Mayor, top councilors make picks to steer Riverline District vision, vote
Panel’s meeting schedule to be announced next week
An eight-member panel formed to guide a proposed convention center redevelopment initiative to a vote will include a banker, attorneys, and past and present Sioux Falls public officials.
Mayor Paul TenHaken, City Council Chair Curt Soehl and City Council Vice Chair Rich Merkouris have announced their selections for the Riverline Steering Committee, established by the City Council last month to vet a proposed $8.1 million purchase of about seven acres of ground east of downtown.
The Riverline Steering Committee members are:
Tony Nour — First Premier Bank executive
Rhonda Lockwood — Owner of Lockwood and Zahrbock Kool Law Office, located near the proposed Riverline District site
Alex Halbach — Partner in Halbach|Szwarc Law Firm and the newly opened Perch restaurant in the Pettigrew Heights neighborhood
Jessie Schmidt — Better Business Bureau and former Sioux Falls City Planning Commissioner
Rick Kiley — Former Sioux Falls City Councilor, educator, and South Dakota Safety Council coordinator
Cynthia Mickelson — South Dakota Community Foundation Board of Directors, attorney, and former Sioux Falls School District Board of Education member
Bob Mundt — Sioux Falls Development Foundation president & CEO
Rich Merkouris — Sioux Falls City Councilor
While the council’s leadership was entitled to select four members and TenHaken another four, Merkouris told The Dakota Scout Wednesday that he, Soehl and the mayor are unified in the selection of all eight appointments.
“The very first thing they’re going to do is bring a recommendation to the City Council for a purchase agreement for the land,” he said, referring to a deal being brokered between the city and State Partners LLC, which currently owns much of the ground targeted for a new convention center and the overall Riverline District.
Beyond being part of formulating a deal beneficial to both the city and the seller, Merkouris said the group will also be tasked with organizing an eventual advisory vote to determine if registered voters in Sioux Falls want the city to advance the ambition. It’s unclear when that vote will take place, Merkouris said, though it would happen only if the city first closes on the purchase of the land and no sooner than late 2025.
“This group will be meeting until at least July 1 of next year,” he said.
The article states:
It’s unclear when that vote will take place, Merkouris said, though it would happen only if the city first closes on the purchase of the land and no sooner than late 2025.
Isn't this the cart before the horse? We are going to spend 8.1 M on land before we know if the citizens want us to? I'm sure the seller will be happy. Has the city ever heard of an Option to Purchase? Why bother with an "advisory vote"? If it turns out that the citizens think its a bad idea, are we stuck with having paid 8.1 M for land without an agreed upon use for it, or does the term "advisory vote" really just mean "somebody has this project greased and its going ahead anyway regardless of what the non-binding election results are?
Bottom line, an Option to Purchase and then a vote makes a ton more sense.