exception of a few years off when our daughter was born in 2008).
For the last several years we had ‘Club’ seats at the arena. We were directly behind the players bench, in the ‘club’ section, with in seat wait service, reserved parking (our own lot but not a reserved space), and other perks. Very nice. Cost was $23 dollars a game last season (for season ticket holders) ($26 was the walk up price). The equivalent seat in terms of perks would have been the true club seats at the Event Center. Since these are a ‘real’ club seat (they are just a PSL actually), you were obligated to pay the yearly fee ($600-$750) for the PSL. That’s all you get with the yearly fee – right of first refusal to all events. Once you own that PSL, you have first crack at the seat for Stampede season tickets. We declined to buy the club seat PSL to keep the same type of perks we have now, because that would have doubled our current pricing ($600+ season ticket + $600+ PSL/Club seat license). The new event enter is going to be nice, but we’re not paying double. You also don’t get reserved parking with the clubs in the E.C. for Stampede. Only the front row seats (black level) at $40 a game get that. So we passed on the clubs. You could still purchase a club seat season ticket at the pick your seat nights this week. However, most people, us included, declined because each year you run the risk of the PSL holder exercising their right to buy the season tickets and you’d get booted out of your seats. And they are more expensive for really no discernable extra benefit except for the in seat wait service I believe and a nice location (center ice on one side).
In the last several months I had several discussions with the Stampede, SMG, and the city (community development). I did get different answers for various questions. It was pretty confusing and I don’t think the communication was ideal. I don’t know who was to blame because one side did blame the other in more than one case.
The pick your seat night went reasonably well, although it took longer than what it was supposed to, but I’m not surprised really. I think they largely did their best. I think in some fairness to the Stampede, they were as in the dark, I think, as we were up until almost the last minute here, and I’m not really sure who to blame on that one. I think the process they went through at least in my experience was reasonably orderly. They brought us in smaller groups in order of priority number, we wrote the seats we wanted, and then went back and selected. It was pretty reasonable.
I think maybe the biggest uncovered story in my view would be the pricing. I believe I read somewhere the Stampede were paying $3,000 a game at the Arena. They are paying I believe $3,750 at the event center, I believe.
I was kind of surprised by the ticket prices for the new event center. I presumed some increase, but I was a little surprised by how much they increased from two perspectives.
The first was compared to the old Arena. Of course this is a vastly better facility. The experience will be better for sure, that’s obvious. However, that only goes so far and while I love Stampede hockey, we’re still talking about young players, albeit elite players, between high school and college age playing. This isn’t the pros.
If you look at the old vs new pricing, trying to make it apples to apples, which isn’t totally straightforward, you’ll see what I’d say pretty appreciable to steep increases, in my view. The prices I have on my ticket chart reflect our $4 a seat discount for being season ticket holders, so the prices we paid are significantly less than the walk up price.
The other perspective I thought about was compared to other USHL venues. I looked at almost all of the other USHL venues and their pricing. The Stampede from what I can tell are significantly higher than all I found and by wide margins in many cases. True, we’ve probably bar none have the best venue in the USHL now, but a few venues have been replaced in the last few years so not everyone has an old barn. And even if we have the best venue, that again only goes so far. As an example, at the Tyson Event Center which I’ve been to several times, I can buy and have bought tickets in the first row on the glass for $15 per ticket. In addition, its half price for kids. So for my wife and myself it was $30 + $7.50 for my daugther, so $37.50 for all three of us to sit on the glass. Stampede walk up price for the event center for first row on the glass is $44. Even at the old arena the very limited ‘on the glass’ ‘executive’ seats they had were $27, and those were better than a typical on the glass because you were elevated in a high chair and there was a major supply/demand issue, there were VERY FEW Of these because that building was not made for hockey.
The club seats are $30 walk up price apparently, which is all of sections 103-104 (blue line to blue line) across from the player benches.
