Who needs snow gates when you have Jesus?
l3wis Every year the SF Public Works department allows the ‘schools’ to paint the snowplow blades.
Now have yourself an ice cold glass of Jesus Christ.
Public Works
Stehly to be guest on VPU on KSOO today @ 5
Theresa will be talking about her possible petition drive to stop the city from dictating how much landscaping can be in your boulevard. Tree trimming may also be attached to the petition (The city will work in partnership with citizens to trim the boulevard trees, instead of doing it and charging/fining citizens).
Better call code enforcement
Looks like someone wasn’t securing their load, wait, what does the license plate say? Nevermind.
Is there Competitive Bids in the county and city?
This is something I have been suspicious about ever since the middle-of-the-night 100% cost overrun on the Phillips to the Falls project, and the $200,000 lower secondary bid for the Pavilion windows (VIDEO);
Hoyer said his question was grounded simply in a desire to see consistency in the bidding process.
“I would have made the same statement for concrete pipe,†a product not offered by his company, he said. Bidding instructions uniformly call for bid guarantees, he said, and if the county wants to waive them, “let’s not make some of us jump through the hoops and others not.â€
Buthe, however, took the question as a sign of discord between the county and Myrl & Roy’s. When he became superintendent three years ago, Buthe said he found the county’s practice was to accept a low bid for asphalt and then to purchase from both Concrete Materials and Myrl & Roy’s at that price.
“My interpretation was that is not a legal way to do business,†Buthe said. He brought the matter to the deputy state’s attorney at the time, Gordy Swanson, who agreed.
“We decided the following year we would only award to the lowest bidder,†Buthe said. That was Concrete Materials. “There was some severe backlash†from Myrl & Roy’s, he added.
Since then, Myrl & Roy’s has not supplied the county. Last year, the county piggybacked on the city of Sioux Falls contract to buy asphalt from Concrete Materials because its plant was closer to where the county was doing highway work, and the savings in transportation costs exceeded the difference in Myrl & Roy’s slightly lower bid.
“That made them angry,†Buthe said.
Makes you wonder how often this happens with the city and county? Giving a bid to the ‘Preferred Contractor’ compared to the ‘lowest bidder’? Or just tweaking the RFP so that only one contractor can bid it. Would love to see the amount of tax dollars that are wasted on these types of ‘deals’.
It seems the only thing city government has learned from history is to repeat itself
Do I believe in keeping up with the historical aspects of our city? Yes. Do I think historical paver stones need to be replaced? Yes. Do I think it is a wise for SF taxpayers to be footing the bill? NO;
A $16,000 grant will help pay for the restoration of a central Sioux Falls alley where the 19th and 21st centuries collide.
Quartzite paving stones in the alley connecting Sixth and Seventh streets between Duluth and Summit avenues are to be removed this summer. City workers will pour a concrete subsurface, then relay the pavers.
With help from the South Dakota State Historical Society’s Deadwood Fund grant program, the city’s cost will be around $175,000.
While I do think that the street department has some financial obligation, I don’t think we need to foot the Lion’s share of this project. I think the city’s role should be making sure the project is done correctly and zoning is in place to do this type of infrastructure work, beyond that, I think either private donations, grants (which are already being used) or adjoining property tax assessments should pay for this project. I scratch my head when the city forces businesses and homeowners to build city sidewalks at their expense, but we drop a cool $175,000 in a neighborhood because it is ‘historical’. Fine. Make them pay for it. It is no different then citizens fixing the city sidewalks.
Besides, with all the discussion about public transit costing the city so much each year, it seems ludicrous we would be spending tax dollars on pavers in an alley. It seems the only thing city government has learned from history is to repeat itself.