Seven of the 10 contenders for seats on the Rapid City Council fielded questions about parks and told an audience in the Dahl Cyclorama last week why they wanted the job.
Moderator Terry Mayes kept the conversation at a fast-moving pace, insuring that candidates never knew who was going to start the next round, adding fun and informality to the event.
We’ve summarized some of the most informative responses to questions that covered topics including how to find the money to maintain, expand, and protect the parks; what standards to apply to decisions allowing activities and projects in park land; the relationship between the Civic Center and Memorial Park, and finally, why each candidate thought he or she was the person for the job.
Ward 1
Vince Vidal
If we need parks and improvements to them, we have to consider taxes. I’m not opposed to consider putting the idea to a public vote, depending on the size.
Historic preservation is one of those decisions that has to be taken before you start down a path that you can’t get off of and may end up regretting if you start. For example, in San Antonio, the city grew up around the Alamo to the point that visitors can’t even see it. But as we preserve parks and the legacy of the 1972 flood, we have to understand the details and the cost.
After retiring from the Navy, we chose Rapid City as the place to raise our family. Now is a time to give back to a community where I had the opportunity to work for great companies, meet good people, and see what a difference good leaders can make.
Ward 2
Tim Rose
It is important to keep the greenway open and free of structures. We could have another flood like the one in 1972.
I support the expansion of the Civic Center, which will come before the Council June 26, and to the voters in November. We should consider investors, TIFs [tax increment financing], and look at some of the things Sioux Falls has done to support its arena.
I want to earn your vote. I have served on the planning commission and want to move up. I will listen to the citizens of Ward 2 and vote accordingly. I want to work for Rapid City.
Richard Towne
Our citizens are great at stepping up to expand the park system, for example Vikki Powers and Hansen-Larsen parks.
Any time we use the parks we have to consider safety first: how does it affect other services, the flood plain, access to Rapid Creek? Parks and green space need to be preserved. We need to keep the remembrance that this is a memorial to people who lost their lives in the flood.
We have an outstanding quality of life in Rapid City. It is paramount to maintain it. Citizens can get complacent, but we are Rapid City. We have to get involved and empowered. I want to see better communication between city government and citizens, action that moves faster, and more citizen involvement.
Ward 4
Rick Askvig
The Department of Parks & Recreation has the third largest departmental budget in the city. Parks bring people to the community and we should find a fair way to make non-city residents, visitors, and the events they attend in the parks contribute to the costs.
Designing the Civic Center to have its “front door” on the park and greenway is a good idea. The project has to be put to a vote.
My opponent was running unopposed and I felt I needed to step up. Many of our wards have depleted neighborhoods. We need to revitalize to make the city stronger, for example, more starter homes to stop losing residents to neighborhoods outside the city where they can find affordable housing.
Amanda Scott
I would support an increase in sales tax if we could earmark a portion of it for improvements and maintenance to parks, but we need a change in state law to increase our sales tax. Public private partnerships, endowments, district by district dedicated revenues are other ways to find funding.
When a private entity wants to do something in the parks, we have to ask first does it fit with the ideas and concepts in the Comprehensive Plan? Parks mean different things to different people. We should consider whether the activity or project complies with city ordinances? Does it follow the new Parks & Rec guidelines for events? What does it bring to Rapid City?
I’d like to use my skills to give back to the community. As a business manager I’m used to budgets, to having to make cuts, to balancing revenue and costs. The three things we need to work on are to bring in better jobs with better wages, develop affordable housing, and encourage controlled growth.
Ward 5
Darla Drew
Who can help us pay for parks? One possibility is to find partners such as the example of the Y taking over part of the cost of operating LaCroix Links. Another is to come up with a clause that requires green space be built into developments, especially in underserved areas.
Building in the greenway is non-negotiable. No more encroachment. People may say “it’s been 40 years, get over it.” No. Never. Temporary activities, even if they are good ones, can take a toll. In considering events like Music in the Park or Hills Alive we need to ask whether there are fees, costs of clean-up, who can participate?
I grew up here and want to see the positive continue. Parks are part of the change and we need them. Without Dinosaur Park we wouldn’t have any green space on Skyline Drive. Sustainable growth will be a challenge given our neighboring energy development centers. We don’t need that to come here, but we can reach out to the boom communities and serve as a sales and supply center for them.
Ron Sasso
Other cities have requirements that developments include parks. Public-private partnerships like the Promenade are another means. Another is a lot development fee that is not prohibitive, where the funds are dedicated for parks.
The plans that are coming forward for the Civic Center expansion include views out over the greenway and Memorial Park. The project as proposed at this point is very respectful of the memorial aspects of the park. A lot of feedback from the community has resulted in the parking ramp sited to the north, without any incursion into the park.
Having served on the city council from 2011 to 2013, I worked hard and learned a lot. Much of the job is trying to boil down very complicated issues so people understand the reality. I know how to listen, have managed a staff, and have had to face and deal with budget cuts. Rapid City is heading in a great direction and its leaders face difficult decisions.