Meet the folks overseeing the Riverline District's next steps

Megan Raposa -

Simplified: Last week, Mayor Paul TenHaken and the Sioux Falls City Council announced the appointment of eight people to a steering committee overseeing the next steps in the Riverline District – the site TenHaken's set sights on for a new downtown convention center.

Why it matters

  • City Council last month approved the $8 million needed to purchase the 7-acre parcel of land east of downtown near the 10th Street viaduct. The catch, though, was that purchase had to be approved by a committee.
  • The initial resolution stipulated that four members of the committee would be selected by the City Council and four by the mayor. Instead, Councilor Rich Merkouris said he, Councilor Curt Soehl and the mayor sat down and selected eight people they all agreed on for the committee.
  • Sioux Falls Simplified reached out to all eight committee members and was able to connect with most of them.
    • Largely, the consensus is they're optimistic – or at least curious – about the mayor's vision for a convention center downtown – though they admit it's early in the process and a lot of questions will need to be answered before any decisions are made.
"I would encourage consumers to be a part of the process, go to meetings and give their feedback," said Jessie Schmidt, steering committee member and vice president of the South Dakota region for the Better Business Bureau.

Who all is on the committee?

The committee is made up of the following:

  • Alex Halbach, Sioux Falls attorney,
  • Rick Kiley, former City Council member,
  • Rhonda Lockwood, Sioux Falls attorney,
  • Rich Merkouris, current City Council member,
  • Cynthia Mickelson, attorney and former Sioux Falls School Board member who helped oversee the historic $180 million bond back in 2018.
  • Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation – the organization that currently holds the 7-acre parcel of land making up the Riverline District,
  • Tony Nour, First Premier Bank executive,
  • Jessie Schmidt, who in addition to her work with the BBB also spent a decade as planning commissioner for the City of Sioux Falls.

What's the vibe?

Merkouris said specifically that the mayor and council's goal was not to find a group of people who were all already in favor of a downtown convention center.

  • Rather, the goal was to find people with expertise related to things like city planning, legalese, large purchases and bond elections.

Merkouris, himself, hopes to be a voice for the neighborhoods as well as an advocate for a transparent process.

Mickelson said she's planning to wear her "attorney hat" in steering committee meetings when it comes to looking at contracts, etc. It's too soon for her to say if she's supportive of a downtown Convention Center or not.

"I remember when we built the Denny (Sanford Premier Center) where it is, it was to help the Convention Center and grow it," Mickelson said. "And so I do have a lot of questions, but I’m open-minded."

There's also the perspective of Mundt, who's in strong support for TenHaken's vision.

"Looking at the growth pattern of Sioux Falls, we're looking at a good opportunity," Mundt said.

What happens next?

The steering committee meetings are expected to be held monthly, and Merkouris said they'll be open to the public.

"There won't be a convention center without a public vote," he said.