Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

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Two year old fitness park already broke

l3wis April 28, 2025 3Comments

The machines at the Rotary Park fitness area are broken and have been for almost a year. I have informed several councilors and a parks worker. Still broke. How sad it is that we put this wonderful park in (June 2023) and we do ZERO maintenance on the equipment. The machines should also be put in storage during the winter months to avoid damage. They have left them out since installing them. They actually were under 6 feet of water during the flood last year. That would have been the time to fix the equipment. All they did was spray off the workout pad with a hose.

The Parks department operating budget is in the millions each year. How about fixing up the current equipment we have already instead of building entertainment complexes downtown.

The Fitness park was the idea of our mayor, which I supported. But you have to actually maintain the equipment after installing it. It seems every idea our mayor has usually fails.

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Circus at Falls Park?

l3wis April 22, 2025 1Comments

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

My prediction was correct. ONLY ONE PERSON DESIRED Jacobson Plaza; Mr. Jacobson

l3wis April 16, 2025 7Comments

I have been saying all along the $4M Ice Ribbon that has ballooned to $16M was NOT the idea of constituents. I haven’t heard a single person say they wanted that Plaza or needed it. There has been talk in the past of putting in a ‘temporary’ refrigerated ice ribbon at a park, but no permanent structures. A lot of this talk ended when they built the Scheels Ice Complex. So I have been saying all along, this was the idea of ONE person who was looking for a tax write-off after selling their Electrical Supply Company. (I’m all for private gifts to our parks, but that money needs to go into the Parks’ general fund and let the citizens decide how that money is being spent.)

Now don’t take my word on it, during Poops State of the City address he told the audience how the ice ribbon came about. Mr. Jacobson called the Mayor, took him to lunch and told him he wanted this. As I figured. No constituent polling. No advice from the city council. No consultant proposals. Just a rich guy buying the mayor lunch.

So this is how we make $16 million dollars in parks programming decisions, we let some rich dude looking for a tax write-off to take the mayor to lunch, while the skatepark folks had to scrape for years to get the city to pony up ‘something’.

If you want to know what the citizens want for Parks Programming, just ask them. Duh. Because as I have said, money can’t buy you class, purpose, style, taste or culture, so why do we let the rich determine our parks programming? Because they buy the mayor lunch. Unfcknbelievable.

Downtown Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

UPDATE: What’s the ‘REAL’ reason the $16 Million ice ribbon is NOT finished?

l3wis March 25, 2025 10Comments

UPDATE: The previous contractor actually died in a plane crash, so they DID find another contractor which put the ice ribbon behind schedule, but they expect to finish pouring it this summer (not sure how much the cost overruns would be).

We were told they didn’t finish the ribbon in time for this winter season because it was too cold to pour concrete. This ‘can’ be the case with certain pours when you don’t want to use chemicals to dry in the cold weather. But that’s not what happened.

Well, the rumor is that the contractor that was supposed to pour the ribbon bailed and since he was the owner he was the only one who really knew how to pour it. So now they are trying to figure out how they are going to finish it, you know, the project that costs 4x more then expected and that NO ONE ASKED FOR, except for some rich folks looking for a tax write-off.

It’s also a specialized industry pouring ice ribbons, so finding a contractor locally to finish it may be difficult. Is it safe to say we will have cost overruns on this project? You know it! It wouldn’t be a city parks project without having major cost overruns.

Doesn’t surprise me the Parks Department lied to us, that’s all they are any good at.

I also am getting some rumors about another city project that the contractor finished but really screwed up. Once I get more details I will update. If true, the irony is unbelievable.

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec Washington Pavilion

Lally Cooler is gonna Lally Cost Yah

l3wis February 11, 2025 4Comments

So with only announcing the headliners and NO opening acts, the Pavilion is attempting to sell tickets to an event no one knows much about;

I often assumed that the event was going to be FREE like JazzFest or at a greatly reduced price. If you would have opened it to the masses you would have made up the entry fees in beer money. Also, this is supposed to be some kind of anniversary celebration for the Pavilion, and after heisting millions from taxpayers over the years in taxes and subsidies you would think they would put on a backyard party for us for FREE. But that is not how it works at the WashSnotty Pavilion, we can only reward those who supported us, you know, families that can afford to drop $1,000 a night watching a Broadway Musical. Can’t wait to hear what they charge for a 12oz. Monday Light? I wonder if the Pavilion will have ‘Event Funding’ so you can pay for your beer and ticket with monthly payments? Just don’t take the bike trail to the event, you will end up in the river 🙁

Two year old fitness park already broke

Circus at Falls Park?

My prediction was correct. ONLY ONE PERSON DESIRED Jacobson Plaza; Mr. Jacobson

UPDATE: What’s the ‘REAL’ reason the $16 Million ice ribbon is NOT finished?

Lally Cooler is gonna Lally Cost Yah

You Missed

UPDATE: A Generational Change? LOL!

What is the City of Sioux Falls doing with our Data?

It pays to work in the Sioux Falls City Attorney’s office

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth