Sioux Falls Event Center

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

The number of people who drive in and out for the event will not significantly change regardless of the site.

I would beg to differ. With the new amenities planned for downtown including the river greenway, restaurants, hotels etc. visitors from in town and out of town will not seek to escape asap. When people have options situated near a sports facility they will go spend money just like in Omaha,Des Moines, Minneapolis etc. I'm sorry BWW and Boonies are not enough to encourage people to stick around.

[goon]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

Exactly. If its only about convinence for out of towners why did every other city who built an EC in the last 10 years atleast, put it DT. It is because it works and spurs more growth. The night life down town is better. More unique shopping, and with an EC it is only going to grow even more diverse for everyones needs.

The summit league tourny at the current site stinks. my Dad and I attend every game every session, during the break between the sessions, we would just go home because there was no place close around the arena to walk too. So we have to drive somewhere else to eat so we talked our selves out of trying a resturant and went home for a quick snack before we went back. I can garuntee if this was DT, we would walk the streets to find a place and I assure they will be open beyond 5 to cater to people who are looking for something close. That keeps us DT spending money instead of going home waiting for the next game.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

Points in this letter just as true today as when it was written last November:

http://builditdowntown.com/a-letter-to-mayor-huether/

[joeboo22]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

Sioux Falls- Continue to have your hissy fit about the arena site. And when you decide to wait again don't even bother to complain when you lose the Summit League tournament when the next bid comes up, The State basketball tournament, the state wrestling tournaments and on and on and on. And when you can't get a 2nd rate concert to come to your arena you downtowners can pound your chest and say you won. While everyone else in the city/region has lost.

[zooropa]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

Sioux Falls- Continue to have your hissy fit about the arena site. And when you decide to wait again don't even bother to complain when you lose the Summit League tournament when the next bid comes up, The State basketball tournament, the state wrestling tournaments and on and on and on. And when you can't get a 2nd rate concert to come to your arena you downtowners can pound your chest and say you won. While everyone else in the city/region has lost.

Because if it's not built right away and exactly the way Huether wants it, Sioux Falls will sink into an irreversible decline. There is enough time to do this right.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

Sioux Falls- Continue to have your hissy fit about the arena site. And when you decide to wait again don't even bother to complain when you lose the Summit League tournament when the next bid comes up, The State basketball tournament, the state wrestling tournaments and on and on and on. And when you can't get a 2nd rate concert to come to your arena you downtowners can pound your chest and say you won. While everyone else in the city/region has lost.

And you continue to look at this from a very narrow short term self serving perspective. Iv'e seen you post on other sites how difficult it is to get to and around downtown Sioux Falls. Granted it's a little more difficult to navigate than downtown Tyndall. Thankfully not all people from small towns think like you. I think Sioux Falls will be all right if they wait a few more years and get it right for once. In the meantime enjoy BWW and Beanies at the Summit League Tournament. I'm sure those teams staying at the Sheraton go stir crazy.

[joeboo22]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

The thing is 40-50% of the people that show up to the Arena in a given year come from a town like Tyndall. And its more then just downtown its the plan going forward is for the current site. And people who claim to be experts on here say they will make sure its not built because they don't want it there. My plan if possible would be to go to a third location and develop a large facility with parking and 2 arenas and a large convention center and room to grow and develop around it but it won't happen. I've seen what Rapid City has done and would like that, but again its more then that, its you elected a mayor and a city council who support this plan. As much as I would dislike going to a downtown facility at least I wouldn't come out dead against it. There are many problems downtown as well.

The DT'ers are a minority and that is a fact. Now if you add up the DT'ers and the don't build it with the undecided it adds up. But if you think that if you wait 5-10 more years and get a downtown mayor in office that it will change the tide I just don't see it happening. But what will happen is the price will go up, the events you are getting now you will begin to lose and people will continue to go to Sioux City, Omaha, Fargo and Minneapolis for the events that Sioux Falls should be getting.

I could argue and argue and argue but its not going to convince you downtowners any. The point I'm making is build it and build it now. I like going to events and the current one and would like to keep those events and attract better/bigger ones in the future. Ask the Sioux Falls sports authority if they think they will win the next summit league bid without a new arena or construction of a new arena? Ask some high school wrestling/basketball coaches about the chances of Sioux Falls losing a state tournament. You will be surprised at what you hear.

[zooropa]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

My plan if possible would be to go to a third location

Right. Spend $300M and build in the middle of nowhere in order to provide 'drive thru' access to people from Tyndall.

Sounds superfantasticawesome to me.

[zooropa]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

The thing is 40-50% of the people that show up to the Arena in a given year come from a town like Tyndall.

They'll come regardless of location. And if they have to drive downtown, they'll do it and bellyache about it same as they bellyached about dual left turn lanes, 3 lanes of traffic, and SPUIs in Sioux Falls. You cannot shield people from the consequences of population growth. Put it by the Arena and when they spend 40 minutes just getting out from the middle of that great sea of asphalt and clogged traffic, you'll hear them complaining about that instead of the horrors of using a parking *ramp*, or a *one way street*, or (gasp) a parking *meter*.

[West-River_Jack]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

I don't think you have to worry about it. I am confident that you will be successful in blocking this venture, and thus prolong the status quo for many years to come. Congratulations for being well on your way to saving the people of Sioux Falls, Tyndall and other parts of South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, northwestern Iowa, and perhaps even northeastern Nebraska from these awful things. Thank you now and for many years in the future.

[Nidaros]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

They'll come regardless of location. And if they have to drive downtown, they'll do it and bellyache about it same as they bellyached about dual left turn lanes, 3 lanes of traffic, and SPUIs in Sioux Falls. You cannot shield people from the consequences of population growth. Put it by the Arena and when they spend 40 minutes just getting out from the middle of that great sea of asphalt and clogged traffic, you'll hear them complaining about that instead of the horrors of using a parking *ramp*, or a *one way street*, or (gasp) a parking *meter*.

If this issue is put to a public vote, and based on past thinking, I doubt there will be passage, no matter how sweet the deal. There are many voters in Sioux Falls who could care less about SDSU Athletics, the Summit League tourney and how many bucks it brings to town. If its going to mean more taxes, they will oppose it. I think the mayor and the council do not grasp this at this moment. They are so engrossed in the pie in the sky and how this looks on their resume to really think about the average voter. Selling the public on the need for the EC has not begun yet but they need to start and start soon.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

My $.02.

I live in Sioux Falls, and for the life of me can't figure out all the supposed support for the Arena site. Most of the people I talk to (tend to be 25-50) prefer a downtown site. Although they would prefer downtown, most also just want something better built. Most have a comment along the lines of, "I think it would be dumb to build it at the Arena. But I'd rather have it there than nowhere."

I sympathize with the out-of-towners who don't want to deal with the hassle of driving downtown. I hate, hate, hate going downtown for meetings or other events. But I still go down there and have gotten fairly accustomed to getting in and out. And I have come to greatly enjoy the peripheral items downtown offers - restaurants and bars mostly. There is some really cool stuff to do downtown that most out-of-towners don't know about.

As to the parking complainers on this board: have you been to a Summit League tournament game the last few years??? I guarantee I've walked further at the current Arena than I would have walked if it was downtown. Imagine how far away you'll have to park if there is a Summit League tournament game, an event in the convention center, and an event in the old arena...

I'm mostly with Zooropa on this. Are we trying to build a better EC just so we can say we have one? Or do we want to have one that will actually work to its fullest potential?

Finally, I don't give a rat's behind who makes money off of a new events center. If it should be built downtown, and some gray hairs get rich (fyi, they are already rich), what do I care as long as it is benefiting the city?

Downtown is doing pretty well, imo, and it has come a long way in the last 15 years. There are some pretty sharp people (old and young, rich and working class) running things down there. I think their intelligent input is being largely ignored because some people can't get over the idea that there are conflicts of interest or someone in the private sector might make a little more money.

