Sanford Hospital

Sanford and City of Sioux Falls plans to hold a joint press conference today

Funny, didn’t see this announcement anywhere on the city website, so I guess you have to get any information from the private seller instead of the public buyer. There has also been NO word on what the place will be called, but it seems Sanford may have cut a deal where their name stays on the building, Not Sure, just speculating;

Wellness Center Updates
Wellness Center members,We have several updates to share with you today from both the City of Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation leadership team and the Sanford Wellness Center leadership team. There is a lot of information here that may be beneficial for you, so we invite you to take a few moments to read through the following.

Parks &  Recreation Update
As you know, Sanford Wellness Center Tea-Ellis is transitioning to new ownership under the City of Sioux Falls. On Jan. 1, 2025, the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Department will begin operating the facility. At that time, its new name will be the Westside Recreation Center.
We are planning to announce some key operational changes in a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at the facility. You are welcome to attend in person or watch live online on the City’s YouTube channel and the City’s Facebook page. We want to share the updates with you here first.

Consistent Operations and Smooth Transition
The City’s goal on day one is to maintain consistent operations and a smooth transition for users of the facility. Many of the services and amenities current members have come to know and love will still be there when the City takes over. This means the facility will have the same fitness equipment, pool, locker rooms, group exercise classes (land, water, cycling) and other amenities.

Operational Changes Effective Jan. 1, 2025, at Westside Recreation Center (formerly Tea-Ellis)
• Kid-Zone Operations: Drop-in childcare under KidZone will no longer be available. Parks and Recreation will offer new, structured programs in this space at specified times and dates. Examples could include arts and crafts, movie nights and more. Users will need to register for these programs beforehand and have a pass to the Westside Recreation Center to attend. The cost of the programs is free unless specified otherwise.
• Open Seven Days a Week: The facility will be open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Facility hours Monday through Saturday will remain the same.
• Towel Service: Under City ownership, the facility will no longer offer towel service. Members will be asked to bring towels when they visit.
• New Rates: Starting in January, there will be daily, monthly and yearly pass options with no contract. Current members and the community will be able to sign up for passes starting in early December.

Membership Update and Hiring Information
• We’re excited to announce that Deena Rogers will be the new Recreation Center Coordinator, and Grayson Lange will be a Recreation Program Specialist. Deena and Grayson are already familiar faces at the facility, as they are current Sanford employees. It’s exciting to have them aboard!
• Applications for part-time positions will open Thursday, Oct. 17. We’re looking for individuals to lead, assist and provide oversight with programs, classes, leagues and events. Starting Oct. 17, the job posting can be found at siouxfalls.gov/westside.
• In December, current members will be able to sign up for a monthly or annual pass in the City’s new system. A full calendar of classes and events will also be available at that time. Be on the lookout as you plan your fitness and recreation activities for the new year!
From now through the end of the year, you will continue to see current Sanford employees as well as City employees from several different departments preparing for this transition. Starting Nov. 12, City representatives will be available in the facility to answer any questions. In the meantime, you can visit siouxfalls.gov/westside for the latest information as this webpage will continue to be updated or email brett.kollars@siouxfalls.gov with questions.

Sanford Wellness Center Update
Throughout the last several months, the Sanford Wellness Center leadership team has been evaluating current operations across our three locations (Oxbow, Tea-Ellis and the Fieldhouse). While specific programming and group fitness conversations are still in the works, we have established updated days of operation and a new reduced membership fee structure.
Effective January 2025 at Sanford Wellness Center:
• The Oxbow location will be open seven days a week. Hours are still being finalized.
• Note: We will resume Saturday hours on Jan. 11, 2025.
• The new member fee structure will be as follows:
Individual $49 plus tax per month
Couple  $59 plus tax per month
Family  $69 plus tax per month

• Sanford Wellness Center members will maintain access to Sanford Fieldhouse as they always have.

Additionally, plans to reopen the pool and new locker rooms are still on track for late November. We also look forward to sharing more details about some exciting changes coming to Oxbow in 2025.
________________________________

On behalf of both our teams, thank you for your continued curiosity and support as we work to move this transition forward as smoothly as possible for you, our members and the community.

