2023

Just the tip . . . of the iceberg

l3wis November 16, 2023 6Comments

Kelo TV did a a story tonight (reported on a court hearing) about a massage parlor that was in violation;

A Sioux Falls masseuse faces possible discipline for allegedly allowing an unlicensed individual to perform massage therapy at her place of business.

While this goes on a lot in Sioux Falls, it is hard to catch them in the act.

I encourage Kelo or Dakota News to send an undercover male reporter to all the massage parlors in town. Ask to see the license of the masseuse before getting a massage, and see how many produce them.

There are also other things to look for, like if they are here legally (work visa, citizenship or green card).

*And one more thing, if they are offering sexual favors (there are certain coded phrases you can use to get this information).

Are you comfortable with any one of these activities going on? I’m not.

I am not sure how much this goes on in Sioux Falls, but I have heard rumors for years that there is multiple massage parlors in Sioux Falls and in surrounding towns that offer ‘Happy Endings’. I think the only way to find out is to ask when setting up the appointment.

There is a lot more I could say about it, but all I have is rumors and speculation, this is why we depend on the professional 4th estate to look into this stuff so bloggers aren’t out asking for fake Handys to get material for a blog post.

So while your story was informative, it was just the tip.

*I AM NOT REFERRING TO THE BUSINESS REFERENCED IN KELO’S STORY. THEY WERE ONLY CHARGED WITH HAVING AN UNLICENSED THERAPIST.

Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken doesn’t even know what he is sponsoring

l3wis November 14, 2023 16Comments

I have taken a few pot shots at the mayor’s office for sponsoring policy on the council agenda (because the council should sponsor it).

Normally if a councilor sponsors something they present the item and staff assists them after that.

There has been on occasion that Paul will present the item (give details and answer questions). A few months ago he did that when they presented the contract for the Link. He knew very little (or he just wasn’t willing to tell councilors).

It happened again tonight at the City Council meeting (website is down due to transition). So I can’t remember the item number but it had to deal with a grant to the landfill. After the item was read into the record, Paul looks around and says something to the effect the landfill staffer wasn’t there, so they had to defer.

So you sponsor policy and have no clue what it is?

There was absolutely no reason the mayor could not have answered the questions since ultimately he has to sign off on the grants.

Fast forward to the end of the meeting after public input with old and new business. The mayor proceeds to tell the council that item needs to pass tonight because it is time sensitive so he asked for a reconsideration and got the landfill staffer on the phone.

The staffer literally answered two basic questions in a matter of minutes.

Here’s the deal. If the mayor’s office wants to be all King Sh!t sponsoring policy, he should probably read it first, especially since he has to sign off on it.

I mean, it is one thing to take these duties away from the council, but then to sponsor them without having a clue makes it even worse.

Lazy Authoritarianism.

The sad part is we almost lost a grant over it.

Instead of doing jumping jacks with kids, maybe Paul needs to spend a little time in his office reading up on his job.

Cruise Control Government at it’s finest.

Travel Advisor Influencer digs on SuFu

l3wis November 14, 2023 9Comments

I liked his comment on ‘Taupeville’ houses.

Looks like we are gonna get a Rec Center in Sioux Falls

l3wis November 14, 2023 9Comments

I actually support a rec center and think that the Midco Aquatic Center was a colossal mistake. Wrong location, too small of a facility.

The city is pushing towards another indoor pool, but many want it in coordination with a Rec Center.

The top three requests: an indoor recreation center, pickleball courts and potentially a fitness park similar to what the city recently installed at Rotary Park.

This wasn’t the first time an idea like this was floated. During the debate about the location of the Denty, many suggested we build the EC downtown with an attached convention center and convert the Arena and current CC into a rec center. Before that was Drake Springs.

They didn’t get far.

But the real question here is the cost;

“Obviously, we didn’t have any dollar signs associated with anything — this was us trying to gather feedback from the public on what they’d like to see. So we need to weigh all the answers we received with — from our professional opinion — what is best for the park and best for the community and also weigh that with budget and working with the city on if it’s something to phase over time or what’s the initial investment.”

The city is very well aware of what it may cost, and like a $10 million dollar, $20 million dollar bridge, the funding is hidden.

A city official told me recently that the budget for the quality of life projects for 2024 was originally $30 million. They said that number has doubled and could get even higher depending on the proposal picked.

It’s the oldest trick in the book. Sell the consumer on the Cadillac when they only have a budget for Scion.

The city has estimates for what this ‘BOND’ will be ($30 million budgeted and $30 million in bonds = $60 million) but like the bridge debacle they are hiding it from the public.

If you look at interest and other costs you could easily be at $80 million dollars!

Just look at this item in the consent agenda on Tuesday (Item #7);

Why would you hire bond council before you know how much you are bonding? Unlike dead animals, expensive bridges and the lipstick on a bunker ramp, just for once can you be upfront with the public?

Just once!

Maybe they should use the Lincoln Park space for a Rec Center? You would have plenty of room for a facility and some parking and green space to boot. The parking lot could be reduced since there is oodles of on street parking around the park.

Listen to the Lincoln Park group speak at the School Board meeting tonight (FF: 22:00)

Maybe I am wrong about trickle down housing?

l3wis November 12, 2023 3Comments

I recently told the city council that we have a housing crisis on all income levels in Sioux Falls. It doesn’t matter if you have the resources to get good permanent housing in town, the availability is lacking even on the high end.

WAPO wrote a great illustrated story about Missing Middle Housing, the argument is simple;

Still, many economists contend that building a bunch of new homes for middle- and upper-income families – in Arlington or elsewhere – can reduce competition for older homes and keep them more affordable.

I am having a better understanding of ‘trickle down housing’. It seems the sweet spot is building good, affordable workforce and middle income housing freeing up less expensive housing and creating more units and density.

Of course, the City of Sioux Falls Planning office thinks that building homes and condos for the super rich will trickle down to all income levels, but it seems the approach that works the best is building middle income housing first.

The city recently passed new mixed use zoning rules, and it is a good step, but it is going to be a bear to fight all the residential neighborhoods around these projects.