I sent this letter to the Argue Endorser, they rejected as I suspected with their usual excuse, TOO LONG;
I have watched the events center debate from the beginning, and city government in the same amount of time. I could tell you things that would make your head spin and your hair stand on your back. But since this is being printed in a newspaper that would rather hide controversy, I won’t go there.
There is many topics about the events center that have not been addressed or addressed too much but I will skip over the daily drum beat.
One topic that has not been addressed is funding. Sure, we throw ideas out there like horseshoes at the family picnic, but no one really cares where uncle Bob’s shoe lands. We can discuss bonds, higher entertainment taxes or even parking fees, but it really comes down to private donations if voters are willing to approve it.
As a citizen said at the Mayor’s ‘Listening and Learning’ session on March 26, 2011,
“in order to have any chance at all on a bond issue, you gotta have a wider community effort, the people that profit from this proposed events center should get some skin in the game.”
I think most regular Joes are like me, willing to sacrifice a bit if the big wheels are willing to give a little to.
Cricket, Cricket, Chirp, Chirp.
That’s the sound you hear from them.
It amazes me that they are the first to be in line in their freshly pressed suits to beg and plea for taxpayer bailouts at council meetings, while cracking jokes about Joe Six-Pack in the Carnegie Hall public bathroom (remember the 2nd penny getting raised to the full 2% to build roads for developers? One of the main supporters was making fun of Joe six-pack in the restroom, that night, and I heard it all).
They love it when the hardworking people of Sioux Falls supplement their incomes, but where are they when a big project like an Events Center needs their support? Hiding under a rock with their hands on their wallets like a bunch of cheap, greedy, cowards.
Do I support a new events center? Sure, on two conditions; the majority votes to support it and the elites open their checkbooks. Otherwise the whole plan can go to Hell.
Well written and hits on the KEY point…who is going to pay for this? We all know our Man Mikes $100 million dollar pricetag isn’t even close to the real cost of this monster
I will edge $200 million when finished. Guaranteed.
Do I support an events center? No, I’ve not heard a single person who votes say they want it. Huether picked a location, set the design, and awarded contracts. He used an expensive consultant to tell him what he wanted to hear. He’ll get rich skimming from non-competive bid contractors. His government is HIM. We the people are not represented. We’ll change that when democracy is restored in 2014 or when the state revokes the city charter. Vote him down and set him on I-90 thumbing his way back to Indiana.
It will edge $200 million when finished. Guaranteed.
EXACTLY. The closest and most recent site we have as an example is Lincoln Nebraska. Comparing size and related needs, our EC regardless of location will be closer, much closer, to 200 mil than 100. This issue needs to be addressed, and until it is, both the mayor and hildy are not being fair with city residents. BOTH sides are putting lipstick on a pig.
I called Mike out on this when he was on Stu Whitney’s show, and he admitted that isn’t a solid number, he said it could be ‘110 to 115 million’ But he missed my point, I basically told him to stop throwing that $100 million number out there if it is not true.
he said it could be ‘110 to 115 million’ But he missed my point,…
And that’s just for the cost of the building. And I still don’t think they’re being honest about even that. IF they plan on building anything by the people they presently have on board in the design phase, I just don’t see how they will do it for much under 10 to 11 thousand dollars a seat. Remember, honest mike promised a facility with better arm and leg room than our current facility. What are we going to get for $8333 a seat? I say a seat that makes a seat on a Mesaba commuter airlines look like a La-Z Boy recliner.
Would we need to spend millions more for parking without a shiny new EC? No. Would we need to spend millions more for arterial street upgrades around our shiny new EC? No. And the list can go on. Like we’ve said, much closer to 200 mil than 100.
Drive (now) on West Avenue between Russell and 10th. It’ll take at least 5 mil just to make it passable for construction then another 10 mil later. Nobody’s mentioned that if the arena, stadium, and new events center (together) have crowds; the sewer system can’t handle capacity. New sewage plant and lift station 25 mil.
I’m surprised Carnegie Hall’s sewer pipe’s haven’t exploded.
Whenever I write a letter to the Argus it gets sent back for being too long or else they edit it. I have been noticing a lot of the letters that are published lately have been longer than the limit I have been toold. Also I have been noticing that several of the letters being published are published within a day or two of the topic first being brought up, which makes me think there is something fishy someplace. I won’t use the name of any country in that comment, because the county I hear mentioned most is where about 95% of my ancestors are from and I still have relatives there.
They use the ‘Too Long’ excuse if they do not like your letter. I called them out on it once, but it was liking pulling teeth to get me letter publish. I just laugh about it now, because I probably have more people read it on my site then if it was published in the papers. Who cares? Right?