An Arena That Divided A Whole City

(photo credit: tbd.com)

If you scour through the studies on the new arena's website, you will notice that the main study performed for the city focused on cities our size and what they did with their venues. One of the cities that sticks out is Corpus Christi, Texas.

In 2004, Corpus Christi opened up American Bank Center. Although it only has a capacity of 8,156 for a city with 305,215, the new arena is able to host many functions in Corpus Christi whether it's meetings and conventions, trade shows and exhibitions, live performances and sporting events, the Corpus Christi IceRays Tier II Jr. A ice hockey team, the Corpus Christi Hammerheads Indoor Football Team, or the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball teams.

On the flip side of this development was Corpus Christi's Memorial Coliseum.

(photo credit: flickr.com member Stu_Jo)

Located on the bayfront in Corpus Christi, Texas, Memorial Coliseum was dedicated on September 26, 1954 to 400 men and women who gave their lives in World War II. The dedication was sponsored by the Gold Star Mothers of Texas and was attended by local, state and military officials. The architect of Memorial Coliseum, Richard S. Colley, is Corpus Christi's local star in the world of architecture.

Memorial Coliseum was an architecturally significant building of Mid-Century modern style. Extremely well constructed, its footings are anchored into the original seabed, well below the 1940s fill. The curved roof contains 260 tons of structural steel in a lamella space frame (diamond shape design) with a thin concrete cover. This strong, yet light roof structure allowed for the barrel-shaped 224-foot unsupported span, which was the world’s longest when it was built. As an additional plus factor, this kind of construction keeps insurance costs low and maintenance over 40 years is lower than in traditional buildings.

Colley's Coliseum design began attracting the attention of the national architectural community even before it was built. In January 1952, the ‘auditorium plan’ (Coliseum and Exposition Hall) was awarded the annual jury prize by Progressive Architecture for being “the most noteworthy submission among buildings for public use.” The entire complex (Coliseum, Exposition Hall and City Hall) were featured in a 16-page article in February 1953 issue of Progressive Architecture which included photographs, floor plans and construction details.

In 1954, during the final construction phase of the Coliseum, Progressive Architecture featured the building again. Its lamella roof was pictured on the magazine’s cover and the related article discussed the design of the auditorium and included several photos of the building under construction.

In 1955, Memorial Coliseum was included in the “Building and Construction” section of the Encyclopedia Britannica Book-of-the-Year.

In 1958, the Coliseum was photographed for the Carnegie Study of the Arts of the United States by photographer John Waggaman. It was chosen because of its “significance in the history of American Architecture” and for its “successful merger of beauty and functionality.” A photograph of Memorial Coliseum was also displayed in the United States pavilion at Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair.

Both the unusual design and the innovative construction methods of Memorial Coliseum were featured in Engineering News-Record, Architectural Forum, United States Steel trade magazine, Time magazine, Architectural Record, Welding Arcs, L’architecture d’aujourd’hui (France), Techniques et Architecture (France) and Informes de la Construccion (Spain), just to name a few.

The fate of Memorial Coliseum came into question when Corpus Christi opened the new American Bank Center in the fall of 2004 taking all of Memorial Coliseum's tenants. After 5 years of tossing ideas and strategies around, the city considered five different proposals in 2009...

http://www.caller.com/news/2009/aug/08/five-plans-for-development-n-goal-is-to-break/

After a few months of deliberation, National Swimming Center Corp. was chosen as the winning proposal. Things were looking up as Memorial Coliseum was going to be converted into a swimming center used to house USA Swimming events. But then in 2010, it became apparent that National Swimming Center Corp. wasn't going to be able to secure the funding to build the hotel around the complex much less renovate the building itself.

A battle ensued between local preservation groups and Corpus Christi's city hall to either save or demolish the building. Local preservation groups introduced many great proposals with one proposal calling for only the historic roof being left intact as a memorial to the veterans it was built for. But in the end, city hall was victorious and demolition work started on Memorial Coliseum on June 30th, 2010. Even worse, the demolition just finished up this month...

http://www.caller.com/news/2011/apr/26/corpus-christi-council-votes-against-spending-more/

http://www.caller.com/news/2011/may/02/memorial-coliseum-site-to-be-complete-in-a-week/

Here are two great videos put on by the group dedicated to saving Memorial Coliseum that I think speaks volumes about the mistake Corpus Christi made when they demolished Memorial Coliseum...

The scariest part about the whole Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum debacle is that local officials here in Evansville have taken notice of what has been going on and want to replicate it here in Evansville...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/jul/20/one-citysstadiumsolution/

"My strong suggestion to any community that's going to build an arena like this, that they not try to cut corners and come up with something that's going to cause them more problems than necessary," Garrett said.

We've done made the mistake of demolishing the Big E and building an arena too small to go after NCAA tournaments. Let's not compound these mistakes by demolishing Roberts Stadium and ending up with having to expound several thousand dollars on irrigated sod grass like Corpus Christi is doing.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/jul/20/with-replacement-venue-built-city-ponders-fate/

"The 5,400-seat coliseum has sentimental value among many longtime Corpus Christi residents.

It was designed by a well-known local architect, Richard Colley, and is a memorial to World War II veterans.

It has hosted famous musicians such as Elvis Presley and has withstood hurricane-force winds.

"It's indestructible," Hummell said. "There's a lot of concrete and steel. There's no way we can build something like that down there. It would be cost prohibitive. So it's going to be a lot better to try and renovate.""

Yet Corpus Christi's city hall ignored their historic memorial to their veterans that was fully capable of being renovated and chose to demolish it. Why do we want to be like Corpus Christi?

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/jul/21/defining-success/

"The one thing that you've got to take into consideration is the multiplier effect that happens when you have an event at a venue like an arena," he said. "That is you've got people coming to your city, not only buying the tickets, but they're also drinking and eating and spending an extra night in your city."

