I support building a new civic center

After reading up on the issue, and listening to Mayor Allender's presentation, I have decided to support the new Civic Center.  My only question now is, would that money be better spent getting the railroad out of town and fixing our roads?  But I think now those issues are separate.  We have to spend money one way or the other on the civic center. We may as well build something now that will be viable for many years to come instead of trying to coax the old civic center into years beyond its ability.

city council to vote in February

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/council-to-make-arena-decision-in-february/article_30f8bead-c875-5432-b009-b20906845248.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

"A special city council meeting will be held in February to determine the future of Barnett Arena and Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

The council will be presented with two options — remodel Barnett Arena or build a new facility — and then asked to approve a funding plan. 

Mayor Steve Allender said in an interview that he will hold more public presentations on the two options in January and February, ahead of the special meeting. An exact date for the special meeting has not been set. "

Drive around any non-artery in our city streets and see for yourself that most need resurfacing at least.  The streets around south Walmart like Enchantment Road and Parkview Drive are so wavy you'll probably get seasick driving them.

The problem with building a new arena is that we will be throwing all our money into one huge project instead of spreading it around where many things could be fixed.  We've apparently already decided we're willing to spend quite a good amount of money. Let's now sit back and think about what best we could be spending that money on.

The latest plans for civic center

http://www.barnettarena.com/

"Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender discusses the findings of the Civic Center Resolution Task Force, and outlines the challenges, obstacles and options for the future of the Barnett Arena. Enjoy the following presentation by either watching the entire video, or using the below links to view the section that most interests you."

Proposal to use city property at Omaha and Mt. Rushmore Road for solar panels

Hi,

   I'd like to propose a use for the city property on the northwest corner of Omaha Street and Mt. Rushmore Road.  I would propose that the city build a solar panel farm there that would provide power to the Central High School, and perhaps even to the Civic Center.

   This proposal would:

* make an economical use of the property, since it would be providing "free" electricity to the high school once its' paid for.

* provide vocational training for high school students who will learn how their school is powered.

* be relatively cheap because the land is already city-owned, and the power line to the high school would be quite short.

* indicate that Rapid City is a city that is keeping up with technology and is environmentally aware.

   I do not know the actual technical nor economic details other than the above.
   Attached is an overlay of the property with solar panels from a solar farm in Arizona.

   If you would like more information about this idea please feel free to contact me and I can make a more detailed report.

Sincerely,

Jeff  Jacobsen

petition for Civic Center to move Tyson to larger room

https://www.change.org/p/john-t-vucurevich-foundation-rushmore-plaza-civic-center-bigger-venue-for-neil-degrasse-tyson-in-rapid-city?recruiter=57356498&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Why didn't the Civic Center just make it harder for the scalpers to grab all the tickets?  Maybe they need to spend a little on a software upgrade?

SD pays less for education than most states

http://www.bhpioneer.com/article_dd26f852-4296-11e5-8c11-cfda75908b0f.html

"NORTHERN HILLS — When it comes to education spending, South Dakota is definitely in a slump and has been for quite some time. As a result, local school districts struggle to keep programming alive and teacher salaries competitive.                    
According to U.S. Census Bureau data assessed recently by the Black Hills Knowledge Network, South Dakota spends about a third less than neighboring states on education as a proportion of personal income.

Already last in the nation for teacher pay, South Dakota also ranked last regionally and 47th nationally in 2012 for its spending on K-12 education as a proportion of personal income, according to the most recent U.S. Census data available.  "

This is ridiculous.  Education is hugely important for every aspect of a person's life and for a community.  We are hurting ourselves by pretending that taxes are evil or whatever.

Rapid city finds more money for teachers

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/budget-tactic-frees-up-million-for-teachers/article_775225c5-3538-5dd8-a1e2-21c756b1a446.html

"According to a news release from the district, the linchpin of the deal is an agreement to divert $4 million in capital outlay funds toward general fund expenses, and then use the freed-up $4 million in the general fund to raise teacher pay.
The budget maneuver is allowed by a state law that was adopted in 2009 and was supposed to sunset in 2012 but has since been renewed through 2018."

This is where our money should go first. 

divert construction funds to schools?

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/school-board-president-use-construction-money-to-do-something-for/article_d10eb994-33eb-5323-b960-b9796c1b594f.html

"Board Vice President Matt Stephens, who said he sees both sides of the argument, said that when voters in June rejected raising their property taxes to give the district more operating money, they sent a message that they think the district has enough money to raise teachers' pay.
'It sends a mixed signal when we start building projects, but not giving increases to the staff,' he said.
The discussion on how to spend the capital-outlay money probably will continue at the board's first meeting in August. "

I like this idea.

