Informational Meeting

MINUTES Informational Meeting Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 4:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Council Members Present: David Barranco, Sarah Cole, Alex Jensen, Rich Merkouris, Greg Neitzert, Marshall Selberg, Curt Soehl, Pat Starr Council Members Absent: None Council Chair Curt Soehl called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. 2. Councilor Remarks There were none. 3. Presentations A. Downtown Parking Ramp Update by Dustin Powers, Business Development Coordinator Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion Powers provided the presentation. He discussed work going on in the third and fourth quarters of this year, which includes: Council Informational updates; partner meetings with the Governor's Office of Economic Development, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Downtown Sioux Falls, the Planning Commission, and Parking Board leadership. The team has also been having ongoing discussions and tours with industry leaders and expects to announce in early November that the application process is open. Powers reviewed the goals and expectations of the process and project: maximizing the City’s existing investment; using a development and construction team with experience extending beyond greenfield sites; leveraging the site location and existing parking to create density, activity and uses that will benefit Sioux Falls; creating a mix of uses within the development; activating 10th Street frontage and increasing connectivity and walkability; using quality design and lasting materials that protect the City’s existing investment; and, consistency with vision within the 2035 Downtown Plan. The project team includes a Council Member (Selberg), the Business Development Coordinator, the Director of Planning and Development Services, Director of Finance, Director of Public Works, the Public Parking Manager, a Public Parking Advisory Board representative, and a 2035 Downtown Plan Advisory Committee representative. Powers reviewed the negotiated sales process from application to review and selection. He explained that a negotiated sale is not complete until the  agreements have been approved by the City Council, signed by all parties, and closing of the sale/lease has occurred. Next steps in the process include consideration of a Resolution of Intent to Lease and List at the Council Meeting of November 1st, announcement of the solicitation on November 7th, and the start of application reviews on January 7th. Discussion followed about: the choice of a negotiated sale versus a Request for Proposals; accountability throughout the process; role of the project team; timeline for applications and selection; whether a report from the last selection effort was ever compiled; if lessons learned were captured from the last project attempt; and, the process for selection. B. Parks and Recreation - IcePlex/Tennis Center Updates by Don Kearney, Director of Parks and Recreation Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion Kearney opened the presentation by explaining the purpose of the presentation is to provide updates to the Council on each facility as they received appropriations from the City in the past. Joe Zueger, one of the organizers for the IcePlex, provided an operations update on the facility. The Ice Sports Association (ISA) is a South Dakota Nonprofit that was founded in 2009 to address indoor ice availability in the City. As a legal entity, it raised funds, conducted studies, and opened the facility in the fourth quarter of 2014. The vision of ISA has been to address two primary community needs: a shortage in supply of sufficient ice time to meet current/future local and regional demand; and to replace substandard facilities. In 2010, ISA began a fundraising campaign that ultimately resulted in $7.9M and the opening of three sheets in 2014. Since then, the IcePlex has satisfied all terms of the City Agreement. The IcePlex continues to have a substantive impact on the community through increased growth in user groups and a host of activities. The IcePlex will continue to retire debt and assess responsible opportunities to expand. Discussion followed about the impact on neighborhood skating facilities and overall utilization of the IcePlex. Mark Velleck, Executive Director for the tennis center, provided an update on the indoor complex. In 2015, the Sioux Falls Tennis Association had raised approximately $4.25M for a new facility, which included $500K from the City. By year four of operations, the facility was operating in the black. Its mission is to make tennis accessible; grow interest in the sport; and to encourage youth to take up the sport. The facility currently includes over 1,600 junior and 200 adult player members. This past year, 14 tournaments were hosted with players representing 31 States. Additional programming at the facility is also provided for those with special needs, underserved youth, and families. In 2017, it was named National Public Facility of the Year. A need has been identified for additional court space. The current proposal includes four additional courts to be funded through contributed funds. Presently, the facility is short $175K from its goal. Discussion followed about: fundraising; attendance at events; and where to find out more information about the facility. 4. Public Comment  Scott Ehrisman spoke about the benefits of private funding for sports programs and the process for a selecting a developer for the ramp project. 5. Adjournment Council Chair Curt Soehl adjourned the meeting at 5:07 p.m. Thomas M. Greco, City Clerk