Exactly! So why don't we raise the floor up at Roberts Stadium and let it serve mid-sized events such as indoor football, indoor soccer, minor league basketball, mid-sized concerts, and youth basketball and soccer tournaments?

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/aug/22/lessons-from-an-old-texas-arena/?partner=RSS

"Roberts may be "perfectly good," but someone has to pay to heat it in winter, cool it in summer, maintain the roof and keep it secure. Maintenance costs for old buildings can't be carried on the books forever."

The Old Post Office, the Old Greyhound Bus Station, the Old Courthouse, and the Soldiers & Sailors Coliseum have all stood the test of time and are still producing for Evansville as we speak. There's no reason at all that Roberts Stadium cannot do the same.

"For those who suggest that Roberts be maintained or renovated as an events center, the factors that led to the decision to build new instead of renovate Roberts remain: The arena floor is below the water table and the building needs to be upgraded to be fully accessible to the disabled."

We don't need to renovate Roberts Stadium into a premier arena. Now that the new arena is being built it's clear as day that Roberts Stadium needs to be a mid-sized arena. If we simply raise the floor back up (which is cheaper than demolition), the whole water table issue is gone. Period. And if we raise the floor, we will be in compliance with the ADA.

"Ballfields or no ballfields, a solution must be found. It will not be prudent or practical for the city of Evansville to continue to maintain and operate Roberts Stadium."

Roberts Stadium has done more for this community and will do more for this community than Dunn's ball fields plan ever could do. You want youth sports? Let's start with Roberts Stadium!

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/sep/05/visitors-bureau-addresses-ballpark-plan/

"Roberts Stadium will be vacant by the end of 2011. If The Park plan is not approved, it will cost property taxpayers an estimated $500,000 a year to maintain that vacant property, or more than $1 million to tear it down.

In an August 22, 2010, column in this newspaper, Courier & Press Editor Mizell Stewart III wrote of the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, spending $800,000 in tax dollars to tear down its old stadium after it sat vacant for more than six years and fell into disrepair. The Park plan offers an opportunity to avoid that scenario here."

Interestingly enough, only David Dunn estimated the moth ball costs to be $500,000. We've heard $280,000, $300,000, and $400,000. We also heard from Dunn himself that maintenance costs on the ball fields were going to range from $300,000-$500,000. Who knows why we would want to demolish Roberts Stadium and build something dull and boring that will cost more to maintain. One thing we do know: They're just making up these costs to scare you into wanting to demolish Roberts Stadium.

In regards to the demolition costs, as evidenced in the article above, demolition was a terrible and expensive task for Corpus Christi. So why in the world would we want to replicate that here? Dunn just made my argument for me especially given the testimony from Corpus Christi that Memorial Coliseum was healthy (injured but healthy nonetheless). In 2008, HNTB did not find one thing wrong with Roberts Stadium's structure largely due to the fact that it was renovated in the 1990s. Why pay $1-$2 million to demolish something we just stuck over $1.5 million into?

Overall, I think these are the real things we need to learn from the Corpus Christi situation...

1. City hall needs to listen to the people. The majority of people wanted the coliseum to stay. City hall ignored them and now no one is happy.

2. Make sure you get a good developer. Corpus Christi claims that they tried everything, but if you read the articles and watched the videos you will see that there were at least 4-5 viable plans that were ignored in favor of National Swim Corp. who has, at best, a shady past....

http://www.statesman.com/business/swim-center-drawing-skepticism-in-florida-621668.html

The last thing we need is for our city government to choose a plan that is dead from the start because the city doesn't want to spend the money, the developer doesn't have the money, or neither really intended to go through with the plan, they just wanted to make it look like they gave an effort. We seen that with the Big E, let's not go through that again with Roberts Stadium.

3. Don't mistake time for effort. Corpus Christi's government claims they tried everything but in reality they just let it sit there for years upon years and blamed it on lack of proposals when several groups were working on viable plans. Let's not let our government ignore Roberts Stadium just so they can tear it down later.

4. Demolition is a zero-sum game. Corpus Christi thought they were saving money by tearing down Memorial Coliseum but they didn't. Demolition costs ended up getting out of control while demolition took almost a year to complete. After all the legal fights between the city and the demolition company, they finally cleared the land but now are on the hook for water irrigation pipes and sod which will require maintenance workers. Do we really want our Parks Departments to have one more park to have to maintain when it'll be just the basics and almost the same costs as Roberts Stadium?

5. Don't spit in the face of history. Memorial Coliseum was a memorial monument to all of Corpus Christi's veterans but now they have no building to be remembered. While Roberts Stadium is not dedicated to our veterans (thankfully we still have Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Coliseum), it still is a monument to all of the hard work and dedication given to us by Hank Roberts and Ralph Legeman. Let's make sure they continue to have this building in their honor.

The thing that baffles me about our local leaders is that they continue to pick bad cases such as this one to replicate. In the study for the new arena, both Toledo, Ohio (which I will be talking about in a few days) and Corpus Christi, Texas were chosen as cities to study. Why? Why do we want to be like a city that built a smaller arena, demolished a historical memorial, and left the arena site empty after battling with the demolition company when many alternatives were not studied despite what their city hall says?

If we are ever going to make progress here in Evansville, we have to take two steps forward instead of one forward, one backward. Let's not be like Corpus Christi, let's SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!

If Only They Would Have Listened To The Kunkel Group

At approximately 4 p.m today, Evansville will take yet another step back with the demolition of the Executive Inn in favor of a uniform and unoriginal Hyatt Place. Although it seems to be quite progressive to demolish an old hotel in favor of a brand new one, we are unfortunately about to witness another project aimed at mediocrity.

Bought by Mr. Bob Green in 1967, the Executive Inn has been known for providing great entertainment and food with cheap hotel prices. While I don't like that Mr. Green made his money off coal mining and interstate building, I love the attitude he had towards downtown Evansville. Mr. Green built the "Big E" into an empire with famous singers playing there constantly, an always higher than 80% occupancy rate, and a thriving downtown hotel complex with a massive parking garage and a convention center nearby. Mr. Green was very aggressive in advancing downtown Evansville.