Mike Davidson
General Manger
Sanford Wellness Center

Brett Kollars
Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation
City of Sioux Falls
Brett.Kollars@siouxfalls.gov

Sioux Falls City Council Tidbits

At the informational on Wednesday council got some updates on our new transit provider (FF 19:00). The Planning Director told council that last year the legislature permitted agencies like Dakotabilities and Lifescape to take a 100% reimbursement on Medicade for transit services. Jeff asked if the city would be repaid that money and the agencies said they are using the money and they are only getting 80% from the state right now. Hopefully in the future the Feds will reimburse us for Paratransit rides.

SANDFORD WELLNESS CENTER

At the regular council meeting Wednesday night the council pulled the item that will fund the fitness center we are buying from Sanford for $9 million. (FF: 8:30);

A motion was made by Council Member Merkouris and seconded by Council Member Soehl to approve Sub-Item 5, Parks/Recreation: Offer to Purchase Commercial Real Estate and Asset Agreement, 24-0070, Sanford Wellness Center; Sanford Medical Center; $9,000,000.
Roll call vote to approve7 Yes: Basye, Cole, Merkouris, Sigette, Soehl, Spellerberg, Barranco; 1 No: Thomason. Motion Passed.

During the discussion, Jeff mentions that Sanford will have to lease back the property until January 1st until the city takes it over. Sanford sent club members an email;

Valued member,  

We have some brief updates to share regarding the timeline for the proposed purchase of Sanford Wellness Center Tea-Ellis by the City of Sioux Falls. Following final approval from the City Council at this week’s meeting, Mayor TenHaken signed the purchase agreement with a tentative closing date later this fall.

We acknowledge and appreciate that this approval represents a major change for our members along with some temporary uncertainty as details are worked out. With that in mind, we continue to reiterate and reassure you that nothing will change with your Sanford Wellness Center membership at this time.

Here are a some additional details:

  • The purchase process will move forward with an expected closing date within the next three months.
  • On the closing date, the City will officially own the building; however, we will continue to operate Tea-Ellis as a Sanford Health facility until the City is prepared to take over operations.
    • Tentatively, the City will take over in late 2024 and no later than Jan. 1, 2025.
    • This purchase does not include our Oxbow location, which will remain a Sanford Health facility.
  • The City’s next steps include developing plans for operations as well as membership and programming options.

Throughout the purchase and transition period, we continue to welcome questions and conversations. To help address some of your most frequently asked questions so far, we have the following resources available:

  • An FAQs page has been added to the Wellness Center website.
  • Members can also email SHWC_SiouxFalls@sanfordhealth.org with questions.
  • Posters with our question submission QR code have been placed at Oxbow and Tea-Ellis and are available for anyone to ask a question.
    • Answers to these questions are primarily available on the FAQs page referenced above.

We look forward to sharing more details with our members in the coming months.

Thank you for your patience, and importantly, for choosing Sanford Wellness Center to be part of your health journey.

Be Well, 

Mike Davidson, General Manger, Sanford Wellness Center
Scott Hettenbach, Director, Sports Performance and Wellness Centers


I also found it interesting that Thomason voted against the measure after asking about membership fees. I have a question into Richard asking him why he voted NO and wait to hear back from him.

You can also listen to my public input about the Dakota Scout becoming the legal paper for the city and during public input I said this;

Scott Ehrisman spoke on TIFs, development & project costs, and a previous Councilor not living in the district he represented.

This was in the notes, notice they didn’t put the name of the councilor in the minutes, I said the name, Marshall Selberg. Sneaky. I should ask the clerk’s office to amend the minutes.

UPDATE: What goes around comes around

UPDATE II: PLANNING DEPARTMENT (MAYOR) PROPOSES CHANGES TO HALFWAY HOUSE DEFINITIONS

UPDATE II: I was told that this is just cleanup language and been planned to change for a few months before Kingdom Boundaries even submitted a rezone. I guess we will hear a longer explanation on Thursday night at the Planning Meeting. But it is still a bad way to form policy.

Item 1D.

The timing of these changes are interesting considering the kerfuffle over the Kingdom Boundaries rezone which the council says they will likely defer on Wednesday (Item 46-meeting is a day later this week due to National Night Out). As I understand it, the council may defer the rezone so they can update these changes. What amazes me is that I have been asking for over 2 years that the rec trail ordinance changes to allow E2s and not until the SFPD does a FB post councilor Neitzert took action. It looks like the applicant saw a problem with current statute and without any public informational on the ordinance change they are moving forward, on the consent agenda. This is a very backdoor way of creating public policy. I am not sure how the administration can justify making PUBLIC POLICY changes like this while keeping the very public it affects in the dark on the process.

