July 2012

Big T’s Thumbs Up

l3wis July 2, 2012 13Comments

South DaCola foot soldier, Theresa Stehly wanted to give credit, where credit is due;

Great work to our Sioux Falls Police Department and the local neighbors in apprehending the young men who robbed the gas station in our neighborhood early Monday morning.  KELO-TV news reported at noon that they were arrested just hours after they showed a gun, escaped by car and tried to break into a resident’s home. Local residents also helped to apprehend the bandits. This is another good reason that we need to know our neighbors and pay attention to keep our residents safe.

Thank you to councilors Dean Karsky and Rex Rolfing for being so open to hearing from the public at the last urban agricultural meeting. The topics of keeping chickens, goats, sheep and exotic animals were discussed. The citizens who attended were given ample time to voice their concerns. This is the way all city government needs to be handled. The next meeting will be in August and will be interesting for any concerned citizen to attend.

One of the most friendly city employees I know is Russ Sorenson from the planning department.  He is always cheerful and very willing to help out.  He assisted me recently in obtaining the water kit provided by the city. These kits are free* for the citizens and include a rain gage, low flow shower head, outdoor watering nozzle and information about conserving water.  With these hot dry days, and the double digit water rate increases, these are very helpful items. (*Plus, we paid for them with our tax dollars.)  Stop by the water department to pick up your own “FREE” water saver kit.  And don’t bother to water your grass.  It is a waste of money and the dormant grass will spring back as soon as we get a good 2” of rain.

Hats off to the SUBSTITUTES in our district. These people are the “Serfs” of the school system. I was told recently by a district employee that the district needs as many as 200 substitutes on a given day. They are A HUGELY under appreciated part of the infrastructure of the school district.

One day that is in particular demand for substitutes is Friday. Apparently this is the day most teachers take off for their personal day so they can have a 3 day weekend.  There has been a shortage of available substitutes for these Fridays, so now the district is trying to mandate that every substitute has to be available at least 8 days each year.  It is interesting that this mandate does NOT apply to retired teachers from the district who wants to substitute. .  I guess the administration does not what to put undue pressure on their colleagues. The substitutes have not had a pay raise for years, and are one of the few groups in the school system that does not have any organized representation. It is encouraging that Becky Dorman (the human resource gal), and Todd Vik (the business manager) have indicated an open mind to giving substitutes positive monetary incentives for working extra days. Rewarding those who can give more time to substitute is a smart move. Make it an environment to attract the best teachers possible.

The Argus Leader had some excellent reporting in Sunday’s paper. If you didn’t have a chance to read it, stop by the library for free, or go to the Argus and buy one. I know that many people are not getting the paper any more, but the Sunday paper tends to have some worthwhile reporting. Plus it is a rewarding experience to hold the paper and linger on the articles of interest.  The Coupons are also appealing to many people who are looking to save money. You can pick up a Sunday Paper at Burger King for $1.89.  Throw in a Waffle cone special for $1.00 and you have a double treat.

I recently attended the Republican State convention held at the Sioux Falls Convention center. Kudos to Jay Polkinghorn the food service manager for Ovation. The meal at the convention was excellent, the service prompt, and the coffee was Hot! Many times these meals are Blasé, but this experience was a pleasure.

I recently recommended installing hand sanitizers at the public library computer areas. Many places that have public traffic like clinics, hospitals, and stores are already using them. The computers at the library are used by many people. Encouraging people to disinfect their hands after using them is a smart move. Hats off to Mayor Mike Huether and Sandy Frentz from the Health Department for moving forward with this plan. It will cost very little of our tax dollars and will be a huge move in keeping people healthy.