Here is more on Bob Green...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/sep/06/legacy-fades/

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/sep/06/all-four-executive-inns-on-last-legs/?partner=RSS

By far and away, my favorite Bob Green quote was the one in the first article where he said Evansville, "wasn't progressive enough." I firmly believe that Mr. Green wouldn't be happy with today's development.

In my opinion, there are three principles to having a progressive city...

1. You respect your town's history.
2. You commit to constructing the best buildings that modern architecture can build.
3. You make sure your town's old buildings work hand-in-hand with your design to have brand new shiny buildings.

So far, Evansville has failed in all three categories. Gone are the old Sterling Brewery, the old L&N Station, the Orr Building, and many others, while at the same time Evansville has built the dull Civic Center, the dull Federal Building & Post Office, and the dull New North. To top it all off, many historical buildings have been demolished only to be replaced by a parking lot. Bob Green is right, there is nothing progressive about Evansville.

Through it all, one group has emerged from the dust to get us moving forward. That group is the Kunkel Group. They have used the three points above and executed them perfectly to a t.

Let's take a look at some of the developments the Kunkel Group has partaken in...

http://www.kunkelgroup.com/

THE OLD KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HALL

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/feb/10/new-life-for-old-building/

Located just across the street from the Coliseum, the old Knights of Columbus hall has been around since 1911. Over the years, the building has been the home of the Liederkranz Maennerchor, the local Knights of Columbus, and finally the local Republican Party in 1968.

Instead of razing this great structure, the Kunkel group gutted the interior and is now in the construction phase of placing assisted living units inside the building. Once completed, the building will have spas, granite appliances, stainless steel appliances, 24-hour staff, among many other perks.

It will be good to see the area around the Coliseum come back to life. Local preservation officer Dennis Au put it best when he told the Courier & Press, "I think it's a good idea. The building still had character, and it certainly has had a place in Evansville's history."

THE OLD WHIRLPOOL PLANT

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=59813

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/apr/01/kunkel-group-purchases-majority-former-whirlpool-p/?partner=RSS

During WWII, the old Whirlpool Plant was Evansville's main factory for the war effort. Inside the plant, which was owned by Republic Aviation Corp, more than 6,200 P-47 Thunderbolt fighters were manufactured. This building was to military airplanes what the current Mead Johnson's parking lot was to LSTs.

After WWII, Evansville became the "Refrigerator Capital of the World," due to the fact that more than 10,000 Evansvillians worked in refrigerator plants including this building which was sold to Whirlpool Corp.

Last year, Whirlpool bolted for Mexico leaving our historic big blue building without its main tenant (minus Whirlpool's product development department). Last month, the Kunkel Group stepped up to the plate to keep the building going. Not only did they save the building, they also recruited Crosspoint Polymer Technologies who specializes in recycling plastics.

THE OLD JC PENNEY BUILDING

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=73&ArticleID=23278

One of downtown Main Street's great buildings, the old JC Penney building sat vacant for over 24 years when its main tenant relocated to Eastland Mall.

Instead of letting Main Street (one of our premier streets downtown) rot away, the Kunkel Group decided to do something about it in 2005. They began renovating the facility into 23 condominiums while keeping the great exterior of the building intact.

Kunkel Group founder Ben Kunkel summed it up best when he told the Courier & Press, "We want to blend the old with the new in the renovation."

THE OLD DEJONG'S BUILDING

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/dec/16/meridian-plaza-unveiled/

Similar to the old JC Penney building, the old Dejong's building has a great facade facing Main Street but had lost its main tenant.

Instead of letting historic Main Street see another vacant building, the Kunkel Group took action once more. Today, the building is known as Meridian Plaza and currently houses 31 condominiums. Piece by piece, the Kunkel Group is bringing back our historic Main Street.

THE OLD WELBORN HOSPITAL

http://www.14wfie.com/story/11384012/kunkel-group-purchases-old-hospital?clienttype=printable&redirected=true

It seems like just yesterday when I was on a tour of Welborn Hospital after they renovated several parts of the building including the cancer center floor where my grandma worked. Although the building has been around since the 1920's, it was quickly shuttered when St. Mary's purchased Welborn Hospital.

After 3 years of vacancy, St. Mary's agreed to sell the facility to the Kunkel Group. Currently, the Kunkel Group is converting the building over to luxury rental apartments and downtown office space.

It's good to see the old Welborn Hospital coming back to life!

Year after year, Evansville has watched the Kunkel Group take historic buildings after historic buildings that have been written off as too old, too dilapidated, and/or too big for the market and turn them into profitable buildings without compromising their great designs. It should be pretty obvious to anyone in Evansville who has seen these buildings that the Kunkel Group knows what they are talking about.

Personally, I felt like the new arena should have been built parallel to Main Street instead of perpendicular to it because it would have allowed for us to incorporate the Main Street facades into the arena while keeping the Big E intact. However, back in 2009, we were told by Browning Investments that we could do both the new arena and a renovated Executive Inn if we would just tear down the northern side of the building. This plan was pitched to us by city hall as a win-win. But then, things changed. Suddenly Browning Investments never secured funding for the Executive Inn and was unable to come through with the renovation.

Once the developer selection process opened up, the Kunkel Group was the only group of the four who believed that we could save the Big E...

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=130&ArticleID=56050

"Does it matter if we have a 40-year old floor or a new floor?" he said. "Does it matter if we have a 40-year old pipes or new pipes? Those things are there. Let's use them."

Unfortunately, city hall refused to listen to the Kunkel Group and today we had to say goodbye to the great gift that Bob Green gave us. I'm still in disbelief at why the city would ignore such a great local company who undoubtedly would have been able to work their magic on the Big E as well.

