[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkyyf24JB4M[/youtube]
I attended the Historic Preservation Board meeting today (hope to have video up soon) in a very crowded conference room in the basement of city hall. Many citizens showed up to protest tearing out part of one of the historic quartzite paths. I basically testified that they needed to keep the entire path, because you don’t tear down half of a historic building and build new onto the demolished half. I also pointed out the EC had over 2,000 change orders, change orders are common in construction projects, and this one should be no different. In fact besides the designer from Confluence who is designing the changes, no one in the meeting was for tearing out the paths. The board agreed;
“You guys gotta start over,†said Tom Keller, one of seven board members who voted against the plan. “I want to make sure that it’s done right, in the best way possible, and I’m (not) going to go ahead with this until I see something that doesn’t harm that park a bit.â€
Dixie Hieb, chairwoman of the city’s historic preservation board, said pushing the project around the park’s 100th birthday seemed counter productive.
“It seems a little inconsistent to celebrate the history of the park by removing … a bunch of historic features,†she said.
Of course now the Parks Department and city are threatening to pull the project for this year. Oh well. The park has been fine for 100 years, one more year of waiting won’t hurt a bit, I’m just saying.
At long last we are seeing some positive movement on the management of the park system of Sioux Falls. There needs to be changes in direction and outlook. The park system should be overseen by all the community and not the special clubs frequented by whoever is mayor.
There is no way around it, Terrace Park once again defeated the city of Sioux Falls Park Department on June 15, 2016.
Friends of Terrace Park gathered together in a city hall conference to present their rock hard quartzite case to the Sioux Falls Board of Historic Preservation.
The 100 year old, long neglected park is showing its age and needs some refreshing but not destruction. The Park Department has long planned to get rid of the native rock from Terrace Park. We have records and stories going back to the destruction of Hattie Phillips’ house in the early 1950 telling the story of planned destruction of what makes the park.
We’re all busy and only by accident we find the Park Department’s 2020 Master Plan for gutting the park. The community must get involved and rewrite the plan. If you care about history or just enjoying a place of peace, get involved.
American since the 1830’s have loved their parks. Parks are the core of our community. Main streets are business, parks are for renewing our spirits. In the days before multimedia entertainment centers in air conditioned shelters, parks where we would gather to refresh.
Take a stroll through Terrace Park. Meander the wandering paths and have a picnic on the grass. See the possibilities, experience the joy of using a real park of natural feel.
We may have saved Terrace Park for today but it will take a lot of pressure to force Don Kearney and Mike Huether to do the right thing. Their visions of real life based on plastic facades and concrete must not be in our parks. The rock paths and stone walls have been long neglected, call and remind them we want our parks saved not concreted over.
Parks are not designed to be life shortcuts, they paths to a fulfilling life.
What Bruce said. This park is becoming the relaxation and demonstration arena for the common man. Those of us who can’t afford Denny Dome, the public baths, and indoor tennis. It’s refreshing that the social majority has somewhere left to go. I’m impressed with the LBGT event this weekend. What keeps Terrace Park a public commons is you’ll never see the mayor or directors appear here.