Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

A (Partial Training) Safety report about Falls Park released

l3wis March 28, 2018 2Comments

What’s the point of giving us something that isn’t even complete? Seriously?!

It’s like the siding report and settlement all over again.

On top of that, it wasn’t even a real audit. That took place in 2013.

Well at least one city employee apologized for his lie . . . uh . . . I mean error;

In an email from Emergency Manager Regan Smith late Wednesday, he said he errored in calling the 2016 review an audit when addressing the media on March 19.

“I inadvertently called it an audit and did not clarify that the SDPAA findings were relayed orally to the city team in 2016,” Smith said. “But I felt it was important to make myself available regarding safety measures taken at our city’s namesake and that no additional recommendations were made in 2016 beyond those implemented in 2013.”

If you can’t trust the Risk Manager, who can you trust?

The Secret Park that used to be Seney Island

l3wis March 26, 2018 3Comments

When I was at the Sioux Steel open house the other day, the CEO of the company said there was a public park adjacent to the river and their property. He also said it is rarely visited because no one knows it is there. It is basically the remnants of Seney Island after a backfill occurred that Sioux Steel is built on now.

So I was out for a long walk on Sunday and decided to see if I could access the park. First I tried to find a path from the 6th Street bridge, no luck. So I actually walked through the shipyard and entrance of Sioux Steel and found this sign;

Well, it certainly is a park, it has a picnic table and not much of anything else.

There is a historic marker about Seney Island (sorry I couldn’t get a picture of side two unless I stood in the river. No thanks.)

So I tried to see if there was a North Entrance to the Park from the South Side of Falls Park. I found this retaining wall at the top of the Falls with a chainlink fence only a few feet from the water. Maybe since the water was high it was covering up a trail, but I did not see ANY access to the park from the Northside. To be honest with you, I don’t even know what the name of the park is? I also think it is strange you have to walk across private property to access it. I have lived in Sioux Falls since 1991, and I never knew the park existed until last Thursday. It will be my new favorite hiding spot.

Midco Aquatic Center and Golf Course Financials

l3wis February 23, 2018 0Comments

Click on Images to enlarge

Sioux Falls Park Board Meeting, Tuesday

l3wis February 16, 2018 1Comments

SIOUX FALLS PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

3:00 p.m. Regular Board Meeting

Downtown Library, 200 N. Main Ave., Meeting Room B

ORDER OF BUSINESS

1. Roll call and determination of quorum

2. Approval of minutes from January 16, 2018 meeting

3. Public input

4. Report of standing committees

a. Marketing and Public Needs

b. Park System Planning and Development

c. Partnerships and Recreation

5. Unfinished business

6. New business

a. Gate Fee Applications:

Tournaments – Scott Juhnke

JazzFest – Jackie Nelson

b. Great Bear Management Agreement – Kelby Mieras, Dan Grider, Steve Sanford

c. CIP 2019-2023 Work Session – Tory Miedema, Mike Patten

7. Report of Director of Parks and Recreation

a. Community Center report – January

b. Aquatics report – January

c. Ice Rink Report – January

d. Golf Course – December/Year End

e. Administrative issues report

8. Items added after the agenda deadline

a. The Parks and Recreation Board may include other such business as may come before

this body.

9. Reading of communications to the Board

10. Open board discussion

11. Adjournment

Upcoming events: No scheduled press conferences or ribbon cuttings

*DaCola Note: I find it interesting that they will be discussing the CIP 2019-2023 before a new administration come in.