Over the past couple of weeks there has been dozens of ‘stories’ about the events center on our local TV stations. 99% of them are PRO events center. Heck, even when KSFY compared us to Fargo, they failed to mention that Fargo has a tenant, NDSU. Councilor Vernon Brown brought this up in his interview last night. And guess what happened to that interview? It got buried on their website with no video link. I emailed KSFY about the video link today, and later a friend called them about it. It is finally up.
This of course is not a surprise to me. It is rumored that Build it Now is spending over $400,000 on a marketing campaign, which includes TV advertising. It would be like Jim’s Tires advertising on TV station XYZ and right after his advertisement they run a story about defective tires that Jim sells.
The local media likes to claim that the News Director and the Ad Director don’t have meetings or talk to each other, but I’m pretty sure that excuse is a gigantic turd sandwich that none of us could wrap our jaws around.
Heres’s how it works. People give you money, you say Likey! Likey!
Is it shameless? Sure. Is it underhanded? Sure. Is it profitable? Sure. And that is why they do it.
Everyone is for sale, don’t forget it.
Heck, if they would give me half of that $400,000, I would shut up forever . . . or for at least until November 9th.
MISC MEDIA
Here is an audio link to the SD Public Radio interview with Barclay & Huether.
Read The Stampede’s strange endorsement of the project.
Yeah. I agree. Our local media is bought and paid for. But your cheerleader image? WRONG on so many levels. Here. Make it right.
http://fsb.zedge.net/content/6/8/8/9/1-6872957-6889-t.jpg
Gary Weckwerth, owner of the hockey team that will be a tenant of the new EC, states that he has no VESTED INTEREST in this passing a public vote………..!!??
In the six years that I have followed this project, this is theeeeeeeeee most ABSURD thing that I have heard!!!
This is the same guy that I saw come to the 2009 Task Force and PLEAD for a new facility. He also made a statement that if the City couldn’t “get it done” he would finance a new hockey venue on his own………..that was in 2009!!! I guess he decided to sit on the sidelines to wait and see if the public would “foot the bill” for him.
This project is about TWO things………TENANTS and FUNDING……
BTW, these are the same two questions that the 2009 Task Force was never able to successfully answer!
Well-informed voters will base their decision based on the NUMBERS…………NOT all this “guilt crap” that is being passed out by BIN, Huether and his Team, and Gary Weckwerth…………!!!!
**Footnote: If this does pass, ALL tenants “RENT” agreements should be open to the public for review!
I believe it was KSFY last night, could have been one of the other two cheerleaders, mentioned having a brandy spanky new 12,000 seat EC will do much to keep the Summit league tourney here. Give me a break. The 14 game Summit league tourney AVERAGES under 2500 per game. There are games in that tourney that can’t even crack 1,000 in attendance.
The Summit League’s presence is about the corporate sponsorship money…………somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000………….
This is also a tournament that rotates from city to city……….does anyone really believe that the other cities like Tulsa are not going to pressure the League to continue this practice!!??
I found Weck’s endorsement on the Stampede website strange on many levels. He mentions its a plan that doesn’t involve raising taxes – we’ve been through this, the city can’t raise taxes. He hasn’t seen any proof any projects will suffer – well obviously any money coming out of the CIP to pay down the debt of the EC is money that can’t go to other projects. It’s a given something has to give or be delayed. Again I wish people would just say it, you are choosing to make the EC the priority. While we’re constantly reminded that the sales tax receipts for the CIP goes up every year, I would guess the COSTS on the outflows go up every year with inflation. For example, let’s say sales tax collections for the CIP go up 3% year over year, but inflation increases 3% and perhaps more in construction costs. In real terms then we have no more money than we did before to fund capital projects. And even if our receipts outpace inflation, the CIP is a fixed pie. Anything you take from it reduces money for other things. Its just a given. When we spend 5 million to build a new west side library, something else has to give for a few years to make room for it. Its just the way it is. It’s not bad or evil, its just a fact. Be honest about it. In terms of this being just like buying a house. Ok, well I think we learned that putting nothing down isn’t a great idea nor is financing up to your eyeballs and crossing your fingers on ‘faith’ that things will work out. And can we stop with the ‘when is the right time’ canard? And that we’ve been talking about it 13 or 15 years? So what. Supposedly based on either of those you are supposed to vote for any plan, no matter how ill advised you think it is. And this ‘its not a perfect plan but there never will be’. I haven’t heard anyone say it has to be a ‘perfect plan’. And of course at the end the implication that if you vote for it you are doing what is ‘good for the community’ and if you don’t you don’t give a hoot about the city. Just as an aside, I think last I looked into it the vast majority of attendees to Stampede games are from in Sioux Falls which means the economic impact of they and probably the other sports teams is negligible, its just transfer of entertainment dollars. I’m not attacking them for that, I’m just pointing out fact. I love the Stampede and hockey. I’ve also noticed attendance is down and seats open for season tickets that usually aren’t open. The economy has had its effect. I would love on a purely entertainment level to see the Stampede in a better building. But I’m not stupid. I can’t see how they could pay more rent in a newer building given the assumption that they aren’t rolling in the dough. If they had to pay more, ticket prices would go up and with it attendance I would think surely would drop. The vast majority of attendees I’m guessing can’t or won’t absorb appreciable ticket price increases. I already only see maybe 2 – 3 thousand seats full for games if even this season. My only point being I would guess for teams like the Stampede they’re going to get a sweetheart deal in the new facility, so we won’t make any money off their rent, probably lose money, plus we’ll lose rent on the arena when they move over. I agree, strange is the word for this ‘endorsement’.
As to tenancies: remember – the existing Arena is NOT going away with this plan.
5 will get you 100 that if there is an opportunity to book a “flat floor space” EVENT in a new EC during basketball season, or hockey season or indoor football season – (I.E., 12 months of the year) those “tenants” who’s games would prevent that “flat floor space” from being used are gonna end up playing right where they are today – in the existing Arena. In fact, IIRC, both the Storm and the SkyForce have said that if a new space is built – they would PREFER to remain in the existing Arena rather than move to a new bigger, potentailly MORE EMPTY venue, that would cost them more to use.
NO Tenants
NO Signed commitments
NO onsite hotel
NO safety net (if we need to borrow more money)
NO guarantees of conventions
And this is a good idea why?
Look what I found!!
Greg Belfrage says:
This is one of those rare days when I find myself in agreement with the editorial board over at the Newspaper Whose Name We Do Not Speak. Its no secret that I favor the new Events Center. However, I believe there are legitimate questions as to whether the city spent money and resources to advocate on the issue. The ethics process that unfolded last week inspires absolutely no confidence. The fai…lure of the city ethics board to even hear the issue is deeply troubling. The state Attorney General, the local State’s Attorney and the city ethics board have all done nothing. Exactly what recourse do residents have when they feel their elected officials aren’t acting appropriately? Apparently…NONE.
Sorry, I forgot to include the link for the article Greg was referencing: http://www.argusleader.com/article/20111103/VOICES01/311030023/Editorial-City-ethics-board-fails-do-its-job?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Voices|p
I saw that. The travesty is that no one in the public sector is stepping up and saying ‘This is wrong.’
Im moving down to a small condo. Id leave for good but need SD for no corp, personal, or service tax. I now realize this city will be drained & bankrupted by a few fat cats. My other place will be in Vegas for winter and work layovers. Ill buy mostly tax free on line. Whatever I can do to not support unconstitutional city government. Ill always vote against everything city.
Gotta keep Sioux Falls residency for upcoming punitive damages jury trial (c. 1003).
How you gonna sell your house with that darned piece of illegal concrete?