This is what the Big E looked like back in the day (1991)...

http://www.courierpress.com/photos/2009/sep/05/45023/

and this is what we are getting now...

http://www.courierpress.com/photos/2010/dec/21/75118/

I don't know about you, but it seems pretty clear that we are replacing a legend with a lemon. In my opinion here is what we could have done with the Big E...

1. Replace the electric red ribbon that lit up the downtown skyline at night with a new electric red ribbon. This would bring more attention to the arena district.

2. Build back the tower that was between the northern and southern sections of the building. This would make for a great observation deck to look over both downtown Evansville and the new arena. If the red triangle on top would have been left intact, it would also add to the great design of the new arena.

3. Bring back the Walnut Street marque. This would have allowed us to pitch the vintage image of the Big E while leaving room to convert Walnut street to Bob Green's dream which was a main boulevard.

After today, all of that is out the window so now we are going to be stuck with a "Hyatt Place." How original is a Hyatt Place? Well take a look at the photos of most of their locations...

http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/place/locations/;jsessionid=DC330A8A46FB59EF9D2EDA95612E5FF7.atg01-prd-atg1?type=clear&N=450+4294967253

Since most of their hotels are so similar in design, they use the exact same photos for just about every one of their 50 hotels. Just about every one of their hotels takes the shape of one of their 3/4 cookie cutter designs. Personally, I think this design looks eerily similar to Deaconess Hospital (which isn't a good thing).

According to wikipedia, Hyatt Places are "designed as a limited service offering targeted to the business traveler," and " are located in urban, airport and suburban areas." In other words, Hyatt Places belong out by cookie cutter hotels like the ones Dunn Hospitality owns on the east side, not downtown in the middle of an urban renewal project.

While we can't do anything about Bob Green's great hotel being reduced to rubble and a new dull, boring cookie cutter hotel moving in, we do need to learn from this project if we are going to make sure this doesn't happen to Roberts Stadium. This is what we should take from this project...

1. There is nothing that can replace Roberts Stadium. Once Roberts Stadium is gone, it's gone, and there is nothing whatsoever that we can put on the lot that will be as great of an icon for Evansville than Roberts Stadium has been.

2. City hall needs to let the Kunkel Group work its magic. The Kunkel Group has saved a lot of great buildings here in Evansville. We are blessed to have a company this talented in our city. If city hall does form a Roberts Stadium task force, the Kunkel Group has to be on it as I believe they will give a good faith effort to make sure Roberts Stadium sticks around for many more years to come.

3. When one of our leaders retires, we need to make sure another person who continues in their foot steps is just as determined. First we were given great architect Ralph Legeman who designed Roberts Stadium, now we have the Kunkel Group stepping up for our historic buildings. First we were given Hank Roberts who built Roberts Stadium, now we are given Rick Davis who is dedicated to saving this great venue. First we were given Bob Green, now we have been given nobody, and we are going to end up with an inferior hotel. This is why we have to make sure we put the right leaders in the right decision making positions! Leadership, knowledge, and determination are everything!

4. Urban renewal only fails when we demolish our history. I'm one of the biggest fans of the new arena. I think it will do great things for Evansville over the years. However, I was against the demolition of the Big E and I am VERY MUCH against the demolition of Roberts Stadium. I believe that we have a duty to our city to continue to push for city hall to build more great facilities such as the new arena. But, if we start demolishing our history, we will be left with a soulless town.

5. Demolition of an old building doesn't always mean you're making progress. Progress can't be measured by newness of a facility. Rather, it is measured by the amount of impact a building has on its surroundings. While the new arena will have a tremendous impact on its surroundings, Roberts Stadium has and always will mean the world to local citizens here in Evansville. No matter what building you would want to put on the lot, it will never do for Evansville what Roberts Stadium has done, thus saving Roberts Stadium is just as progressive as building the new arena.

Overall, I am quite disappointed in the demolition of the Big E in favor of building a dull, boring cookie cutter hotel. I feel like Evansville is making a tremendous mistake by not listening to the Kunkel Group and retaining the legendary Bob Green's Executive Inn.

With all of that being said, I believe it is crucial to our cause that we learn from this mistake. We need to get the word out loud and clear...... SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!

(photo credit: robertstadium.com, a great website!)

Some Things Just Don't Add Up

(photo credit: bryanmarcel.com)

After talking with many people in and around city hall, I'm still left with many questions than answers. It seems to me that what makes sense one time, doesn't make sense another. Here are some examples...

-If the goal of building the new arena was to increase Evansville's position in the entertainment and sports industries, than why was an arena smaller than Roberts Stadium built?

- If Bosse Field would have been kept for high school baseball if Mayor Lloyd's ballpark would have been built, and Swonder Ice Rink is still being kept for high school and amateur hockey, why can't Roberts Stadium's floor be raised to accommodate high school, amateur, and semi-pro indoor soccer and football?

- If Evansville is truly broke and cannot afford to even maintain Roberts Stadium in mothball form, how can it afford $2 million to demolish Roberts Stadium or $4 million just to make the downtown traffic flow backwards?

- Isn't it ironic that demolishing Roberts Stadium, an arena, is supposedly necessary to improve our hotel industry, yet city hall just tore down a hotel to build an arena downtown?

- If Roberts Stadium is truly inadequate to host modern, premier concerts and other entertainment events, than why does city hall keep insisting that it must be prohibited from offering competition with the new arena?

- Why were there public comment sessions on both the new arena and ball fields projects but never a public comment session for Roberts Stadium?

- If the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum can still bring us great entertainment at a ripe old age of 95, how is Roberts Stadium too old to be a mid-sized arena at 55 years old? Note: Roberts Stadium cannot even draw Social Security.

- Why did the city abandon plans to build a bridge over Pigeon Creek from Garvin Park to Kleymeyer Park in 2002 but has now approved plans to build a bridge over the Lloyd Expressway from the State Hospital Park to Wesselman Park?

