Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

Why did the city hire a private consultant to plan indoor pools?

Looks like the city, once again, is doing what they do best, wasting money on consultants;

Public Focus Group to Determine Future of City Aquatics Program

Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation needs your help! The community is invited to attend a public focus group meeting to discuss the future of the City?s aquatics program.

The focus group will meet at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, January 24, at Kuehn Community Center, attached to Oscar Howe Elementary School, located at 2801 South Valley View Road.

The City of Sioux Falls has retained Counsilman-Hunsaker and Associates, a national aquatics consultant, to create a citywide aquatics facility master plan. This plan will serve as a ten-year road map for both existing and proposed new aquatic facilities.

Public feedback is necessary to gauge the needs and desires of the community, identify aquatic offerings currently available within the community, and help shape the future of aquatics for the city of Sioux Falls.

“In order to meet the needs of the whole community, we need the whole community to participate. Community participation is strongly encouraged,” said Kevin Post of Counsilman-Hunsaker and Associates.

For more information on the focus group meeting, contact the Park Office at 367-8222.

So let me get this straight, we hired a private consultant to help special interest groups in Sioux Falls get an indoor pool, but we have no money for a special snowgate election or even a consultant to study the cost variables of snowgates? Glad we have such great priorties.

No money for snowgates, but plenty of money for Pickleball?

Yup, you heard me right, taxdollars going to pickleball.

Some ask where will the city come up with extra money for snowgates? Well why don’t we tap the pickleball budget? That’s right, the city built a pickleball court at Menlo park, invested in equipment that you can borrow, and are even building an indoor pickleball court at the Kenny Anderson community center (so you can play pickleball in the winter). Just watch this episode of City Scene (about at the 50% mark) that explains pickleball.

And how did this come about? Someone walked into the Parks and Rec office and asked for it, and like magic, the city built it for them. No petition drives, no messy elections, not even City Council approval.

Oh, but it gets better. We both know that the money budgeted for snow removal comes from the operation fund (1st Penny) and Parks and Rec comes from the capital fund (2nd Penny). You would think former mayor of Sioux Falls, Rick Knobe would understand this;

Petitions are being circulated in Sioux Falls to mandate the use of snowgates. I am not going to sign a petition, and if a vote is held, I will vote “no.”

City staff is prudently researching the cost efficiency of snowgate use. The research is not yet complete. I may ”think”  they are a good idea, because I don’t like cleaning out my driveway after the plows have come thru. However, the higher cost, extra time, and maintenance of the additional equipment may not be worth it.

Our federal government is broke because they continue to make  promises we can no longer  afford to keep. As local taxpayers, it doesn’t make sense to mandate a service(raise taxes), just because we  are tired of shoveling snow.

We elect a  mayor and eight council members to make policy and daily administrative decisions on our behalf. If the mayor wants snowgates, he can put them in the budget. If the council wants snowgates, they can add them to the budget.

Should we have public votes on the type of technology the city uses? Equipment on fire trucks, or in police cars? How often the grass in the park is mowed?

It doesn’t make sense for us,  ”sidewalk(driveway) superintendents,” to direct or micromanage snow plowing operations.

Hey, Rick, that’s not how the operation’s penny works. The ‘first’ penny CANNOT be raised. The city has to work with what they take in, period. That means budgeting responsibly for PUBLIC SERVICES. Obviously we will still have money for pickleball in the 2nd penny, even if snow gates get implemented by the voters. The people are not voting on ‘budgets’ they are simply asking for a public service. You are right, it is the Mayor and City Council’s job to create the budget, and if voters approve snowgates, the city will have to find the money in the first penny for them. TAXES WILL NOT BE RAISED (at least on the 1st penny), because they don’t have the power to RAISE THEM.

But essentially it is about priorities, not higher taxes or pickleball. Snowgates are a public service and public safety issue not a ‘frill’ like pickleball or monkey hot tubs. Our taxdollars need to be spent on PUBLIC SERVICE not PICKLE SERVICE.

