Happy Friday! Megan here.

First things first, this issue is brought to you by The Good Night Theatre Collective.

  • The Good Night Theatre Collective is bringing the world premiere of a new musical comedy to Sioux Falls this week with "Parents' Weekend." Featuring the work of local playwright and performer Coleman Peterson, this brand-new musical follows the shenanigans that ensue when old college pals reunite to relive their glory days – at their kids’ freshman year of college. Snag tickets here for performances Friday and Saturday.

Weather check: Might be waking up to some snow

This week, the news just keeps comin'! Thanks to those of you who submitted questions about the Smithfield move, and know that I'm doing my best to answer as much as I can as more information becomes available. You'll find some TIF tea in this week's Super Simplified headlines. Plus, catch some feel-good school news and a look at The Link five years in.

And now, news:

CITY

Simplified: It's been five years since The Link triage center opened in downtown Sioux Falls. And while the facility has helped thousands of people facing active addiction or mental health crises, it's also consistently operating as much as $1 million in the red. Here's a look at how The Link is looking to the future.

Why it matters

  • The Link opened in the spring of 2021 as a partnership between the city of Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, Sanford Health and Avera Health. Right now, it's funded by all four of those entities, in addition to some philanthropic gifts and grants. Even with those funding sources, The Link's operational expenses outpace revenues leaving between a $700,000 and $1 million annual funding gap.
  • Since opening, the Link has helped more than 4,700 people in crisis – more than 70% of whom are unhoused. And while the facility is there for the immediate needs like detox, medically monitored withdrawal, and simply being a safe place for someone in a mental health crisis – the ultimate goal is to "link" people to services that support their long-term health.
  • Late last year, the board of directors for The Link hired Jason Lemke to serve as a project director. Lemke is tasked with restructuring the board to make it more operations-focused, and he's also looking at long-term financial sustainability for the triage center.
"There's no greater investment this community has made to battle homelessness," Mayor Paul TenHaken said of The Link.

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EDUCATION

This one-day event will provide meal kits to 400+ students

Simplified: A $15,000 in-kind donation from Amazon to the Sioux Falls Education Foundation will provide bags of snacks and take-home meals for 400 students Friday afternoon. Here's how it all came together.

Why it matters

  • The donations are from the local Amazon distribution center. Local Area Manager Lisa Trapp applied and received a grant from Amazon to give back to local schools by providing meal kits with non-perishable food items and recipes for how to turn them into meals to feed a family.
  • Nearly half of Sioux Falls School District students are eligible for free or reduced lunches, which is determined by household income. And at the two schools where meals will be distributed Friday afternoon, those percentages are much higher – about 60% at Marcella LeBeau Elementary and 100% at Horace Mann Elementary.
  • Friday's donation is the third time Amazon has partnered with the Sioux Falls Education Foundation for a giveaway at local schools. Last year, they distributed school supplies and winter gear to kids at George McGovern Middle School.
"We know we need to take care of our students' basic needs, so when they arrive at school they are focused, engaged and ready to learn," said Allison Struck, executive director of the Sioux Falls Education Foundation, a nonprofit that supports students and teachers in the Sioux Falls School District.

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TL;DR

Super Simplified Stories

  • The latest from Pierre. Tuesday is Crossover Day – the day any bills that aren't passed out of their house of origin die – so things are pretty busy in the Capitol right now. A couple noteworthy things to watch include airport funding, a failed attempt to reduce state sales tax, looking at 'alternative settings' for kids with behavior issues, 'parental rights' (and concerns that teachers would have to 'out' students to their parents), allowing charter schools and soda bans.
  • Midwest Street Medicine expanding. Midwest Street Medicine, which provides street-level outreach and medical care to unhoused folks, announced this week it'll expand its efforts to Pierre. The Pierre outreach team is expected to start work in March, and the nonprofit is already operating in both Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
    • “Street medicine works when everything else has failed,” Executive Director Melissa Dittberner said. “By bringing services directly to individuals in Pierre, alongside our extraordinary volunteers and partners, we are strengthening our commitment to practical solutions rooted in dignity, connection and community partnership.”
  • Hang with the butterflies.* The Butterfly House and Aquarium is hosting a Member Appreciation event on Saturday, Feb. 21 to recognize the support of those with a Monarch Membership for the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium. Members get early access starting at 9 a.m., complimentary refreshments from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and a chance to see a butterfly release at 9:45 a.m. Members also get a free butterfly feeder per group and a free gift, while supplies last. Learn more here. 

More Super Simplified Stories

  • ☕ The tea on the TIF. After a little confusion earlier in the week, I wanted to clarify that the $90 million tax-increment financing proposal for Smithfield covers a separate piece of land than the existing $94 million TIF at Foundation Park.
    • The $94 million TIF (background here) covers a good chunk of Foundation Park, but it's expanded north in the years since, and that northern bit is the area where Smithfield is slated to go. And that's where the new, $90 million TIF would go, if approved by council.
    • So, it's not a TIF on a TIF. It's the (potential) second-largest TIF in city history right next to the largest TIF in city history.
    • TIF.
  • Say goodbye to ski season. Great Bear Ski Valley is ending its season with the annual SnirtFest (snow + dirt = snirt) on Sunday, Feb. 22. The hill will be closed Friday to renovate the snow and then reopen for one last weekend of winter sports. This year's SnirtFest theme is Disney, with a costume contest at noon Sunday, and several events throughout the afternoon. Learn more here.
  • Does your website need help?* The folks at Web Funnel Express have your back. They've helped build, fix and manage worry-free websites across industries, including small- to medium sized businesses, nonprofits and associations. Whether you're seeing slow load times, broken links, missing access or a problem you just can't figure out, they'll jump on a free, one-hour call and do their best to fix things right then and there. Learn more and book your free website checkup call here. 

*Denotes a paid partnership

THIS AND THAT

What I'm falling for this week:

ICYMI

More Simplified Stories

Everything we know so far about Smithfield’s move and downtown’s future
Smithfield Foods this week announced plans to build a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in northwest Sioux Falls estimated at $1.3 billion. The move also opens up 120 acres of downtown for redevelopment.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa
Stuff to do: Feb. 18-24
Here’s a look at what’s going on in Sioux Falls this week.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa
Simplified: Pools, money for pools and city contracts
Your TL;DR headlines for the week.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa

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Thank you

Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including SafeSplash Swim School, Dakota State University, Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center, Startup Sioux Falls, Redmond Prime Cuts, Encompass Mental Health, the Sioux Falls YMCA, EmBe, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, the Washington Pavilion, The Premiere Playhouse, The Good Night Theatre Collective and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.

Oh, by the way

Your feedback is extremely helpful – hit the reply button and send any news tips, typos, complaints, compliments or cups of coffee my way. ❤️

Special thanks to The Good Night Theatre Collective!

Don't miss "Parents' Weekend," a brand-new musical from local playwright Coleman Peterson. The show runs through Saturday – grab your tickets here.