I guess we ‘might’ finally be getting answers;
Sioux Falls Police Chief Doug Barthel will be at briefing this morning to talk about the Tuthill Park shooting on Jan. 1
I say it was the butler in the billards room with the candlestick.
I’m at a loss on this one;
Last Thursday, Sioux Falls Public Work Officials eagerly awaited for bids to flood in for the first flagship project of the New Year. But to their surprise, not a single construction company submitted a bid for work on the 12th Street Bridge Replacement.
“It’s not normal,†said Mark Cotter, Director of Public Works. “Sioux Falls contractors have a lot of capacity. Their workforce is here. And we’re also a good agency to do projects with.”
Damn right it isn’t normal, but IÂ suspect this has to do with the Lien on the Events Center. Construction companies talk, and I have a feeling the bad blood flowing from the EC siding gone awry, by blaming a company that didn’t do the work put a sour taste in their mouths. Nobody wants to be the fall guy holding $500K in unpaid work from the city.
I could be completely wrong, but a (unsaid) boycott with the city construction projects may be in the works.
Being the watchdog that I am, I somehow seemed to have missed the big announcement of who was going to serve on the planning/design committee for the indoor aquatics center at Spellerberg Park. The announcement was supposed to take place after Thanksgiving. I kind of figured that maybe they had some hiccups in the process, so I still have been waiting for this ‘hand selected’ list. Then the mayor announces the actual plans will be revealed in 2-weeks (but still no word or MOU on the Quit Claim Deed and the VA).
Huh? Did I miss something?
So has the committee already been meeting without the public’s knowledge? Could the mayor’s timeline of the release of the plans be inaccurate? Do any of the City Councilors know who was on this committee? Have they seen the plans?
Here is the ‘City Team’ announced last September.
My hunch is that the plans for the $20 million dollar facility had to be scaled back from what was originally planned (before election), and the committee members had to be in lock step with it.
FILL OUT YOUR SURVEYS
The city announced that the citizen survey went out in the mail this week. I encourage everyone to fill it out. I had asked while the council was reviewing the questions that ALL city employees including councilors be purged from the mailing list, and they said that they have. If you are a city employee, and you receive the survey, let me know, or throw it away, or both. I have often found the 30% response rate to be highly suspicious since there is NO monetary incentive for filling it out.
The mayor graced the SF DT Rotary with a Q & A session where he covered many topics today. (argusleader video). Towards the end he said something I agree with 100%. He asked audience members to call his office so that they could clarify any ‘rumors’ they may have heard about the city while talking to their grandma (who reads SouthDacola). I couldn’t agree more, I encourage people to call the mayor’s office and ask him about anything you may read on my site. I know I have been asking those questions for a long time, and fail to get answers. Heck, during the Q & A someone asked him about the EC siding, and he answered it by saying he was advised not to talk about it.
He also touched on;
• The Railroad Relocation project, where he admitted that it may not be finished by the time he leaves office. The first time I have ever seen the mayor kick the can down the road.
• Plans for the new Spellerberg Indoor Aquatic Center will be presented to the public in 2 weeks. He gave a hint about some of the ammenities, you will be able to have a hot chocolate there.
• He referred to the City Attorney as ‘His’ attorney, then corrected himself by saying it was ‘Our’ attorney to, but admitted he uses him to. The city attorney’s main job actually is defending the city charter, the State and US constitution, not particular elected officials.
God Bless and Make it great Jesus Snowplow Day – And don’t forget, dispel those rumors!
l3wis