Happy Friday! Megan here.
First things first: This newsletter is brought to you by EmBe.
- Don't miss EmBe's annual In Her Shoes Empowerment Breakfast on Thursday, March 12 at the Canopy by Hilton downtown. Join for an inspiring panel discussion moderated by Ali Bolger, featuring Natalie Eisenberg, Candy Hanson, LaVonne Gaspar, and Pam Miller.
- By attending, you will support EmBe’s women’s programs, which ensure accessibility and opportunities for all women in our community. Bring your mom, sister, daughter, or friend to be part of this unforgettable morning filled with empowerment, connection, and purpose. Get your tickets here.
Weather check: A stormy start to the weekend
This week, I warned you we'd be talking a lot about TIFs this month, and boy, howdy, was I right about that. I've got the latest drama there for ya, as well as a fun look at how the city is bringing public art to the Summit League.
And now, news:
CITY
Tri-Valley school board members speak out against Smithfield TIF
Smithfield: Tri-Valley school board members were among the roughly half-dozen people who spoke out against tax incentives for Smithfield's proposed relocation during a planning commission meeting Wednesday.
Why it matters
- The planning commission was the first public entity to take action on a proposed nearly $90 million tax-increment financing (TIF) district to help offset construction costs for a new, $1.3 billion pork processing plant in Foundation Park. The commission voted unanimously to advance the proposal to the City Council.
- City and economic development officials have said a TIF is one of the only economic incentives they can offer Smithfield, which employs about 3,200 people, noting that it wasn't a guarantee that the company would stay in Sioux Falls.
- But two school board members from Tri-Valley, the district that'd be impacted by the TIF, said they weren't contacted at all during the year-long behind-the-scenes planning process between Smithfield, the governor's office, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and the city.
"Not one of us was contacted beforehand ... It's very disheartening the way it worked out," board member Jeff McAreavey said. "A good neighbor would come to the actual other entity involved, and there's none of that happening."
Tell me more
COMMUNITY
How the city is connecting art and athletics at the Summit League
Simplified: A new public art project will help connect the Summit League Tournament to kids playing pickup basketball in Sioux Falls neighborhood parks. Here's what you need to know about Full Court Color: Arena to Asphalt.
Why it matters
- The idea stemmed from the Sioux Falls Arts Commission and a desire to bring public art into more community spaces. This project will give kids a space to sketch basketball-themed drawings that'll be compiled and shared on the backboards in parks across town.
- Local artist Les Cotton is facilitating the project, which includes tabling at the Summit League Tournament as well as sharing design prompt sheets with art teachers across the city. The hope is to coordinate so the artwork in local parks comes from kids who live in the neighborhood.
- For Cotton, it's all about finding ways to connect kids with art, give them space to be creative and show them that you can make a career as an artist.
"I’m just excited to share creativity with kids and see what they come up with, and ultimately make these basketball courts a little more fun and lovely to look at," Cotton said.
Tell me more
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
Meet the family business bringing natural health to Sioux Falls for half a century
This is a paid piece from Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center.
Simplified: From day one, Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center has been committed to educating and empowering customers to make the best decisions for their health with all-natural products. That mission rings true more than 55 years later.
Why it matters
- Founders Wayne and Mary Puetz first opened their natural health shop along Phillips Avenue downtown in 1970. Wayne, who was diagnosed at a young age with Multiple Sclerosis, found he could manage his own symptoms very effectively through managing his diet and nutrition with the help of supplements.
- The shop evolved its offerings over the decades, but it's consistently been a family affair. Not long after opening, Wayne's cousin Randy Reinartz joined the business in 1972, and he later passed down the business to his son and daughter-in-law, Andrew and Rosanne Reinartz, who took over the business in 2017.
- Today, Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center carries more than 3,000 unique products – all of which come from highly vetted suppliers to ensure the label on the bottle matches the product contained inside. At the end of the day, the goal is to help connect people to the supplements, skincare, cleaning products and more that'll best serve their day-to-day health.
"We want to empower you with the knowledge and products to make the best decisions that you can," Andrew Reinartz said. "We really believe in the ripple effect of if you have a good experience in the little community we have here, you'll hopefully make someone else's day a bit better. It's dropping the stone into the pond."
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TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- It's time to register for camp.* Give your kids an unforgettable summer camp experience at YMCA Camp Leif Ericson. Kids ages 4 to 15 can participate in these two-week camps, and campers this year also have a chance to enjoy a new partnership with the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium. Learn more and register here.
*Denotes paid partnership
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
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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
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