8 Thoughts on “Letter to the Editor”

  1. Warren Phear on February 16, 2009 at 8:26 am said:

    “For instance, Rapid City will spend $1,738 per citizen in 2009, while Sioux Falls will spend $2,701 per citizen…

    Billings, Mont., a city comparable in climate to Sioux Falls, spends $5,714 maintaining one acre of developed parkland a year…

    Sioux Falls spends $11,546 maintaining one acre of developed parkland a year…”

    I’m a numbers kind of guy l3wis. It’s hard to argue with them. Those three sentences said it all for me.

  2. l3wis on February 16, 2009 at 8:49 am said:

    Thanks for the kind words on the AL website. I agree about numbers. That’s the one thing I like about Costello, who is the only CPA sitting on the council, he tries to make a point about what the city is spending and what they are getting in return. Those numbers are astounding, Huh? Even if you hired a private lawn service to maintain the city’s parks it would be cheaper.

  3. Ghost of Dude on February 16, 2009 at 9:19 am said:

    ‘Cause they’d hire some mexican dudes who know how to get it done quick and move on.
    Keeping the soccer fields perfectly manicured after the season is over seems a bit backwards to me.

  4. l3wis on February 16, 2009 at 9:28 am said:

    Especially since grass is meant to go into dormancy when not watered. My lawn usually goes yellow by August, then turns green again when the fall rains come.

  5. Warren Phear on February 16, 2009 at 9:30 am said:

    I was thinking of one thing when you noted the numbers difference between Billings and Sioux Falls. I suspect a very large percentage of Sioux Falls Parks employees that maintain our parks are part time help. So that means much less than livable wages, and ZERO benefits to boot. Just where exactly is this money going? I know the head of the Parks department makes over $120,000 a year. Read that either here or in the Argus, can’t remember which. The other full timers must make proportionally similar wages as their boss would be my guess.

  6. l3wis on February 16, 2009 at 10:09 am said:

    $7 million in wages are a part of the $33 million dollar budget operating budget. The thing is that $33 million is ONLY operating expense for one year. The CIP is separate and has millions budgeted for new parks.

  7. EggBert on February 16, 2009 at 9:43 pm said:

    Mr. Fur, 13wuss and Ghastly Dud: My Granny Gumption has a message for you all – “Nobody cares what the Hell you think, so leave our city council member and park & rec spenders alone and shut your civic-minded poisonous pie holes!!!”

    Sincerely,

    EggBert Loyalists

  8. l3wis on February 17, 2009 at 7:19 am said:

    Eggbert- I heard the P & R isn’t gonna allow you to go turd hunting anymore.

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