- Why was the $22 million downtown ballpark scrapped for monetary reasons but the new $127 million arena is being built on time, on budget, and with ample funding sources?

- If the Innkeepers Tax can be used to build 8 boring and dull ball fields at Wesselman Park, why can't it be used at Kleymeyer Park where the improvements are actually needed?

It amazes me that we are constantly being told one thing while another thing is being done. First, city hall told us that we needed a new arena and that renovating Roberts Stadium would not be worth it. I completely agreed with this sentiment. I don't want Roberts Stadium renovated anymore than it has been from its original historical structure, and I certainly want downtown to grow. I believe that we should have built a 14,000-18,000 seat arena that would put us back on the map while keeping Roberts Stadium as a mid-sized arena with its floor raised back up.

But now, we're seeing a different reaction from city hall. They built an arena that is 1,000-2,000 seats less than Roberts Stadium, which will do us no favors in the quest to land NCAA tournaments, nor will it help us sell anymore tickets to concerts that sell out at Roberts Stadium.

And now, they keep insisting that Roberts Stadium shall not compete with the new arena. My only question is: How can they compete? Roberts Stadium has 1/3rd of the roof support that the new arena has, a smaller floor (can't house hockey), and if we scale it down to a mid-sized arena, they won't even have the same amount of seats. You're telling me that top concert performers, the Aces, or the Icemen are going to choose Roberts Stadium over the new arena? Not happening!

If we are truly going to be successful in the sports industry, we need to have a plan that adds up. We need to support the new arena by going to top concerts, Aces games, and Icemen games. We need to make it so successful that city hall needs to consider expanding it up to 14,000-18,000 seats in the future.

We also need to raise the floor up on Roberts Stadium. This will allow us to turn off the pumps and bring in indoor football, indoor soccer, possibly minor league basketball, youth soccer and basketball tournaments, small concerts, and amateur recreational events. We can also use the main level as an indoor greenway.

Lastly, we need to build the ball fields at Kleymeyer Park where they will replicate vintage MLB fields. There already is a private company that does this. We need our city officials to get in contact with them immediately. We can then host championship games at Bosse Field.

Over the past two years, we've seen a lot of things that just don't add up. What is supposedly a good idea one day isn't the next. With that being said, I can tell you one thing that always has and always will add up, and that is SAVING ROBERTS STADIUM!

(photo credit: waylandtowaveland.org)

Take The Kleymeyer Park Sniff Challenge

A few weeks ago, I was talking with a prominent official in one of our two local parties about the prospects of placing 8 softball fields that replicate vintage MLB fields at Kleymeyer Park, which is my alternative to demolishing Roberts Stadium.

To recap, there already is a group that does this very thing. Take a look at their website and their ballparks: bigleaguedreams.com. If you click on the PARKS DEVELOPMENT tab you will notice they build their parks taxpayer free. They also maintain them taxpayer free.

While I can't guarantee you that this organization would come here to Evansville, I firmly believe that it makes sense for both the cities economics and layout to pursue this organization or build these kind of fields ourselves. I believe that building 8 fields to replicate Tiger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Ebbets Field, The Polo Grounds, Crosley Field, Wrigley Field, Sportsman's Park, and Fenway Park on the Kleymeyer Park grounds will allow us to connect the park to Garvin Park where the championship games could be played at historic Bosse Field.

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/11/saving-history-by-bringing-back-history.html

As I was talking to this official, he said, " I can tell you right now there will be no baseball fields at Kleymeyer Park." I reminded him that there are already 3 fields on the site and then asked him why the site is not a good idea. He replied by saying that the site was formally a dump. Nobody would want to go there because it would smell, you couldn't put anything in the ground, and there is debris from the dump on the site which isn't a good area for baseball. He also said that this current problem exists with Motoux Park on St. Joseph Avenue.

For those of you who visit this site frequently, you know that I have talked about the fact that Kleymeyer Park is a formal dump is a good thing not a bad thing. Kleymeyer Park produces methane gas which we can convert to electricity. In the following post, I talked about the program the EPA has for dealing with this...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/11/red-rover-red-rover-please-send-epa-on.html

The reason why I believe that the methane gas would be a positive for Kleymeyer Park is because this procedure is already done at Motoux Park (which the official talked about). This official also said that parents were pulling their kids left and right from Motoux Park because the smell from the old dump was just too unbearable. In an effort to seekout the truth, I decided to pay Kleymeyer and Motoux Parks a visit today.

First, I started with Motoux Park (click on images to enlarge)...



Today was a perfect day to pay Motoux Park a visit. The weather was good and it would be easy to smell anything from the dump if it was possible.

Upon entering Motoux Park, you will be able to see, clear as day, the methane gas pumps all around the site hard at work. These pumps convert methane gas to electricity (as the EPA post I did above says)...



While some of these pumps were off to the side, there were also some in the middle of the soccer fields....



But what about the smell? To check for this wild, unbearable smell, I sniffed high...



I sniffed low...



I sniffed everywhere...




NOTHING! No smell whatsoever! In fact, I would like to thank the Evansville Parks Department for doing such a good job keeping Motoux Park clean and safe. Although the recent complaints by local residents about the Parks Department may be valid, we also need to thank them when they do good a job with our parks. Here are some other great photos of Motoux Park...








Well done Parks Department. But what does Kleymeyer Park look like? Are there any land obstacles that would prohibit 8 ball fields? Is the smell too bad for people to walk on the Kleymeyer Park land? I decided to head to Kleymeyer Park next...




Overall, the front entrance looks decent at Kleymeyer Park, but it is the back part of the park that is in bad shape. Interestingly enough, there are already 3 ball fields on the site and there's also this cool pyramid building (reminds me of the Memphis Pyramid)...



There's also a cool canopy which has some nice architectural flare to it...



If we are ever able to convince city hall to build the ball fields at Kleymeyer, I'd like for them to incorporate those two structures into the plan!

Once more, to seek out this toxic, unbearable, overwhelming, and unsustainable smell, I sniffed high...



