Mayor TenHaken Presents Five-Year Proposed Capital Program
Mayor Paul TenHaken presented his administration’s proposed 2021–2025 Capital Program to the Sioux Falls City Council and public on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The total proposed budget for the five-year Capital Program is $736.2 million, of which $196.1 million is programmed for use in 2021.
The five-year program balances the demands of maintaining the City’s existing assets and developing new infrastructure that serves as a foundation for growth, including investments in a Public Safety Training Facility and a continued emphasis on the City’s street rehabilitation program and roadway expansion.
While the past several months have presented significant challenges for our community and the nation, Mayor TenHaken discussed how the City is able to continue investing into forward-looking capital projects, due to decades of wise planning and decision-making.
TenHaken stressed that the program reflects the One Sioux Falls framework, which he established early on in his administration to guide the prioritization of projects.
The Mayor shared an overview of the Community Bond 2020 to be brought forward later this summer, which includes investments in the Public Safety Training Facility, fulfilling a critical need in the community to provide training to the City’s frontline public safety personnel.
Community Bond 2020 also includes investments in the expansion of the River Greenway. Phase 3 of this initiative will include a build-out of the west bank of the Big Sioux River in downtown from Kiwanis Park on the south to Falls Park on the north.
The investment into the River Greenway improvements will provide greater connectivity to our city’s namesake park and regional tourism hub. This public sector investment will serve as a catalyst to the long-awaited redevelopment of the Sioux Steel property and demonstrates the importance of the public and private sectors working together toward an aligned vision for Sioux Falls.
Street infrastructure and the condition of the City’s streets has been a priority of his administration from the start and will continue moving forward, TenHaken noted. This Capital Program invests a higher portion of the sales and use tax to street construction and maintenance than it did on average over the last decade. Those investments are paying off, as the City’s street network once again received a pavement management score of 70, exceeding the national average for the roadway network.
Mayor TenHaken outlined several roadway expansion projects that will open doors for further development and allow Sioux Falls to keep pace with projected traffic increases that come with a growing city. This includes a proposed new interchange at 85th Street and I-29, improvements to Arrowhead Parkway, and the conversion of the 41st Street and I-29 interchange to a diverging diamond interchange to help improve the safety and mobility of traffic.
The program also allocates investments in quality of life amenities, including starting an initial phase of expanding the Sioux Falls bike network in northwest Sioux Falls in the Cherry Creek trail corridor.
Despite the challenges the community has faced, TenHaken stressed that we must not lose sight of what makes our city strong.
“Focusing on our strengths will continue to help us move forward. We’re making thoughtful investments, guided by the One Sioux Falls framework, in maintaining our current assets while developing new infrastructure. The focuses of safety, shelter, employment, and people within that framework will continue to help us demonstrate our civic strength,” he said.
The proposed Capital Program is available at https://siouxfalls.org/finance/capital-programs. The City Council will hold budget hearings on the proposed Capital Program and operating budget in August and consider approval of the 2021 budget in September.
Multimedia (click to download)
Cherry Creek Recreation Trail (video)
Public Safety Training Facility Rendering
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