The rest of the seats around the bowl in the next 6 rows or so are $26 dollars walk up price. The closest comparison would be the first 8 rows in the arena (granted that started in the balcony since the arena was not a hockey venue) that were $17 per walk up price. In the event center the next tier is the blue zones which is rows 7 or 8 up to the back of the lower deck which are priced at $20 walk up price. Compare that to the current rows 9-18 for $15 in the arena. The cheapest seats on far ends or corners are $18 and $12 respectively walk up price.
What I noticed at the season ticket pick your seat night (I was at the second night) was very few selected in the black ($40 front row) and not much picked in the gold. The blue and red were filling pretty substantially. This isn’t too surprising given the pricing. We are able to afford it, so we did pick seats in the gold section, which is comparable to what we are paying now at least price wise. I wouldn’t buy the black $40 seats on principle, way too expensive I thought.
We, and many others I talked to, that had ‘club’ seats at the arena were actually kind of conflicted. We were in the catbird seat to some extent. We had major leg room, no one in front or behind us (we were on a long elevated platform that was behind the player bench and elevated so we could see), we had reserved parking, in seat wait service, and not much competition in the bathrooms because we were among a small number who were in the lower level. In the new event center, we don’t have the in seat wait service, no reserved parking, etc. Very few (or none!) people will feel sorry for us on losing that, but we were used to it for the price we were paying.
I am thinking they might be being a little aggressive with the price increases, but only time will tell. It will be interesting to see what if any effect it has on walk up purchases. It may be harder to tell in the first year or two just because of the novelty. I do think about a family of four looking to go to a game, it could get pretty spendy compared to before. Of course it will be a better venue, I get that. But that only goes so far. Time will tell. I’m in a position where I can absorb the cost, but not everyone is.
I have said from the beginning, this will be a playground for those who can afford it. Think Pavilion, on a larger scale.
July 23rd, 2014 — 1st Amendment, Censorship, Mayor Hubris, Mayor Subprime Mike Huether, Mike Huether, Sioux Falls
Since Huether has been mayor, there have been many instances of the city not being transparent with the public and the council and I see this lack of transparency getting worse.
Here are just a few ‘examples’ of the city’s (mostly the mayor’s office and council leadership) very non transparent moments;
- Holding a press conference to announce the building of two new Walmarts without Planning or Council approval.
- The mayor’s wife and him investing in TIF’s and other developments that are recommended by the Planning Department, a department he manages.
- Allowing Community Development to give an affordable housing grant to a developer who was chair of the Planning Commission, a clear conflict of interest
- Allowing Council Chair Erpenbach to CENSOR snowgate election testimony, which put off snowgate implementation for a full year.
- Mayor Huether was not required to list all of his investments on his campaign finance report, but other NON-incumbent candidates were asked to do so
- Two hearings on municipal election ballot language because petitioners were NOT allowed to proof the language before ballots were printed
- Asked the city to provide $500K towards a new indoor tennis facility without mentioning eventually his name would be on the side of the building.
- Sanford bought events center domain name before they were announced the title sponsor
- Spellerberg Park picked as location of new indoor pool before a supposed resolution on the quit claim deed
The EC siding secrecy is just another notch in the bed post for a mayor and administration that sleeps with a lot of secrets. And just think, these are the ones we KNOW about . . .
July 23rd, 2014 — Event Center, Hockey, Sioux Falls
From a South Dacola foot soldier;
My relatives are not happy with the EC and the hockey team. They don’t know which to be mad at, though, because the Stampede blamed the city, and vice versa.
So they’ve had prime season tickets from the very first season. With the new building, though, they weren’t guaranteed the equivalent seats because of the “club” that pays $500 for first crack at all tickets.
Yesterday was the day for season ticket holders to pick their seats. They had a reservation system that placed the previous season ticket holders in an order based on priority. My relatives had an early evening time set, and made arrangements for their seats.
Friends of my relatives had a later time, and when they showed up my relative’s seats were still unmarked and still for sale. They purchased two of my relative’s seats, thinking they had decided not to renew. Thankfully, they called my relatives afterwards and asked them. My relatives angrily immediately called the Stampede, who attempted to put them off until the next day (today). They also claimed this whole situation was the “city’s fault”. She wouldn’t take that as a workable solution, but she finally got it sorted out.
