UPDATE II: This is actually councilor Pat Starr’s amendment below. As I understand it to, the State Theatre folks have to prove they have raised $2.5 million before Denny or the City will give the money. Like I said, we need more questions answered;

As if we already forgot about the tactics of the last administration of Secret, Secret, Secret, RAMROD! The TenHaken team of perpetual intellectuals have decided they would pull a Bucktooth & Bowlcut move with the funding of the State Theatre.

If you look at the 1st Reading of the ordinance to fund the State, you will see there is ONLY a short ordinance (Item #16). There is NO contract attachment.

I asked a couple of city folks yesterday where the contract was that the council was supposedly helping to ‘tweak’. The administration’s answer? (or at least I think it is coming from one of them) is that they would work on that between the 1st and 2nd reading.

WTF?!

Aren’t these ‘minor’ details supposed to be worked out before you put something on the official agenda? And how is it that the administration is putting a budgetary expense on the agenda and NOT the council? There are many questions that need to be answered by the State Theatre folks before this money is handed over. It would be nice if everyone just cooled their jets before we get all the facts of the deal and an actual agreed upon contract. Trust me, we haven’t forgotten about the tactics of the last dude, so don’t even go there.

9 Thoughts on “UPDATE II: TenHaken Administration moving FAST & HARD on the State Theatre funding

  1. Scott on July 9, 2019 at 9:54 am said:

    Ramrod this thru, to satisfy those with deep pockets, who in turn will donate to current Mayor’s reelection campaign.

  2. D@ily Spin on July 9, 2019 at 10:04 am said:

    I wonder if the business next door will sell condoms for this new XXX theater. Without a contract it could happen. Providence RI ended up with a seedy strip club in a similar manner. However, there were city offices on the 2nd floor. Without a contract anything could happen.

  3. l3wis on July 9, 2019 at 10:09 am said:

    Sorry, DS, we already have the Romantix Annex Admin building.

  4. Matthew Paulson on July 9, 2019 at 10:31 am said:

    Has it occurred to you that they have probably been negotiating this deal for months before it came about? Just because it wasn’t public until a deal was negotiated, doesn’t mean they’re rushing through it.

    We also have to recognize that the city basically has to accept Denny’s terms if we want Denny’s money. It’s not like we can suddenly ask him to put up all the money and not have the city put in a dime. It just doesn’t work that way. The person with the checkbook sets the rules and if you don’t want to play by those rules, that’s fine, but you’re probably not going to get their check.

  5. anonymous on July 9, 2019 at 10:47 am said:

    With all the recent controversy surrounding selling beer and wine at theaters, I was surprised to hear that the owners of the State Theatre intend to secure a beer and wine license.

    Won’t exactly create a ‘family-friendly atmosphere’!

  6. l3wis on July 9, 2019 at 10:49 am said:

    I don’t care if they have been working on this for 20 years, you don’t bring an item like this to the agenda without the proper paperwork/agreement/contract.

    And secondly, the taxpayers of Sioux Falls are not ‘getting’ anything. The State Theatre is.

  7. anonymous on July 9, 2019 at 11:26 am said:

    Matthew Paulson is probably right.

    The Administration has been discussing this ‘deal’ with t. denny behind the scenes for months.

    However, the City Council, who will make the final decision, has NOT thoroughly vetted this for their constituents.

  8. My understanding is that the $2.5 million capital campaign for the second and third floors is completely separate from the $5 million to $5,500,000 necessary to finish out the main floor. The second and third floors are exclusively the responsibility of the State Theater Co. to raise, separate from the City’s commitment and Denny Sanford’s commitment.

    I also understand that Mr. Sanford’s money is intended to be the “last money in” toward the main floor finish-out. The city must commit (not pledge) its $1.5 million to the State Theater Co. *before* Mr. Sanford will fulfill his $3.5 million pledge. Those are the kind of details that will be spelled out in two documents: 1) the City’s agreement with the State Theater Co.; and 2) Denny Sanford’s gift agreement with the State Theater Co.

    Because the two funding sources are linked sequentially, there may be more than the usual effort being put into wording of the agreements.

    Please note that I am not referring to the city’s commitment as a grant or a gift. News reports and the city council’s informational meeting indicate that the City intends to link the $1.5 million to significant and long-term (10 years) strings. This really makes the city’s commitment a contract rather than a grant or gift, in my opinion.

  9. "'Extremely' Stable Genius" on July 9, 2019 at 8:16 pm said:

Post Navigation