SANFORD MERGER FAILS

While this may be the big news story going around this weekend;

Although both health systems saw “significant benefits” to the merger that led them to “exhaust all potential pathways,” the merger was ultimately scrapped because of challenges that could not be overcome with “certain Minnesota stakeholders.”

It was no surprise to me. When they first announced the merger negotiations I emailed a local well known journalist and told them it will never happen (even if it was a good thing) because of the last time around. The former AG of Minnesota, Lori Swanson, made a good case the first time and I can guarantee those case files were pulled to assist in killing it this time. As I understand it Fairview may have to be bailed out from the state, but apparently they prefer that over Sanford.

CITY OF SIOUX FALLS HIRES LINCOLN COUNTY’S DEPUTY STATE’S ATTORNEY BILL GOLDEN

This isn’t some big newsflash;

The Lincoln County Commission’s legal counsel has resigned and will continue his public service to the county’s north.

Deputy State’s Attorney Bill Golden has accepted a position with the City of Sioux Falls as an assistant city attorney. He will leave his post in Lincoln County on July 28.

Commissioner Tiffani Landeen added that Golden will be greatly missed, while Commissioner Michael Poppens joked that he hoped Golden would consider staying.

For full disclosure I worked for the Stewart family the same time Mr. Golden did. Bill is married to Kristi ‘Stewart’ Golden, Gordon Stewart’s daughter. Kristi is a former Pressler staffer and not to long ago I think I heard her on KELO AM doing the news.

I have not heard much about the legal talents of Mr. Golden over the years, including when we both worked for the family (sometimes that is good, and sometimes that is very, very, very bad).

We will see what kind of dirty work Mr. Faddle has for his new errand boy.

SIOUX FALLS CITY COUNCILOR ALEX JENSEN GETS APPOINTED TO SOUTH DAKOTA HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Executive Director Olson also reported that a new board member, Alex Jensen, was appointed on Friday and onboarding will ensue.

I find this appointment interesting considering Mr. Jensen only has a few months left in his 1st term on City Council and has not announced if he will run for re-election or run for the legislature (so he can incubate for 2 years and then run for mayor). With this appointment it seems Alex is very confused. The rumor mill says he has resisted announcing for a council re-bid because he is scared Stehly may challenge him, and he may be right.

ARTS COMMISSION PROPOSAL AN ABSOLUTE MESS!

I think the city council needs to kill this until the next mayor rolls in;

The new commission would be charged with, among other things, reviewing works of art acquired by the city and developing the criteria under which they will be placed.

The panel would also set criteria for awarding funding for public projects.

While I support certain aspects of the commission and a full-time director, I don’t trust it under this administration that has an authoritarian slant towards just about everything, including public art. I have suggested besides the commissioners be made up of a broad group of people, that instead of a full-time coordinator, you have a mid-manager from EACH city department serve on an internal arts commission that reports to the volunteer commission monthly. If we really want to promote the arts in Sioux Falls we have to have every city department involved in those actions and not some court jester from the mayor’s office who will likely quit when he is done in 2026.

The Pavilion turned down the ‘opportunity’ to manage the arts for the city, but it seems they have the budget for a NEW full-time position;

Margaret Carmody has been selected as the new Chief Strategy Officer of Washington Pavilion Management Inc.

Carmody previously served as an executive for Raven Industries, where she led organizational culture, marketing, brand, internal and external communications, community and public relations, administrative services and facilities at one time.

She will vacate her role as a member of the Board of Trustees prior to joining the organization as an employee.

The Pavilion is ran by a private management company so they can throw their money at whatever word-game position they want to create, but it reminds of when Doug Morrison ‘retired’ from his banking career while he was serving as School Board President and after leaving the board gets a job created for him by the district. He is in charge of saving the district money 🙂

I am not sure why Carmody is leaving Raven, maybe she saw a better opportunity at the Pavilion, but it seems a little odd that after serving on the board she is offered a new position with the Pavilion. I often tell young professionals in Sioux Falls who are trying to get ahead in their careers it’s ‘who you know, not what you know’ in this town. I have met 30 year olds that are brilliant in Sioux Falls but get passed up for promotions because they are not ass kissers and don’t get fit the ‘look’ and these are white males I am talking about.

