Public votes always get a cheer from this small-d democrat. The latest outbreak of direct democracy happens in Rapid City, where petitioners say they have gathered over 2,700 signatures, nearly 700 more than necessary, to put the city's financing of an expansion of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center to a vote.
Referendum petitions usually come from opponents of government decisions. But the Civic Center petitioners include some of the biggest supporters of Rapid City's Rushmore Plaza expansion plan. Civic Center board member Don Frankenfeld (shall we emphasize Don?) spearheaded the petition drive, distributing the first petitions the same night that the city council approved the expansion. Mayor Sam Kooiker voted for the expansion in council on December 1, then gathered about 400 signatures:
Kooiker said he found it easy to gather signatures because just about everyone he encountered thought a public vote would be in Rapid City's best interest.
"Everyone on both sides wants this vote," he said.
"People have asked me if I think this project is too big," he said. "I tell them, 'Yes, it's too big for today, but it's not too big for tomorrow.' This is an investment in the future" [Scott Feldman, "Mayor: Petition Collects Enough Signatures, Civic Center Will Be Voted On," Rapid City Journal, 2014.12.26].
Former councilman Jordan Mason was taking the city to court over alleged technical violations of law in passage of the expansion plan, but Mason withdrew that court challenge earlier this month, apparently to make way for the referendum.
Former councilman Ron Sasso agrees that the $180-million project should be put to a public vote. However, Sasso has written that Rapid City should spend five years catching up on improving roads before investing in a Civic Center upgrade.
Whether the expansion plan survives referendum or not, Rapid City has to do something. The Barnett Arena in the Civic Center violates the Americans with Disabilities Act; in October, the city signed an agreement with the Justice Department to rectify those 402 ADA violations within 30 months. So, Rapid City, you can vote against the expansion plan, but you can't vote to do nothing.
What was it? A few hundred thousand to meet ADA compliance?
Small d Cory:
I just wish there was someone on the Mitchell School Board that had one tenth the common sense of Don Frankenfeld, big R. Of course, Mitchell voters cannot vote on the extravagant $18 million Fine Arts Center, which will be Graves' Cathedral! Big "D" Rod Hall
What are the infringements on the disabled? Are there specific listings for them and if so, where were would they be found?
The 402 ADA violations are listed on this 14-page table:
http://gotmine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/402Violations.pdf
Les, the report commissioned by the city in 2013 found that ADA complaince fixes would cost $36 million. Civic Center boosters say fixing all ADA, fire safety, and building code issues in the existing Barnett Center would cost $70 million. That's still way shy of the $180 million at stake in the expansion... but remember, that $110 million extra is supposedly adding more seats, more parking, and more events, meaning more visitors and more revenue... right?
Thanks Cory, these all look to me like a standard punch list at any large construction project. There may be a couple of million bucks tied to bringing this up to code. That would be a whole lot better than the hundreds of millions Sam and the boys want to squander at the city level. I don't Stand with Sam on this boondoggle.
I invite you to read a different perspective about the civic center at:
http://sd-ccd.org/home/news/focusonabilitiesnewsletter/
You have to read the first page as it appears, then to get to the other pages, click on the front page, then scroll down.
(BTW, this happens to be my pet organization.)
it'll make a good survival structure for the 99% since MIT has doubled its projections to 10 degrees f. average global temp rise by 2095.
MIT IS LITERALLY SCREAMING FOR POLITICAL ACTION TO BE TAKEN NOW.
so instead of doing that, lets vote on spending all our money and borrowing power on short term festivals before all your grandchildren die of highland malaria.
Accordingly, CO2 rates will rise at the same time, AND if METHANE explodes from its frozen undersea and tundra reservoirs, that much more intense greenhouse effect is not yet been calculated.
Finally, the poles will have increased by 20 degrees so the world's shoreline will be quite different.
So lets keep following republican leadership which denies climate change and focuses on economic development (tax reform favoring the 1%).
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2010/05/23/206052/climate-change-and-malaria/
JeniW of course there has got to be changes so that the anonymous persons will get their complaints settled. But can't that be done with the 36 million that is projected for the repairs? Why shell out hundreds of millions of dollars to remedy a 36 million dollar problem? I am sorry but I fail to see why there needs to be the added expense when for a tenth of that money, all of the working poor in the entire state of South Dakota could have healthcare coverage.
The decision that Rapid City has to make is to remodel the current center, or build a new one.
Which one is the most cost effective, I do not know.
Remodel would be the best and most efficient use of taxpayer monies. Just because the city fathers want to have their names inscribed on the plaque for this extravagant palace, is no excuse for the taxpayers to foot the bill on it. There are more pressing things to consider like healthcare for the working poor along with education needs.
My main issue with the Civic Center expansion is that it completely consumes the entire fund that used to be available for lots of different large and small projects, thus putting all our eggs in that one big basket. Is it really the best idea we have for civic improvement in Rapid City at the expense of all the others?
The original cost to comply to ADA standards was much less before the high dollar study brought predictable results, Cory. Sioux Falls isn't Omaha and RC isn't Soo Foo so it will probably get built.
Similar to NBP. Think of the multitude of smaller working projects that could have been funded for growth, Bill.
I remember reading about another great project in Rapid City that was supposed to bring in the bacon. I think this 180 million dollar pig is just pork for the most part and like this one, will not bring in the expectations. http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/journey-museum-faces-uncertain-future/article_39a290c1-d0ba-59f6-81e2-10f749aea8f3.html
The $18 million dollar Mitchell FAC that Senator Rodney Hall describes from the proposal of the Mitchell School Board needs much discussion. This is just as important as the Rapid City Events Center proposal.