• Category: Local News
• Published on Friday, 17 July 2009 00:37

Attendees to the 7/16 City Council meeting faced a packed room, barely even standing room.  The meeting started out as one would expect, with photo ops and ceremonial presentations.  Then we got to the good stuff.

The first major discussion was a real shocker.  It seems Black Hills Energy installed, without any permits, a pickup-sized natural gas compressor right off Research Drive in the middle of a residential neighborhood.  It's something to be used only a few times of year, on the coldest days during periods of peak demand in the morning.  This monstrosity runs at about 85dB, though its pressure relief valve peaks around 108dB.  They dropped it into the neighborhood, this exposed machinery full of valves, pipes, and other mechanical goodness, and what do they do to protect it?  Zilch, not even a chain link fence.  Nothing to deter kids from playing on it, tampering with it, etc.  Noise mitigation?  Nope.  C'mon, can they really be surprised by the public outcry?!  They're applying for a retroactive temporary usage permit, but in reality, have not presented any long term plan to produce confidence that this equipment really is temporary.  Well except for the two 4x4 posts that are wedged under a long span of pipe to help support that (not even concrete footings under those posts, literally just wedged in between the pipe and the dirt!)  Next Wednesday (7/22), the public is welcome to stop by at 1:00 when they'll fire it up so the council can see/hear it in action (it's on Research Drive across from the buss depot).  As for the council, they did grill the BH rep pretty harsh, but really overlooked a lot of the fine details.  A decision has been delayed, to be resolved no later than 9/3.

Finally, late into the evening, city manager David Buttery gave a short, informative presentation on the state of the proposed YMCA project.  The gist of it is that sales tax revenues are nowhere near the levels needed; at the current rate of savings we might be able to start the project in 15-20 years.  He asked the City Council for direction for how to proceed with this project.  The best funding option seems to be a 1% sales tax addition that would expire once the YMCA were paid for, and he recommend that the City allow him to craft a ballot measure, to then be reviewed by the council and in public hearings, before finally being placed on the November ballot.  It seemed like a reasonable way to move the project forward, but surprisingly, the council rejected the motion and did not present any alternative guidance to Buttery.  So, the YMCA project continues to be in limbo; Buttery showed that the current funding plan (existing sales tax revenue) will not work.  So, why does the City Council insist on keeping this project alive?  Let the voters decide - if we want it, we'll vote for the sales tax, it's really the best/only funding option.  As it is, one wonders if the four council members up for election next April are just afraid of even mentioning the possibility of a new tax...better to just keep votes in the dark regarding the state of the YMCA, than to tell them the truth, perhaps?

The meeting finally adjourned around a quarter past midnight.  Long meeting! 

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