Informational Meeting

MINUTES Monday, October 17, 2016 Informational Meeting 4 PM at Carnegie Town Hall Sioux Falls City Council 235 West Tenth Street Members Present: Christine M. Erickson, Rick Kiley, Greg Neitzert, Rex Rolfing, Marshall Selberg, Pat Starr, Theresa Stehly Members Absent: Michelle Erpenbach and Mike T. Huether Staff Present: Denise D. Tucker, MMC, Assistant City Clerk; David Bixler, Budget Analyst; and Jim David, Legislative/Operations Manager 1. Call To Order City Council Chair Rex Rolfing called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. 2. City Council Open Discussion Council Member Christine M. Erickson spoke about participating in last week's "Cold Hands, Warm Hearts" fundraising sleep out at the Bishop Dudley House. Nine people participated in the event and they learned about the facility, its mission and programs. She said they slept in refrigerator boxes outside in a tent. Erickson said it was an eye opening experience. Council Member Greg Neitzert said that he and his daughter, Olivia, went to the MIDCO Aquatic Center on Saturday. He highly recommends people go to the center. Discussion followed. Council Member Theresa Stehly said she spent four hours in a combine on Friday, with Walter Bones on his farm, west of Tea. Bones is a former South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture. She said they discussed sales tax growth and how it's affected by the farm economy. Stehly explained how low prices have farmers tightening their belts. An invitation was extended to Council members to visit Bones’ Farm. Rolfing said on Thursday night he was honored to give the welcome for the Blue Light Project at the Empire Mall. The project is a nationwide recognition of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. He provided a brief history of the event. Rolfing encouraged everyone to put up a blue light, especially during the holiday season. 3. Presentations A. South Dakota Municipal League Report by Councilor Christine M. Erickson Presentation: Approx. 5 minutes followed by discussion Erickson said that last week, she and Councilors Pat Starr, Rick Kiley and Rolfing attended the South Dakota Municipal League meeting. She is the Council's representative on the board. Erickson said the main item of discussion was the rural attorney program. The Board wants to make some changes to it and to be able to recruit attorneys out of the rural areas. The Board supported this decision, but it will not have an impact on Sioux Falls. During the conference, the Council members had an opportunity to meet with the Rapid City Council. She spoke about what they discussed. Erickson mentioned the breakout sessions and highlighted a session on drugs. Sioux Falls was invited to be a part of Project Stand Up, which pertains to drug prevention. Erickson also enjoyed a session on stakeholder communications, "Being your best/preparing for the worse"; and attending a general session on "A date with the State, making your voice heard in Pierre". She said it was a great time and great learning. Discussion followed. Starr said it was great meeting with the Rapid City Council. He spoke about a recent meeting they had regarding meth and how a young lady, approximately 15- years-old, approached the podium to ask for help and where to go for help. Starr said it shocked him and he has spent time pondering what facilities are available in Sioux Falls, and what he would do to recommend a place. Another thing that stood out for Starr, was a presentation by Kelby Mieras, with the Parks and Recreation Department, regarding the Emerald Ash Borer. Rolfing added that the Municipal League Meeting will be in Sioux Falls next year and he encouraged Councilors to attend. He said the Rapid City Council Members would like to meet again, but their big question was what big event was going on at the Premier Event Center, which they could come down for. Rolfing said he found it interesting that they knew about the Event Center and what was going on there. B. September Financial Report by Tracy Turbak, Director of Finance Presentation: Approx. 15 minutes followed by discussion Tracy Turbak, Finance Director, said it is gratifying to hear the positive comments about the MIDCO Aquatics Center. He then led a PowerPoint presentation regarding the September Financial Report. He discussed the following PowerPoint slides in his presentation: Sioux Falls MSA Unemployment; Building Permits, YTD Permit Valuations; Sales Tax Collections w/out Audits, Cumulative 12 Month Rolling Growth Rate; Entertainment Tax Collections w/out Audits, Cumulative 12 Month Rolling Growth Rate; Revenue YTD; and Expense YTD. Discussion followed. C. Rail Yard Redevelopment Project Update by Mike Cooper, Director of Planning and Building Services; Daren Ketcham, Director of Community Development and Public Parking; Cary Thomsen, Landscape Architect, RDG Planning & Design, Omaha, NE Presentation: Approx. 30 minutes followed by discussion Mike Cooper, Director of Planning and Building Services, began by introducing the internal project team that will be working on the next phase of this project. He then spoke about the high level of interest in downtown Sioux Falls and interest in expansion. Cary Thomsen, Landscape Architect, with RDG Planning and Design, Omaha, NE, led the PowerPoint presentation. He discussed the following slides: Project Overview; Past Plans; Site Inventory; Existing Site; Public Input; Preliminary Concepts; Concept Vision and Goals; Concept Redevelopment Program; Concept Transportation Framework; Concept Open Space and Pedestrian Circulation; and Concept - Aerial viewing looking north. Daren Ketcham, Director of Community Development, said it was exciting for the community to see what the Rail Yard Development could look like. Overall, it could take a couple of decades to complete the development and could result in about $150 million in private investments to fully develop the area. Ketcham said the next step is for the team to draft the Request for Proposals for developers and interested parties. He believes this will be done by the end of the year and released in the beginning of the year. It will take time to both develop a plan for the area and for a developer to be selected. Ketcham said they hope to have a project identified by the Spring of 2017 and mentioned that negotiations of a multi-million project could take a year or more and is hoping for a late Spring or early Summer 2018 groundbreaking. He said this will be a multi-year process and regular updates will be provided to the Council. The Council will have a role in the selection as a scoring member of the RFP. They are planning on having a diverse group of people involved. Discussion followed. Stehly asked about total parcels for the project, what happens if an owner changes their mind about the purpose of their property, and if the City going to own any property. Ketcham said they are seeking larger developments and it could be about six to 10 parcels. He added that the RFP will come into play regarding the development of a parcel as well as the zoning. Ketcham said it is not their intention to retain ownership, but to sell the parcels. Neitzert questioned zoning, streets and the sanitary sewer capacity of the area. Discussion followed. Erickson asked if the Council and a citizen will be included in the RFP selection committee. Ketcham said a Council member will be included and they will discuss the benefits of adding another citizen. Erickson asked about trains, the impact of the flood zone, and paying for a potential parking garage. Discussion followed. Neitzert commented on potential ways to buffer the railroad tracks. He inquired  about what would happen to the money generated from sale of parcels. Discussion followed. Starr reiterated that today's discussion is of a concept plan and that there are no plans to purchase additional land. Rolfing asked about past projects that RDG has done. Discussion followed. He asked what would happen if someone wanted to put in a 20 story building, the number of developers, and number of RFPs that will be involved in this project. Discussion followed. Cooper said this presentation and additional information will be available on the City's website by the end of the week. 4. Adjournment City Council Chair Rex Rolfing adjourned the meeting at 5:29 p.m. Denise D. Tucker, MMC Assistant City Clerk