This letter is being sent in response to the front-page article and the Speakout viewpoint in The Brookings Register on June 22.
According to the article, the city council is going to attempt, again, to apply for a partial grant to use taxpayer’s monies to pay for a proposed overpass / interchange. This request was made once for the State of South Dakota, and once for the federal government. Both were rejected. Now, the estimated cost for this project is $23 million. Wow. Brookings will have to pay $4.6 million.
With this staggering multimillion dollar expense, why aren’t the citizens allowed to vote on how their taxes are being spent? Let’s put it to a public vote. Let the taxpayers decide. Do our representatives feel it is necessary to spend our tax monies without the voters deciding where the monies should be spent?
Let the taxpayers vote on it instead of a handful of representatives.
The map on the city of Brookings website shows a huge impact of our great golf course. The map indicates that at least five greens and one fairway are affected. Relocating and redesigning those would take months if not years. Also, many taxpaying residents would be evicted from their homes. Why? For what?
Now, thoughts on the Speakout. A couple things in this person’s opinion.
• "On behalf of our 515 members and their employees." Did these members and individuals vote to endorse this expensive project?
Businesses will spur economic development along 20th Street South. And 22nd Avenue South. Where? Homeowners, retail, medical facilities and manufacturing businesses currently exist – results: no land is available for development. Gosh, the city has been attempting to develop the Marketplace for over three years – and the developer has requested a two-year extension. Obviously finding new businesses is very challenging. However, if that is the goal, our existing 32nd Street South overpass, which is already there, has miles of open land for potential new businesses.
•The writer states a study done in the year 2000. That’s 19 years ago. Significant important improvements concerning traffic have been implemented in the past 19 years – particularly, recently with Sixth Street, and currently underway 22nd Avenue. Fantastic improvements concerning traffic flow. Incidentally, there has not been a traffic study completed since the State of South Dakota completed the monumental improvement on Sixth Street. No new information – all old and outdated info.
Any grant would require an up to date traffic study, and that will not be available until after 22nd Avenue is completed, probably in November of this year.
Our community does not need this expensive project. Utilize the 32nd Street South overpass, which is there, paid for, and works perfectly every day of the week. The city is obviously growing to the south. Let’s use the 32nd Street South overpass, and if truly necessary, add in an interchange there. Far less monies then starting from scratch. Plenty of potential business opportunities.
Common sense has to kick in. An unneeded expensive project, paid for by taxpayers monies? There is a reason the State of South Dakota and the federal government denied the grants. Let’s work with what we have, and use the existing overpass.
Stop trying to spend our monies. Let’s vote on it and see if the taxpayers think this project is worthwhile. Voting is the only true representation.