I sniffed low...




I sniffed all over the park...



Just like Motoux Park, NOTHING! You can not see, smell, or touch the underground landfill anywhere on the site!

Unfortunately, we will need to clean up Kleymeyer Park from the trash and neglect it has collected from the current batch of vandals, polluters, and park officials who have refused to keep the park in a presentable fashion. These people have gotten away with it for quite a few years lately...








Luckily, we can fix all the damage that has been done recently. We can remove the trash that has been dumped, we can level the dirt mounds that have been overgrown for many years, and we can clear out the weeds that block the awesome view Kleymeyer Park has of Pigeon Creek.

In fact, Mayor Lloyd Jr. wanted to connect Kleymeyer Park with Garvin Park in 2002. He commissioned a study to be done on the area with 13 projects recommended for the area. The 13th idea was to build a bridge from Kleymeyer Park to Garvin Park. If our city truly wants to grow this area, we must connect the two parks with a greenway, a bridge, and hopefully 8 fields that replicate vintage MLB ballparks.

Here is a video I made for this project...

http://www.watchevansville.com/play/NonProfits_and_Activisim/Save_Roberts_Stadium_Build__Kleymeyer_Park

We have great potential with Kleymeyer Park, and for that reason I am asking you the viewers of this blog to take the Kleymeyer Park sniff challenge. When you get some free time, go to Kleymeyer Park (and Motoux Park if you want too) and take a look around and take a sniff around. Then, answer these simple questions...

1. Did you see any debris that can be traced back to the old 1950's landfill?
2. Did you smell anything that can be traced back to the old 1950's landfill?
3. Did you see plenty of trash and debris from today's generation that needs to be removed immediately?
4. Do you believe that building 8 vintage MLB style ball fields on the site with a connecting bridge to Garvin Park and Bosse Field is much better than building 8 dull and boring ball fields on the historic Roberts Stadium site?

If you would like, you can send me your answers (JordanBaer1@gmail.com), and I will publish them with your name.

It's time that we took the ball fields project and Kleymeyer Park seriously.

TAKE THE KLEYMEYER PARK SNIFF CHALLENGE!

Who Says You Can't Go Home...... For A Game?

(photo credit: tiru.biz)

These past few years, the sports industry has undergone a retro revolution. Just about every team, whether it be basketball, football, or baseball has done something to pay tribute to its past.

It's not uncommon anymore to see fans wearing vintage jerseys, shoes, headbands, and anything else with their team's logos from the past. In fact, just about every team has 4 sets of uniforms now: Home, Away, Alternate, Throwback. Some teams have even decided to bring back their old uniforms permanently. These teams include...

The Philadelphia 76ers
http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=218

The Utah Jazz
http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=234

The Golden State Warriors
http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=235

The San Diego Chargers (partially)
http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=164

The San Francisco 49ers
http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=179

The New York Jets
http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=152

... and as of this week, The Washington Wizards (went back to old Bullets uniforms)
http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=219

Each year, the retro revolution is getting stronger not weaker. This has caused many teams to focus their entire marketing on retro/throwback images.

The next phase in the retro movement is to have your team go back to their original facility for a game or two. Let's take a look at some teams that have done this...

Durham Bulls- Durham Athletic Park

(photo credit: RoadTripAmerica.com)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_Athletic_Park

Durham Athletic Park became one of the most famous minor league ballparks in history, thanks to the 1988 film Bull Durham, featuring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Most of the filming was done at the DAP, following the end of the Carolina League season of 1987. The film's wide acclaim helped fuel the burgeoning public interest in minor league ball in general, and in the case of Durham this explosion of popularity caused the DAP to become a victim of its own success; despite expansion with temporary bleachers, it was just too small to handle the increase in crowd size and the Bulls Triple-A ambitions. The Bulls moved to their new home in downtown Durham, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park or "DBAP" for the 1995 season.

On the evening of May 10, 2010, before a crowd of 3,911, the-now Class AAA Durham Bulls returned to The DAP for a single regular-season game against the Toledo Mud Hens. With additional lighting on-hand to raise the field to Triple-A standards, the Bulls fell to the Mud Hens 6-4, mirroring the score of the Single-A club's final game in the stadium 16 years prior.

Among other events scheduled for 2011 is another return to the DAP by the Bulls, again on the second Monday night in May.

Indiana Pacers- Pepsi Coliseum

(photo credit: songkick.com)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Coliseum

The arena was once home to the Indiana Pacers of the ABA (American Basketball Association), from 1967 to 1974. They moved into Market Square Arena in 1974, and in 1976, the Indiana Pacers became a franchise within the NBA (National Basketball Association).

The Pacers scheduled their first pre-season game of the 2008-2009 season at the Pepsi Coliseum for October 8, 2008 when they hosted the New Orleans Hornets. 7,439 people watched the Pacers lose to the Hornets 105 to 71. The Pacers wore uniforms based on the 1967 to 1971 uniform design. Former ABA-Pacers George McGinnis, Darnell Hillman, Bob Netolicky, Don Buse, Jerry Harkness, Steve Green, Tom Thacker, Bill Newton, and Wayne Pack, attended the game and were recognized during a half-time ceremony. During the game's first quarter, former Pacers coach and current radio commentator Slick Leonard sat on the Pacers' bench as head coach, while regular Head Coach Jim O'Brien joined Mark Boyle for the radio broadcast.

Los Angeles Lakers- Great Western Forum

(photo credit: nba.com)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_Forum

Along with Madison Square Garden, it was one of the most well-known indoor sports venues in the world, during this time. The Forum achieved its greatest fame as the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, of the NBA and of the Los Angeles Kings, of the NHL from 1967–1999, when the teams moved to Staples Center.

The Forum was the site of the 1972 and 1983 NBA All-Star Games, the 1981 NHL All-Star Game, Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics and hosted the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament from 1983–1988 and also the 1989 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament.

