SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A 2-year-old audit of Falls Park that Sioux Falls officials used to defend park safety protocol after a 5-year-old girl drowned in the area was actually a training exercise.
Documents released Wednesday to the Argus Leader show that what the city cited as an “independent review” and “safety audit” of the park was a training exercise for employees of the South Dakota Public Assurance Alliance, the city’s insurance company. The member-owned alliance helps insure more than 400 local government entities in the state.
Sioux Falls officials referred to the “safety audit” last week as evidence that the park’s safety precautions are adequate following the March 18 drowning death of Maggie Zaiger, who fell into the Big Sioux River at Falls Park. Maggie’s mother and several elected officials have called for more safety measures at the park, such as a barricade near the river’s edge.
No formal safety review of Falls Park was conducted in 2016, according to Robert Anderson, an attorney representing the assurance alliance.
Anderson said the SDPAA conducted internal training exercises during the summer of 2016. The exercises were administered by O’Connell Consulting, a safety management company. The alliance received permission to use Sioux Falls facilities and departments in the training, according to Anderson.
Alliance Executive Director Judith M. Payne later sent Mayor Mike Huether a letter giving the city high scores in risk management practices, but didn’t specifically determine which city assets the company inspected.
City Emergency Manager Regan Smith said he erred in calling the 2016 review an audit when addressing the media March 19.
“I inadvertently called it an audit and did not clarify that the SDPAA findings were relayed orally to the city team in 2016,” said Smith. “But I felt it was important to make myself available regarding safety measures taken at our city’s namesake and that no additional recommendations were made in 2016 beyond those implemented in 2013.”
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Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com
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