It is with GREAT pleasure to report that WFIE Channel 14 is reporting that the Roberts Stadium lot is FINALLY not going to be considered for the ball field's project. Here's the link...
http://www.14wfie.com/story/13583591/sports-complex-will-not-be-built-on-wesselman-parkroberts-stadium-property
Today is yet another great day for the Save Roberts Stadium movement. I'm extremely thrilled to see Roberts Stadium's future turn a little bit more to the bright side. I first want to thank you the reader of this blog for coming here and being active with this issue. The amount of people who have visited this site since its inception has been nothing short of amazing. I've thoroughly enjoyed the emails I have been getting with all kinds of ideas for Roberts Stadium. There's no doubt in my mind that the readers of this blog are the most passionate, creative, and active residents in Evansville. I ask that you continue with these efforts as we still have a long way to go.
These past 24 hours have been great just knowing that 8 basic and dull ball fields will not occupy the current ground that historic Roberts Stadium sits on. Too many great moments have occurred at Roberts Stadium to compromise its history for these dull and short sighted fields. We have many many great and viable ideas for Roberts Stadium and I thank you the viewer for shoving them in the face of city officials who would love nothing more than to make these ideas vanish.
In regards to the ball fields themselves, I want the record to show just how disappointed I am with David Dunn and the ECVB. I posted numerous times on this blog my openness and willingness to want to work with Dunn to build the 8 best ball fields money could buy.
I still insist that these fields MUST be built at Kleymeyer Park where they could take full advantage of the methane gas to produce electricity, they MUST be built to replicate 8 vintage MLB fields, and they MUST work hand-in-hand with Bosse Field and the Evansville Otters to schedule championship women's (and men's too) softball tournaments to commemorate the movie " A League of Their Own."
I have presented this plan in front of Dunn and the EVCB at a County Council meeting and I have emailed them countless times with my plan. Unfortunately, they do not want to take me up on my offer, despite the fact that I am willing to work day and night at no taxpayer expense to get this project done. I am very disappointed that Mr. Dunn and the ECVB have chosen to ignore me and the ideas that I bring to the table. I ask that they reconsider this decision.
I'm also extremely disappointed to hear ECVB Executive Director Joe Vezzoso say that the 3-4 current sites they are looking at putting the ball fields on are outside the city limits. This is a TERRIBLE idea and I will be speaking out against each of these sites in future posts on this blog. We MUST put these fields inside the city limits and at Kleymeyer Park where they will have a competitive advantage and stimulate the area around them.
With all of that being said, we still have a terribly long way to go with saving Roberts Stadium as well. Roberts Stadium's future is still very much in doubt given that it has become quite apparent that city officials will do anything they can to find a way to demolish it.
I also found the statements by the ECVB in this recent article from the City-County Observer to be extremely disturbing...
http://city-countyobserver.com/2010/11/30/evansville-convention-and-visitors-bureau-disappointed-that-ball-fields-project-did-not-garner-support/
"Joe Vezzoso (Executive Director of the ECVB) said that the money in the budget could be used to reduce the Inn Keepers tax. If nothing is done it will cost the City $400,000 per year to maintain Roberts Stadium..."
Ah, so the costs of maintaining Roberts Stadium have gone from under $300,000, to $300,000, then to $390,000, and now up to $400,000? I find it very interesting that these costs keep magically rising when the stadium is still in operation today. Where are these estimated costs on a balance sheet (I sure hope there aren't any more half-truths going on here again!)? Does anybody really know how much it would cost to mothball Roberts Stadium? And why does the ECVB and other city officials insist on mothballing it after the new arena opens? You're telling me that there are no events like the Home Show or the Boat Show that you could stick in there a few days of the year to offset its costs? This is purely ridiculous.
"... he (Vezzoso) would like to see a strip mall go in there."
This has got to be the most absurd thing I have ever heard. Everyone who has ever taken a position on Roberts Stadium, whether it be the mayor, a council member, or a nearby resident, has said the worst thing they fear is the placement of a strip mall on this location. This is a TERRIBLE idea and it would never get any support. I'm shocked beyond shocked that Vezzoso thinks a strip mall is the best option for the land. These are the same people who are put in charge of designing the ball field complex!
I firmly believe that my plan, which consists of making Roberts Stadium an indoor swimming pool, an indoor water park resort, or a botanical garden along with replanting the back parking lot, would be fully supported by the Evansville community. I challenge the ECVB and city officials to consider this plan!
"Bob Whitehouse reported that the hotels have had an extremely good year. He said he has met with the Jehovah Witnesses and that they are coming to town to talk about their convention, and they have some concerns."
I would imagine that they have several concerns with the shift to the new arena. Rumors have been abound from day 1 that they want to stay at Roberts Stadium. Why not sell them the stadium and preserve history?
"Joe Vezzoso warned the Tennis Association that they will face the same resistance that the ECVB did with the ball fields, from the neighbors, the community, and the County Council. Currently there is a tender situation at Wesselman Park. The Bureau needs to bring tourism and they have the Inn Keepers support to put heads in beds."
Sour grapes? This tells me right here that you the reader of this blog did your job. You took it upon yourself to make sure city officials heard your support for saving Roberts Stadium, and I am truly grateful to you for that. They thought they would just ram this through the council and commissions without anyone noticing until Roberts Stadium disappeared. We took a stand and now they must do the right thing and SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!
As you can see, we still have a long way to go to make sure the ball fields are built at the correct site and that Roberts Stadium has a suitable purpose for it once the Aces and Co. vacate the historic grounds for the new downtown arena. I truly believe that with your support we can get this done. We must and we will SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!
However, for the time being, let's celebrate this great victory!
No comments:
Post a Comment