Well city council, you finally did it, after numerous attempts. $22.7 million of taxpayers’ money is to be spent on a strip of concrete.
Many of our taxpaying citizens (who have done nothing wrong) will possibly be forced to leave their homes, and attempt to find housing in a city that already has extremely limited affordable housing. Who gets the honor of condemning their property and telling them they cannot live in their home any longer? Absolutely tragic for our citizens, and definitely not needed.
Plus, our beautiful golf course might be torn up. Who knows how long it will take to recover from this landscaping project.
A golf course in Crofton, Nebraska, had to move a green, as it was falling into the Missouri River. That project began in the fall, and took the entire next summer. We possibly have a lot more than that to do at Edgebrook Golf Course because of this road.
I find it odd that the citizens of Brookings were never allowed to vote on this expensive project. Why not? Was the city council scared of the result of a city vote? This isn’t the city purchasing a piece of equipment for a city department, this is a multi-million dollar venture. This is our money, not the city council’s. The city council did indeed request funding from the state. With the great job the state did on Highway 14 (aka Sixth Street) and the 22nd Avenue intersection (moving traffic far better than ever before) – why spend $22.7 million for this project? The State of South Dakota ultimately denied the money for this project.
So, on to the federal government. First attempt, failed. Try, try again. Eventually the City Council got their wish, again with no input or vote from the tax-paying citizens of Brookings. Isn’t that taxation without representation? I wonder if the federal government even saw why the State of South Dakota had denied the request? Probably not.
End results, for what? The City Council continued to dangle a carrot about more retail on 22nd Avenue. Where? There is no space available – none. Developers cannot even find retail stores to begin construction on the Brookings Marketplace. Have you driven downtown lately? Many empty stores. Yet, the carrot of more retail was mentioned to ease the pain of a $22.7 million project. Rather devious. Will we see a tax increase to pay for this strip of concrete?
The fact that the taxpaying citizens of Brookings were not allowed to vote on this expensive project is sad.
This is an unneeded major construction venture that may uproot many citizens and potentially change our beautiful golf course. For what? A $22.7 million project that was never approved by the citizens of Brookings.
The city council stopped us and would not let us vote on this, but, we will be voting when they are up for reelection.