Spellerberg Outdoor Pool Advocates plan petition drive

There will be a press conference on Tuesday, October 2, at the main DT library at 4 pm to announce the petition drive pertaining to the Spellerberg proposal. The petition is for replacement of the OUTDOOR facility. It got stamped at the city clerk’s office yesterday. They have until March 27 to get the required signatures.

Mayor Mike Huether made some interesting statements about the Spellerberg Pool yesterday at a Masonic luncheon.

He made it known for the first time that Western Avenue will need to be widened. I wonder what Park Ridge merchants think about their parking lot possibly getting smaller?

He was also asked about placing the indoor pool at the Sanford Sports Complex. His response was that HE wants a “stand-alone facility”. I guess that is his decision and his alone.

Just for clarification, neither Stehly or I are involved with the Spellerberg petition drive, we already have our hands full with the snow gates drive. But I have given some advice to them and have helped them with gathering some information, and have promised to post updates about their drive. Like I have said in the past I am not against a public indoor pool, and the petition drive organizers are not either. It is just a matter of poor location and lack of funding information. We still do not know the cost and if any private dollars will be involved.

Stehly to appear on Rick Knobe’s Radio show today @ 5 PM, KSOO 1140

Theresa contacted Don Kearney, the Parks & Rec Director. She asked him for the following (printout below) so she had an idea where P & R is on operating costs to compare to using snow gates.

(The numbers are $Dollar amounts that reflect ANNUAL costs. Bike Trail Development means ‘NEW TRAILS’. The Greenway fountain refers to the water feature in front of the Hilton Hotel that taxpayers will be purchasing and operating at their expense for a privately owned and developed hotel – $430,000 – That’s quite a sprinkler system!)

What is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)?

“MOU, IOU or a raincheck, what’s the difference?

Recently at the last SF City Council informational meeting, (FF 2:40) Councilor Kermit Staggers and Parks director Don K. brought up MOUs. Well what are they?

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a signed non-obligating and legally non-binding document that describes the intentions of the alliance members to work together to address a shared development challenge. In some cases, companies (and particularly their legal departments) may use the term MOU to refer to a legally binding document. In this situation it is imperative that all parties understand and agree that the document is non-legally binding; if helpful, you may change the term “MOU” to a term used by the organization to refer to a non-legally binding document (e.g., “letter of intent” or “partnership agreement”).

Do I Need To Have A MOU For My Public-Private Partnership?

MOUs are not required for public-private partnerships, but they are strongly recommended. They are frequently used when USAID and a resource partner are providing parallel funding to a common implementing partner. They are not typically used when a resource partner is receiving USAID funds through a Collaboration Agreement, because the Collaboration Agreement itself addresses the kind of information set forth in an MOU. They are also typically not used when the alliance consists only of a gift from a resource partner to USAID, where the resource partner is providing no other in-kind contributions and does not expect to be involved in the alliance activities. Consult with your Regional Legal Advisor or the General Counsel’s office to determine whether a MOU is appropriate for your proposed alliance.

What Are The Benefits Of Using A MOU?

There are many benefits to formalizing your partnership through a MOU. The MOU

  • Ensures that all parties are in agreement on the partner roles and activities, thereby decreasing misunderstandings and future conflicts.
  • Outlines how decisions about the partnership will be made during implementation.
  • For many alliances, represents the only document that formalizes the relationship between USAID and a private sector partner (that is not also an implementer).
  • Can help keep the partnership on track and focused on the original objectives/activities.
  • Provides an easy framework to allow additional partners to join and expand the partnership.

The key words here are ‘non-obligating and legally non-binding document‘ and it seems the city is moving forward with MOUs when it comes to financially supporting special interests and club sports. This is unfortunate. Why? Because when these ‘groups‘ don’t come up with the money they promised to raise there is NOTHING legally binding them to come up with it. What does that mean? That means taxpayers are on the hook for the shortfalls. Councilor Staggers suggests that we get away from MOUs and require the clubs to ‘show us the money’ before we cut them a check, he says it is about ‘Accountability’. Of course Donny K. doesn’t have a problem with them, well, because it’s not his money that is on the hook when these ‘groups’ fail to hold up their end of the deal. I think the whole conversation ended perfectly with Staggers telling Donny K. “Then they better get it together.”