Mayoral candidate Allender's view on Civic Center expansion

http://chiefsview.com/2015/04/16/lets-talk-about-the-civic-center-expansion/

"I believe that if the Civic Center expansion would have passed the public vote, it would have been a successful endeavor. I also believe that there were many errors made during the planning process, public information process and marketing campaign. Overall, no one in their right mind could have expected a majority of Rapid City residents to accept the expansion plan after being kept in the dark for over three years. Plus, $180 million is too much money.
While the $180 million Civic Center expansion project was the most expensive purchase proposal in the history of Rapid City, Mayor Kooiker sought to shield himself throughout the entire process. There are people in Rapid City who voted for Sam Kooiker because he promised to protect them from big government. There are also people who voted for him because he promised economic development. Ironically, when you try to play both sides of the coin, you can’t win.
Unfortunately, during this massive failure, the City spent $700,000 for studies and design and we are no further ahead on this issue than we were three years ago. In fact, the City has taking a giant step backward, if the original intent was to merely bring the Civic Center Arena into ADA compliance.  One thing is for certain: we now have a legal, binding agreement with the federal government to bring the Don Barnett Arena into compliance with ADA codes. Tens of millions of dollars will be spent doing so, and in the end, we will have the same Civic Center arena we have today. Is this progress?"

Facts about the civic center expansion vote

http://rapidcityjournal.com/now/today/rcj/facts-on-the-failed-million-civic-center-expansion/collection_eaee458e-d492-11e4-b164-b3e858f99242.html

1. Almost 13,000 voters
2. costliest proposed project ever
3. "last stand-alone special election"
4. 1 of 14 districts voted in favor
5. only 1 voter in Seeger district voted in favor.

Sasso; time for a survey

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/sasso-what-s-next-for-city-s-civic-center/article_1e3e0f35-d771-5840-974a-bc91af691ef0.html

"How do we get more people involved? I believe Rapid City should invest in an online survey. A popular service such as Survey Monkey would likely cost less than $2,000 to implement.
An online survey would be much cheaper than mailing surveys that wouldn’t be returned. It would make sense to have both short and longer surveys with the key questions up front.
The survey could include general questions about infrastructure and the Vision Fund dollars. What do people think about those? I know some people voted “no” because they don’t like the location, the parking or that teachers aren’t being paid enough (which is a completely separate pot of money).
Most people have access to a computer. If not, computers are always available at the library."

A survey sounds like a great idea.  But I think both sides want the ADA problems fixed, and at least some tweaking of the center.   How much to spend?  That's tricky.

Ed Randazzo opinion; let's get moving

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/mailbag/march-letters/article_400b183d-03e3-5df6-8b95-ca2d9851de27.html

"We still have a problem to solve and the citizens told you what they want, a state-of-the-art facility that increases square footage, allows for the proper access for the handicapped, provides for adequate parking and traffic management, and that is affordable without increasing taxes or placing infrastructure funds at risk. We are capable of accomplishing that goal and there is no reason to delay doing so. We were told by the stakeholders of the urgency of approving their plan but now that their plan was rejected, we are told to lower our expectations of progress in tackling this issue."

Nice article. By the way, I post snippets of opinions here. You need to see the original site to read the whole post.

Meeting; what now?

 http://www.kotatv.com/news/south-dakota-news/City-taking-new-look-at-what-to-do-with-Civic-Center/32016244

"More than 60 people turned up to offer their input on how to move forward.

Former city council member Malcolm Chapman led the group -- that included both opponents and proponents -- of the expansion plan in a wide ranging discussion about what to do with the nearly 40-year-old complex."

 also see:

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/finding-new-plan-for-civic-center-may-take-a-long/article_9704221e-5198-54d6-9f19-a6864aa6c4fa.html

http://www.newscenter1.tv/news/local/After-Action-for-the-Civic-Center-Whats-Next--297560721.html

Let's change back the vision fund process, says alderman

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/alderman-calls-for-rollback-to-old-vision-fund-process-mayor/article_8b626a26-53f1-5182-85d5-f9040cef281b.html

"Rapid City's drainage and streets need repairs, Alderman Ron Weifenbach says, so the city should revert to its former policy of directly devoting city sales tax money to them.
Not so fast, Mayor Sam Kooiker says. By shifting back to the old ordinance dictating use of the sales tax, he says, the city will miss new opportunities to issue bonds for ambitious projects.
Just as they did in the recent voter-rejected referendum on spending $180 million for an expansion of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, Kooiker and Weifenbach have opposing views on what the city should do with the proceeds from a 1-cent sales tax.
By a previous city ordinance, half of proceeds of that tax went to the Vision Fund, which has paid for Main Street Square, among dozens of other amenities scattered throughout the city, and half went to the Capital Improvements Project, which funds such citywide public-improvement projects as street and drainage repairs.
Weifenbach, whose top priority is spending on roads, infrastructure and drainage, wants the city to revert to that split.
As part of the expansion project, however, the city council passed a new ordinance combining the proceeds from the Vision Fund and CIP. That combination, expansion proponents argued, would secure a low interest rate on the $180 million in bonds that would have financed the expansion."

