July 2025

UPDATE II: Why is our local TV Media Complicit to City Hall Propaganda?

l3wis July 25, 2025 5Comments

UPDATE II: I thought after DNN did a half-ass story about this after not fully reading a Facebook post in which several bicyclist commuters said the detours this year were horribly planned and the Parks Department admitting they don’t really know what their 3rd party contractors are up to Stormland TV decided to join the uninformed band wagon and repeat the manure spreader we call the Mayor’s communications department;

“Sioux Falls, we’re asking for this to stop. These construction workers work hard all day in the hot sun to make sure our trail is a smooth ride* for YOU,” the post said.

I have a different approach moving forward, instead of reporting RUDE construction workers, I encourage people to approach them and politely ask them what they are working on, and when they light into you start filming them and plaster all over social media. I think it is disgusting how our only two TV stations picked this up without even bothering to read the FB comments or go out on the trail and see the poor planning done by these 3rd party contractors. As someone who uses the trail almost daily, I am NOT going to let City Hall dictate the narrative on this. The contractors are frustrated because there was NO foresight or planning and now they are taking it out on the very people who gave them a job. It is ridiculous. I thought the media was supposed to stick up for us? A ‘city’ is not a ‘person’ why are you protecting a failed institution? Why aren’t you questioning their lack of planning? Or why they close off 3 miles of trail to pour 20 feet of concrete they could have easily surrounded in fencing to protect it? No wonder people only watch our local TV stations for the weather.

*As for the ‘smooth trails’ don’t make me laugh. I took the completed repaired spur out to Family Park yesterday. Instead of resurfacing they just did crack in seal (which just settles into the original crack and makes more of a bump) and put one layer of oil over the top. In other words, it looks wonderful, but it is still just as bumpy as the Oregon Trail, not sure what was fixed? Well at least it will be twice as hot with the new black lip stick 🙁

UPDATE: I knew it would be just a matter of time before the city blamed bicyclists for RUDE contractors. There is a saying; Treat others the way you want to be treated. Have I yelled at one of these contractors? Maybe, but not before they lit into me, literally SCREAMING at you because you entered a part of the trail they were working on. Maybe fewer people would be treating you this way if you put up proper signage, put in detours, AND STOP YELLING AT US like we are robbing a bank. It is also obvious to me that the city is taking the contractor’s side on this because of what they said in the post;

Many of these construction projects are being conducted by third-party construction companies. We do our best to stay in constant communication with them, but unfortunately, there are times when trail work might occur without enough time to click post.

In other words they have NO CLUE of how these contractors are doing the work. And why are they doing the work? For years, the city has used our Public Works department to make these upgrades, with proper detours along the trail. I don’t condone tearing down signs or driving thru fresh oil or concrete (it just wrecks your bike) but you have to question the poor planning of the contractors. I’m sure they are frustrated, I would be to if I planned a project this poorly. I am encouraging the next time one of these contractors yells at you for NO reason to call the non-emergency police line and report being harassed by them. If enough people complain, this crap will end.

I spoke at the council meeting Tuesday night (last commenter) about how planning detours for bike trail repairs is really bad. I explained to them that for years if there was a detour on the bike trail you just had a temp path next to path being repaved. Not this year. They blocked off 3 miles by Cliff to pour 20 ft of concrete, they did the same today with about 4 miles blocked that has been repaved and completely dry (no oil residue on tires). Besides the poor planning with detours and putting up these ridiculous barricades with chain lock ups, the contractors doing the work are mean. They will scream at you if you even approach a barricade. Here’s the deal, I’m paying for these repairs, so be a bit respectful, and secondly, what do you care? If I am riding in the grass around the project how am I impeding your work? I’ll say it again; There is a lot of stupid people in the world, and most of them live in Sioux Falls 🙁