On October 9, 2009, the Lakers returned to the Forum for a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors to celebrate the start of the team's 50th season in Los Angeles.

North Carolina Tarheels- Carmichaeal Auditorium/Arena

(photo credit: todaysaccheadlines.com)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmichael_Arena

The arena opened in 1965 as Carmichael Auditorium. It is named for William Donald Carmichael, Jr., a popular former school vice-president and brother of All-America basketball player Cartwright Carmichael.

Carmichael was known as one of the loudest arenas in the country while the Tar Heel men played there, largely because of a low roof and a student section that ringed the court. During a 1982 game against the Virginia Cavaliers, it was so loud that the Virginia players could not even hear their own names being announced prior to the start of the game. In part due to this formidable home court advantage, the men had a record of 169-20 (.894) in just over 20 seasons there.

The Tar Heels played their first round home game of the 2010 National Invitation Tournament at Carmichael due to renovations taking place at the Smith Center. On March 16, 2010, they defeated William & Mary in their first official game at Carmichael in 24 years. Coincidentally, William & Mary was the first-ever opponent for the men's basketball team in Carmichael Arena in 1965.

Kentucky Wildcats- Memorial Coliseum

(photo credit: ask.com)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Coliseum_(University_of_Kentucky)

The building is known for its air of great tradition. While it was the home of the UK Men's Basketball team, it hosted the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament ten times, four times as a regional site (1957, 1958, 1967, 1968) and six more as a sub-regional site (1955, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1967, 1975). As home to the University of Kentucky Wildcats, it saw 2 NCAA Men's Basketball national championship teams (1951, 1958), 2 NCAA Men's Basketball runner-up teams (1966, 1975), one NIT Men's Basketball champion (1976), and 16 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Men's Basketball regular season champions. Overall, in 26 seasons (1950-51 to 1975-76), the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team posted a remarkable home record of 306-38 (.890).

Memorial hosted a first round game in the 2009 National Invitation Tournament on March 17, 2009 between the Wildcats and the UNLV Running Rebels, with the Wildcats winning 70-60. The game was held at Memorial instead of Rupp Arena due to a scheduling conflict with the KHSAA boys' high school basketball state tournament scheduled at Rupp that week.

Although the scoreboards may not indicate it, having a team play a game(s) in its old venue always sells the majority, if not all, of the seats available. Fans love to visit a team's old venue every once in a while.

Here in Evansville, we have that same opportunity with the Aces and Roberts Stadium. Yes, the Aces new home is going to be the downtown arena. No one is disputing that the new arena shall be the new home of the Aces from here on out. However, having a single game back at Roberts Stadium should be an option.

Why should it be an option? Because...

1. It would increase ticket sales for a game that may not normally draw well (Would also help out Kipplee's a little bit).

2. It would be a good option if the new arena is booked during the ACE's postseason. The Aces had to play their postseason tournament last year at USI's PAC Arena due to scheduling conflicts.

3. It would increase marketing revenue for the ACES with its throwback/retro image. The ACES could bring back the jerseys with sleeves for the special game.

4. It would be a great way to commemorate a special ACE's event.

5. Roberts Stadium could be paired with the new arena for tournaments hosted by the ACES.

I look forward to November of this year when our brand new arena opens its doors for the very first time. It will be a great moment in Evansville history. I have no doubt that the ACES will sell a lot of tickets. But, if the new arena is booked or a dull, boring game needs a little excitement injected into it, why don't we play one game a year at Roberts Stadium for old time's sake?

(photo credit: college-basketball-coaches.findthebest.com)

Temporary Blogger Power Outage

These past 48 hours, Google has disabled Blogger into read-only mode in order to perform extensive maintenance operations. As a result, all posts published after last Wednesday have been temporarily removed. For Save Roberts Stadium, this includes the post dealing with Roberts Stadium hosting youth and amateur sports.

Once the maintenance is complete, we should expect this post and the rest of the content to update itself (this includes the poll on the right and the comments below).

I apologize for any inconvenience and thank you greatly for your support!

**UPDATE** The latest post, the poll, and all other data have been restored!

You Want Youth & Amateur Sports? Let's Start With Roberts Stadium!

(photo credit: mambosports.com)

As most of you know, the whole idea of demolishing Roberts Stadium began last year when the ECVB told us that we needed to move forward by demolishing Roberts Stadium and building 8 softball fields on the site.

It was sold as a lavish plan that would get Evansville moving forward. We were told that building these 8 fields, reconstructing the sand volleyball courts, the hand ball courts, the basketball courts, and renovating the current ADA parks was the best possible plan for spending the Innkeepers Tax revenue. Here was the complete plan in case you're still interested in it...

http://www.theparkevansville.com/index.php

Aside from the obvious problem of demolishing a historic arena that has been the backbone of Evansville for 55 years, there were many other problems with this plan too. These problems were...

1. The costs for this development were much higher than comparable facilities.

2. The revenue and attendance projections for the ball fields were unrealistic.

3. The ball fields were dull, boring, and normal. They did nothing to inspire you to come play ball there. (We need to build these at Kleymeyer Park: bigleaguedreams.com)

4. The maintenance costs for the ball fields were estimated to be between $300,000 and $500,000. These costs would have been greater than or equal to the costs to maintain Roberts Stadium.

5. The group in charge of this project COMPLETELY failed to recognize that while they were taking one step forward with youth baseball, they were taking another step backward from youth indoor soccer and basketball.

What do I mean by point #5?

The other day, I was talking to the gentleman who is interested in working on a partnership for Roberts Stadium. Like I said earlier, this man already has one team playing here in Evansville, has acquired the rights to another one, and is going after a third team as we speak. He also has deep connections to mid-sized arena concert performers. He cannot afford the new arena but needs a much bigger place than the coliseum. To be exact, he is looking for a mid-sized venue that seats 4,000-6,000 seats.