[KUlawJack]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

My $.02.

I live in Sioux Falls, and for the life of me can't figure out all the supposed support for the Arena site. Most of the people I talk to (tend to be 25-50) prefer a downtown site. Although they would prefer downtown, most also just want something better built. Most have a comment along the lines of, "I think it would be dumb to build it at the Arena. But I'd rather have it there than nowhere."

I sympathize with the out-of-towners who don't want to deal with the hassle of driving downtown. I hate, hate, hate going downtown for meetings or other events. But I still go down there and have gotten fairly accustomed to getting in and out. And I have come to greatly enjoy the peripheral items downtown offers - restaurants and bars mostly. There is some really cool stuff to do downtown that most out-of-towners don't know about.

As to the parking complainers on this board: have you been to a Summit League tournament game the last few years??? I guarantee I've walked further at the current Arena than I would have walked if it was downtown. Imagine how far away you'll have to park if there is a Summit League tournament game, an event in the convention center, and an event in the old arena...

I'm mostly with Zooropa on this. Are we trying to build a better EC just so we can say we have one? Or do we want to have one that will actually work to its fullest potential?

Finally, I don't give a rat's behind who makes money off of a new events center. If it should be built downtown, and some gray hairs get rich (fyi, they are already rich), what do I care as long as it is benefiting the city?

Downtown is doing pretty well, imo, and it has come a long way in the last 15 years. There are some pretty sharp people (old and young, rich and working class) running things down there. I think their intelligent input is being largely ignored because some people can't get over the idea that there are conflicts of interest or someone in the private sector might make a little more money.

*Must spread rep.* Great post. Although, I personally don't think getting around DTSF is any harder than driving at other locations in SF with a high concentration of people.

For out-of-town people that think getting to DT from I-29 takes a half hour or something crazy, I did a little research during 5PM rush hour traffic on the two past Fridays. I timed myself leaving the very south end of DT until I hit I-29, taking 10th/12th Street and again taking Minnesota to Russell. Neither took more than 8 minutes. And I hit red lights on both. Just thought it was interesting and probably is of no real value other than confirming my own thoughts on the subject.

It takes more time to get through the intersection at Louise and 41st near the mall then it does to drive downtown from I-29.

[jackdaniel]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

Hoping this gets delayed or defeated so that it can be resurrected years from now is unrealistic thinking in my opinion.You think prople are sick of arguing this thing now,wait a few years.The costs will come in higher and the same old arguments will be heard then as now.This is the last chance for getting an Events Center built.I'm afraid we might have to use the "old" Arena until it's condemned.By then, 120 million will really seem cheap.

[zooropa]

Re: Sioux Falls Event Center

Hoping this gets delayed or defeated so that it can be resurrected years from now is unrealistic thinking in my opinion.You think prople are sick of arguing this thing now,wait a few years.The costs will come in higher and the same old arguments will be heard then as now.This is the last chance for getting an Events Center built.I'm afraid we might have to use the "old" Arena until it's condemned.By then, 120 million will really seem cheap.

If there is only *one chance* to build this facility, then it should not under any circumstances be built.

This attitude smacks of the same shell-shocked post-Depression mentality that, for decades, kept South Dakota from taking full advantage of its strengths.

"Better build it now, because if they wait, then there could be another farm crisis, and a dust bowl, and 200,000 people moving to California, and so the best option is to do something as fast as possible, as cheaply as possible, and with as little planning and forethought as possible, because this whole darn state could dry up and blow away tomorrow."

And while we're at it, there's no way a SOUTH DAKOTA university could EVER be good enough to compete with universities in OTHER states like MINNESOTA.

It's all of a piece--this notion that there's not enough time or money to do things well, that SD is broadly uncompetitive with other places, that it's a pioneer state from which expectations should be tempered, and little will be achieved---unless it be by 'native sons' that leave and barely ever return.