It was apparently a mess out there, though. Those people that had early evening times were lucky to get in by 9:30. Generally, what would happen is that when people found out their seats were taken they would wander around until they selected something else. Some of these folks took forever, instead of the fifteen minutes they were told that they’d have to do this.
My relatives made the best comment. They’re also Minnesota Vikings season ticket holders, and they already have their new seats in a building that won’t open for another two years. Why didn’t the EC and Stampede do the same thing?
July 23rd, 2014 — Mayor Hubris, Mayor Subprime Mike Huether, Mike Huether, Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Parks and Rec
I guess I would have hired a more professional sign maker.
July 22nd, 2014 — Event Center, Sioux Falls
I will let you watch the informational meeting about all the details of the ‘resolution’ process. But a few things are disconcerting, and quite frankly abhorrent;
1) The city rejected the work May 1 and has waited almost 3 months before sharing it with the public and most importantly, the city council.
2) City attorney is STILL refusing to share the consultants ‘impressions’ report with the council and public and media.
3) We will take ownership of the building August 1, and the siding resolution will not be resolved at that time
4) When councilor Staggers asked if the city and public will be on the hook for the fix of the siding, the city attorney could not give an answer
Folks, this is what happens when there is a clear lack of transparency in government. Why couldn’t the council or public be told there was a ‘resolution’ process? When government is not transparent with the public there is a clear appearance of corruption. Not saying anything corrupt is going on, but the appearance is clearly there. Crystal.
Wonder what other ‘secrets’ are being withheld from the public?
I truly believe if councilor Rolfing would not have asked the question back on May 27, the public would still be in the dark on this issue.
A sad, sad, day in transparency in city government in Sioux Falls. In fact, I feel like I have just been punched in the eye.
July 22nd, 2014 — Public Works, Sioux Falls
Looks like someone wasn’t securing their load, wait, what does the license plate say? Nevermind.
July 22nd, 2014 — Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Parks and Rec
Apparently there was another incident this morning at the troublesome park. A lady with no legs had her wheelchair stolen, and she was left there to fend for herself. If it were not for a county employee that saw her, she might have laid in the heat all day.
Some say just outlawing alcohol at the park would solve the problem. My suggestions?
1) Remove the portapotties
2) Remove the picnic tables
3) Cut down all the trees, or at least trim them to a point where they do not provide shade
Make the park undesirable to people who want to ‘hang’ and the alcohol banishment won’t make much of a difference.
July 21st, 2014 — Sioux Falls
The survey begins for the Sioux Falls banner. I am #68, give me a 5! Though #27 is pretty comical.
July 20th, 2014 — Art, Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Parks and Rec
Image Submitted to the Argus Leader
Looks a lot like this famous landmark
While I support public art, I wonder how much money the public will be ponying up for this project;
The Arc of Dreams will start fundraising with an initial goal of $650,000 that will allow Lamphere to start sculpting. An additional $300,000 will be needed for landscaping and foundation work.
300K for the foundation and landscaping. Get your wallets out tax payer of Sioux Falls, this is gonna cost you.
July 19th, 2014 — Event Center, SF City Council, Sioux Falls
At the SF city council informational meeting on Tuesday, the topic of ‘siding’ will most likely come up during the EC update portion of the meeting. In fact I am about 100% sure it will, because that is when the administration promised to release a consultant’s report about it.
The bigger question is what did the consultant recommend? I got word today from a foot soldier that a decision has been made and will be announced on Tuesday. What was that decision? Well not quite sure, but the probability of replacement before the facility is open is high. Very high.
IF this is true, it opens up a whole other can of worms, that involve courtrooms and attorneys. Don’t get me wrong, the siding HAS to be replaced, I think that is pretty obvious. And it needs to be done before the place opens, not a couple of months down the road.
So what does this mean? Well there is liability involved when something isn’t done properly, and a lot of times some finger pointing, which usually ends up in court.
Who is going to pay for the replacement? That will probably be up to a judge, but let’s just hope that judge is in the public’s corner.