This article brings up a question for me. What other huge spending project is Mayor Kooiker thinking we'll need this new fund method for?

Letter to Editor; Thanks Fix the Plan committee!

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/mailbag/march-letters/article_e41b8cc9-dc6c-57fe-abcf-92c0b37ca0f2.html

"I just wanted to shout out a big thank you to all of the Fix the Plan committee members: Richard Wahlstrom, Steve McCarthy, Ed McLaughlin, Keith Carlyle, Jim Shaw, Alan Hanks, Jerry Munson and everybody else who worked so hard to defeat this idiotic scheme. I, of course, am referring to the civic center expansion. Your efforts are greatly appreciated by 60 percent of us.
— John Kammerer, Rapid City"

Amen.

Sioux Falls' view of the expansion vote

http://www.argusleader.com/story/stu-whitney/2015/03/11/rapid-city-civic-center-vote-stu-whitney/70145774/

"City 'leaders' in Rapid City were so consumed with the thought of keeping up with Sioux Falls that they overextended themselves and reached too high. Building sports and entertainment facilities with large amounts of public money are delicate political matters that need to be handled deftly, not with a swashbuckling attitude of 'We'll pay for it later! This place is going to be huge!'
Any degree of recklessness or lack of clarity regarding major public expenditures can lead to election-night disasters, and astute politicians understand and respect that. Those who don't and choose to barrel ahead with blinders typically doom the project and don't stay in office for long."

How much did envy of Sioux Falls play in the city fathers pushing this huge plan?  The timing is suspicious, just after Sioux Falls opened their new civic center.

City council starts move on ADA fixes

http://www.kotatv.com/news/south-dakota-news/Civic-center-vote-fallout-an-after-action-committee/31842782

"The city council's decision means that a committee will be formed with help of Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Executive Director Craig Baltzer to find a new plan to update the arena.
The city council has a 30-month deadline to comply with the ADA under an agreement they made with the Department of Justice earlier this year."

I'm not quite sure why another committee is needed unless it's just to put the next steps in proper order?  Hasn't this problem been around long enough that they already know what to do?

David Rooks: think big on a smaller civic center

 http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/columnists/local/david-rooks/rooks-civic-center-loss-brings-opportunity/article_3ffb2642-4c0f-5b18-b147-66ac07ea570d.html

"In other words, opportunities are always present, side by side, with difficulties. If nothing else, the reaction to the treatment of the American Horse students at the civic center two months ago revealed a longstanding wound in the greater Rapid City community. But it is a wound that, oddly, could become Rapid City’s greatest opportunity.
It’s the perception, deserved or not, that this town is unwelcoming to Native Americans. The city can change that. With the aid of its native families, many of whom have several generations in this community and ties built up with non-native Rapid Citians going back nearly a century, this town could become a showcase for its least appreciated asset: the native community.
How about a Gathering of the Nations Pow Wow timed just before the Sturgis Rally. How about a native-themed park on the north side built to host the pow wow? Maybe a summer LNI?"

More community-related stuff would be fine. Especially since there won't be as much overhead now.

Opinion from John D. Wagner; go carefully

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/mailbag/march-letters/article_dad792c2-6932-547a-b796-5a32fc53639a.html

"...Future plans for expansion have to be reconsidered in view of the vote. They must be based on clearly identified and justified needs. The business plan should be much more convincing. Options should also include building a regional event center in a less congested area of the city with plenty of room for future parking and development - perhaps a 50-year development plan...."

Agreement on how to move forward

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/common-ground-found-in-updating-rapid-city-arena-plan/article_862382a5-5623-5846-aaa1-7354b51eb9ce.html

"Mayor Sam Kooiker said the plan would be based on three principles: Fixing Americans with Disability Act noncompliance and other code issues at the arena; minimizing the effect on existing arena events during that work; and completing updates to make the facility more marketable for new events.
And a former city official who fought the expansion plan that Kooiker embraced agreed with those principles.
Richard Wahlstrom, the spokesman for the Fix the Plan Committee that battled against the expansion, said the fourth principle has to be: not as expensive."

This is looking good.  And I do agree a new team needs to be in place from here.