History group circulating Powder House Rd petitions

A group of Sioux Falls residents irked by a decision earlier this year to change the name of Powder House Road to Veterans Parkway is digging in with a ballot drive in hopes of letting the public settle the debate.

Jim Carlson and a team of history enthusiasts have formed a ballot committee called “People for Veterans Parkway and Powder House Road,” after a July decision by the Sioux Falls City Council to call the partially-built Highway 100, which encompasses what was formerly known as Powder House Road, Veterans Parkway. Councilors who favored the move say the name change honors area veterans, but opponents of the switch say the new name is a disservice to area history.

Carlson’s group last month formally filed paperwork with the City Clerk’s Office for two separate ballot initiatives: One to revert Veterans Parkway to Powder House Road along the stretch of Highway 100 that is Highway 11. Another would change Russell Avenue to Veterans Parkway.

“We think the original, whole idea of honoring veterans with a parkway is a good idea. We just didn’t think it should be on Powder House Road,” Carlson said.

Carlson said People for Veterans Parkway and Powder House Road think Russell Street is better suited to pay homage to military veterans. The air base and airfield are just north of the roadway, the city’s Veteran’s Memorial Park sits off Russell Street and the road sees more traffic than Highway 11 and Highway 100, Carlson said.

“And a lot of people don’t even know that the Terrace Park swimming pool, the first one was built by soldiers stationed down at the army technical school,” he said.

Changing a street name requires properties that abut the road being reclassified to change their addresses. When Powder House Road was nixed for Veterans Parkway, only a handful of properties were impacted due to a service road that remained named Powder House Road. Carlson said the same would apply if voters decide to rename Russell Street, which is paralleled by service roads of the same name. Those wouldn’t need to be changed if voters side with Friends of Veterans Parkway and Powder House Road, Carlson said.

The group has until Jan. 4, 2016, to obtain about 5,200 signatures from people registered to vote in Sioux Falls for each initiative in order to get the questions on the April 16, 2016 municipal ballot.