One of my friends said to me jokingly a few years back,
“Who do you think the biggest lawbreaker is in Sioux Falls?”
He says,
“The City of Sioux Falls.”
I have watched over the last 5 years or so as several public inputers have expressed their utter dismay in the way the city doesn’t follow it’s own rules, or Federal guidelines for that matter. That is why the city handed out almost 5,000 sidewalk violations in a single season because they were getting their asses sued for ADA violations.
So fast forward to today. First, we pay DOUBLE for a bridge that didn’t need to be replaced immediately, then we decide we are going to rebuild all the rec paths around it. I thought ‘FINALLY’ they will fix this stupid incline that in NO WAY is ADA compliant.
So what does the city do, build the exact same ramp that is NOT ADA compliant. It is hard to see from the pics below, but this mofo is steep. They should have extended it to the NORTH to drag out the incline.
Isn’t progress great! $50 million in tax rebates for parking ramps to million dollar condos and $10 million over budget for a bridge that has non-compliant ped ramps.
The city of Sioux Falls doesn’t break the law. They ignore it and make things up according to the mayor’s mood.
The glorified sidewalk is but another criminal method to award a million dollar contract to an insider. A redesign would have been another million. The city is famous for fixing worse than existing.
Make America Irate Again
Aesthetics always trumps safety in the city’s CIP.
Have you walked a Phillips Avenue sidewalk downtown lately? From 6th street to 14th street, it’s a mess and has been decaying for years. If that were in a residential neighborhood, you’d be written up in a heartbeat. And rightfully so.
Proof is needed it’s not ADA compliant. I didn’t see it in the write up.
The grade of the slope can’t be more then 8.33 grade slope.
https://www.access-board.gov/ada/guides/chapter-4-ramps-and-curb-ramps/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukbike/comments/mq8qqr/what_do_you_think_is_a_steep_hill_3_7_10_15_i/
This reminds me, the city actually does need another new position. An official city events director. I think there is one that acts as one in the parks dept but doesn’t do anything other than let police know when an event occurs and signs off on the permits. Other than that they don’t do anything else. But our city could benefit from some good ol events coordinating and bringing better events to downtown and around the city whatsayyou?
MMM, you’re right. I tried to walk on Phillips a few weeks back and instead of looking at people, art or window displays I had to watch out for the terrible sidewalks. Have you noticed how bad the curbing is? There is no way to walk leisurely without fear of permanent injury. This town sucks at so many things and then blames us for asking questions. The city only wants to put lipstick on the a pig to make it pretty for Smithfields.
The NYT claims that Taylor is bigger than the Beatles. John Lennon once claimed that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. If you ask me, it’s starting to sound like a lot of heresy around here. But where does Trump fit into all of this? But Jesus, do we really need to go there? Because, Trump is more like a Beatle (insect?), or a cicada, that shows up once every four years with no musical talents to be had, and he’s definitely not going to save us.