CITIZEN GROUP PUBLIC POOL PARTNERS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS PETITION DRIVE PENDING ADDITIONAL SANFORD HEALTH INDOOR POOL PLAN DISCLOSURE
Monday May 12, 2014: Public Pool Partners, a group of Sioux Falls residents dedicated to an outstanding indoor aquatic facility for Sioux Falls, announces the group will suspend signature gathering on their initiated measure petition for an indoor pool location, until more details of a Sanford Sports Complex indoor pool facility are made pubic.
Sanford Health announced Friday, May 9th they will study whether the city’s new indoor pool could be located at the Sanford Sports Complex. Sanford has not released the details of their proposal, but news reports indicate Sanford’s offer would include land and a cash contribution towards the new city-owned facility. The Sanford Sports Complex is Sioux Falls’ premier sports location with The Pentagon basketball facility, Field House indoor field, and numerous outdoor football, baseball and soccer fields.
The Sanford Sports Complex will also be the new home of the Community Indoor Tennis Center, and the Scheels IcePlex. These two new community facilities demonstrate the merits of a true public-private partnership.
“Sioux Falls residents deserve a great indoor aquatic center, and we are excited that Sanford Health is coming forward with a proposal to locate the new indoor pool at the Sanford Sports Complex,†said John Matthius, spokesman for Public Pool Partners. “We urge the Sioux Falls City Council to consider all the options for a new indoor pool. It would be premature for the council to vote on the proposal for an indoor pool at Spellerberg Park without having all the facts. The indoor pool facility is an important investment for Sioux Falls, and it is more important to get it done right than getting it done right now,†Matthius said.
Public Pool Partners asks all Sioux Falls residents to contact their city council members to request the councilors wait to learn the details of the Sanford proposal, before moving forward with any other indoor aquatic center plans.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sioux-Falls-Facts/236717023180623?ref=br_tf
Too late Sanford! Why now? Sanford should have started their study 6 to 9 months ago. If Sanford can’t explain why they are bringing this up now then the city should ignore it. Sanford needs to make sure they include in the study that the city of Sioux Falls is building an indoor aquatics center at Spellerberg with construction to begin in 2015.
A feasibility study isn’t a proposal to locate a pool there, if the numbers made sense they would’ve included that in the original plan. They want hotels & retail to locate there, and moreover hotels with pools like the one they already have.
And Mr. Matthius lectures the council on being premature., what a joke he and his whole movement are.
And just because other sports are out there doesn’t mean the SSC is a better location. What happens when 3-4 of them all have a tournament scheduled over the same weekend? I can tell you that the lots will be full and people will be complaining about access and parking. If you can’t get a room or eat at the restaurants you will be driving all over to do so and the experience will suck. They are projecting 900K annual visitors there now, which is 2500 a day. There is such a thing as having too many eggs in one basket, plus if the City pool goes out there then your only options at Spellerberg are to build another indoor pool or fix the old one for several million $$. That makes no fiscal sense whatsoever.
It’s certainly nice of Sanford to step up once again, but it’s a shame they have to. Look at the vote, the whiners are a small, but vocal minority.
And they quit before they even begin. Probably smart.
Harry on 05.12.14 at 10:59 am
Sanford needs to make sure they include in the study that the city of Sioux Falls is building an indoor aquatics center at Spellerberg with construction to begin in 2015.
Harry, when was this decision made?
Sy on 05.12.14 at 11:30 am
…plus if the City pool goes out there then your only options at Spellerberg are to build another indoor pool or fix the old one for several million $$. That makes no fiscal sense whatsoever.
Sy, voters have turned down the option of replacing the outdoor pool and no decision has been made to build an indoor pool at Spellerberg. The third choice is the No Build Option which would add more green space to what is a small neighborhood park.
hornguy on 05.12.14 at 12:49 pm
And they quit before they even begin. Probably smart.
hornguy, you obviously do not know any members of this group or you would know “quit” is NOT part of their vocabulary. They have six months to collect the signatures, they will have no problem, it’s not their first rodeo!
22,193 persons out of 97,126 registered voters . . . . . 22,193 persons out of 160,000+ SF residents plus a couple of generations worth of future taxpayers – voted “No” to the question of a new outdoor pool at Spellerberg – ONLY. 22,193 persons did not approve a new indoor pool at Spellerberg. 22,193 persons out of 160,000 should not be relied upon to make a short-sighted decision every Sioux Falls taxpayer – with or without children – will be stuck with for 30-50 years.
They’ve found an outside excuse for their impending failure.
The City needs to hear from the majority and not just the Stahley/Staggers/Schwan/SouthDaCola tea party “against it” caucus.
Sioux Falls residents have heard from BOTH sides.
BTW, Community 365, the group actively promoting the idea that every voter who voted NO to an outdoor pool supports an indoor pool at Spellerberg was aided by over 50 thousand dollars they raised for their campaign.
Dollar Amount they have raised for construction of the 19.4 million dollar indoor pool: $0
At CR/TV,
Right, so it’s against the mandate to build a pool like Drake at Spellerberg so that option is gone. The City was promoting the indoor concept, and the vast majority of voters wanted what they saw. The do nothing option wouldn’t have even hit double digits as that means letting that pool decline further or simply fill it in and plant grass. Most voters know the demand is there at that park and in Sioux Falls proper for an indoor pool that will be well used and easy to get to.
@ Sullivan, the original vote on the Rec center, which was torpedoed and set in motion the SSC and current Event Center locations, had one of the smallest turn outs on record. In that case you had about 17K show up to vote and about 10K of them were the Staggers/Stehly “Hell No” crowd who had bought that “playground for the rich” bs line they were spewing back then. So I feel your pain bro, but with the much higher turnout in the last election and the numbers matching the EC vote, I’ll submit that Sioux Falls and particularly the “sports Mom” demographic was out in force and will be again should this make it to the polls again.
Sy. This whole aquatics plan is being spoon fed to us by the media one dollar draining step at a time. First step. Vote down the outdoor option with no mention of an indoor curveball on the ballot. Step two. Replace Kuhn park with a FAC for ten million. Step3. Replace frank Olsen pool with a spray park for 1 million. Just a little at a time to ease the pain.
Poly – contrast your “no mention” spin on the Indoor option with all the whining about the City was “promoting” an indoor pool with informational meetings. In fact – there was even an ethics complaint to the city brought by the “Yes” crowd, followed up by ANOTHER ballot measure (Bruce). Just doesn’t jibe with your “no mention” line of BS here.