Don’t even get me started how you are treated as a female or a minority.

When a friend of mine was starting her career in technical writing she moved BACK to Sioux Falls after receiving top honors and graduating from an Austin, TX university. She sent her resume everywhere and couldn’t even get a call for an interview until she started putting a photo of herself on the resume (she is white). We could never prove it, but we think she was denied interviews because of her name. If you read her first and last name on a resume you would make the stereotypical assumption she is black, as soon as her photo appeared on her resume she started getting interviews and offers.

RECYCLING ISSUES CAN BE RESOLVED AND MANDATED WITH A MUNICIPAL GARBAGE SERVICE

Whenever I read an article like this, I just shake my head and wonder why people are so opposed to municipal garbage service;

About a quarter of all waste going to the Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary Landfill could have been diverted or recycled, the results of a new study found, pointing to a problem that could prove costly.

I often laugh when people make comments like this;

The garbage hauling system in this city is private versus public which keeps costs down and competitive.

I had to adjust myself for a moment there while a monkey exited my butt.

I am for the free market system, which works well in many aspects of the private sector vs. the public sector, but I still don’t know how you think the private system is cheaper? They use more gas, they deteriorate more roads and they have to pay tipping fees. The math isn’t there. You could contract with 2-3 private haulers, give them each a sector of the city, eliminate tipping fees, bill people monthly in their water and sewer bill, and have the city provide the fuel for the trucks.

Heck, the little town of Canton knew this and were going to use the cost savings to build a pool, while I disagree my garbage fees should go towards a pool, it obvious that they saw a cost savings (albeit they were taking that savings away with a pool fee). While many cities have done the system wrong (like Canton was proposing), we have an opportunity to build it from scratch and can learn what NOT to do from other cities.

Sanford Merger Meeting doesn’t go so well

If you watch this video and read the online comments you come to the conclusion that the welcoming wagon isn’t being rolled out for Sanford. Several if not most of the people who testified, testified against the merger including advocates of the University medical center, children’s heart medical care, nurse’s unions and mental health officials.

Ellison said his office is conducting its own investigation into the merger plan, along with taking public comment, and expects to make a decision sometime around the end of the month on whether to intervene.

“We’re going to test it for its compliance with antitrust laws, test it for its compliance with the charities laws. And then we’re just going to ask ourselves, is it good for Minnesota?” he said.

As the public meetings and comments on the merger continue it will be interesting to see how the AG rules on this.

Is Noem doing Sanford’s Bidding?

Yeah, sadly we have to go to Yahoo News to get the real bizzo on our Governor. As I have mentioned before, we would never get a story like this out of our local media;

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is encountering heightened scrutiny over decision to reject women’s sports legislation, with many questioning the influence of a longtime advisor – Matt McCaulley – who also has ties to the state’s top employer.

You may remember Mr. McCaulley, he was Sioux Falls City Councilor Neitzert’s attorney when he gleefully avoided punishment over his ethically challenged trip to Texas with Mayor Poops.

Since Noem’s veto, her conservative credentials have come under scrutiny, including from National Review. The conservative outlet published an article last week that raised legislators’ concerns with McCaulley and highlighted the $40 million that his client, Sanford Health, directed towards its sports complex on the same day that Noem announced her veto.

Kwinky Dink? I think not.

“It’s a well-known secret in South Dakota that Matt McCaulley has a seat at the Governor’s policy table while simultaneously representing the interests of Sanford Health as one of their key lobbyists,” a person with first-hand knowledge told Fox News.

“During the Women’s Sports debate, we clearly saw this conflict of interest when the Governor came out with a style-and-form veto on the same day that Sanford Health announced their $40M donation to expand a sports complex. McCaulley not only influenced Governor Noem’s decision to derail the women’s sports bill, but he also helped write the press release and worked on the messaging.”

Hey, Kristi, you could have waited at least a couple of days . . .

Some have suggested that Noem’s policy decisions were made under heavy influence of McCaulley.

And a lot of other people. It is pretty plain to see that Noem is influenced in every thing she does by outside influence. Whether that is McCaulley, Lewandowski, Trump . . . the loser list goes on and on.