To accomplish this capacity and to make the playing surface wide enough for events such as indoor soccer, football, and minor league basketball, we will need to raise the floor back up. This will also give us the opportunity to shut the water pumps off which will save us tremendously on costs.

While I was talking to him, we were brainstorming events that could be placed inside Roberts Stadium on off days. I asked him what he could recruit to Roberts Stadium. He said that if we raised the floor back up, we would then have a golden opportunity to recruit youth and amateur indoor soccer and basketball tournaments which he also has connections too.

This concept begs the question: Why would we want to tear down Roberts Stadium which could provide us with youth and amateur soccer and basketball tournaments to build 8 ball fields that would only bring in youth and amateur baseball?

Let's take a look at Blaine, Minnesota, THE town for youth and amateur sports...

(photo credit: ticketmaster.com)

http://www.nscsports.org/index.htm

The National Sports Center in Blaine has it all. Let's take a look at their facilities...

http://www.nscsports.org/facilities/index.stm

Sports and Meeting Facilities

The National Sports Center has one of the most unique collections of sporting and meeting facilities in the world. Most facilities of this type are only available on college campuses where access is limited to students. The NSC serves the amateur sports community with meeting space and sport facilities for numerous sports. Soccer, hockey, golf, track cycling, track and field, figure skating, lacrosse, ultimate, broomball, football and rugby are sports that are currently served by our facilities.

Sports Facilities

Victory Links Golf Course

This is the only PGA Tour-designed public golf course in the state of Minnesota. The links-style course also features Tournament Green Putting Course, a full-service clubhouse and driving range. Victory Links conducts numerous clinics, programs and leagues for all ages.

Schwan Super Rink

Eight sheets of ice under one roof! This is the largest ice arena complex in the world and home to the U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team. The Schwan Super Rink hosts tournaments, leagues and development programs year-round.

Sports Hall

This versatile 58,000 square foot indoor facility is used for multiple sports as well as non-sport events. State of the art FieldTurf® surface allows for the ultimate flexibility of use. Locker rooms are conveniently located adjacent to the Sports Hall.

Athletic Fields

One the most striking things about the NSC when arriving on campus is the number of fields. The facility currently boasts 52 fields that can be used for soccer, rugby, lacrosse, ultimate disc and other outdoor field sports.

Stadium

The 8,500 seat NSC Stadium has hosted numerous events, from U.S. National Team soccer games to the Opening Ceremony of Schwan's USA CUP. The facility also is a perfect location for concerts and festivals.

Velodrome

The NSC Velodrome is 250-meters of pure adrenaline. Pitched 42-degrees in the corners, our all-wood cycling velodrome features some of the most exciting action on campus. The NSC Velodrome has hosted numerous high-level cycling events as well as our weekly race series. The cycling staff also offers classes for first-time riders who want to experience the rush of track cycling. Find out more about the NSC Velodrome...

Meeting Facilities

Schwan Center

The Schwan Center is a multi-dimensional conference facility that can host anything from small group meetings for ten to large 500 person events. The facility has the flexibility that is only limited to the imagination of planners!

Sports Hall

The NSC Sports Hall is the perfect venue for large-scale events and functions. State of the art FieldTurf® surface allows for the ultimate flexibility of use. Locker rooms are conveniently located adjacent to the Sports Hall.

Residence Hall

The NSC Residence Hall, a 180-bed dormitory with an adjoining cafeteria, is perfect for retreats, residence camps, and tournaments requiring on-site housing. The building is connected to the NSC Sports Hall and main administrative offices.

Parking

The NSC has various parking facilities across the campus and is flexible enough to host ride-and-drive events and other community functions.

Truth be told, Evansville has zero facilities that could compete with Blaine's National Sports Center on size or quality, but we do have comparable facilities although they are not in a centralized location. First, let's breakdown how we compare with Blaine on facilities without factoring in what we can do with Roberts Stadium...

Victory Links Golf Course- We have several golf courses here including the golf course in Wesselman Park. Why don't we work on bringing Hamilton Golf Course on Highway 41 up to PGA quality?

Schwan Super Rink- We have a very young and high quality Swonder Ice Rink. It would be nice to have eight sheets of ice there one day, but we should be proud of what we already have.

Sports Hall- The closest we can get to this facility is the Metro Center on our east side, which is where I practiced for Mater Dei football the week before we played at the RCA Dome, and the Evansville Basketball Academy on the east side. Both are great places for the locals to go an polish their skills but certainly not large enough (seating capacity or field size) to handle both premier local youth/amateur tournaments/events, premier traveling/national youth/amateur events, and minor league sports at the same time as well as concerts and festivals.

Athletic Fields- Although we don't have 52 fields (That is just amazing!), we have the Goebel Soccer Complex which can be used for soccer, rugby, lacrosse, ultimate disc and other outdoor field sports.

Stadium- Here's where we have NOTHING in any way, shape, or form that could compare to this 8,500 seat facility that hosts numerous events such as the U.S. National Team soccer games, the Opening Ceremony of Schwan's USA CUP, concerts and festivals. Yes we have Reitz Bowl, Central Stadium, Bosse Field, and Enlow Field, but they are too booked with professional or high school events to host youth and amateur events. Big hole to fill here!

Velodrome- To my knowledge, we have zero velodromes here, just an outdoor skate park. In a few posts before this one, we heard from Save Roberts Stadium supporter Joe Gaiter that he has to drive to Cleveland and Milwaukee to go to this type of facility.

Meeting Facilities- We have zero meeting facilities that resemble Blaine's Schwan Center, Sports Hall (meeting area), Residence Hall, or parking for ride-and-drive events.

After comparing how we stack up with Blaine's National Sports Center, let's see how many holes Roberts Stadium can fill...

Stadium- While we probably won't see a non-high school outdoor stadium here in Evansville for a while, Roberts Stadium obviously fills the indoor arena hole perfectly. Although we may not keep its capacity at 8,500 or above, we will still have a large enough arena to go after the same events that Blaine does for its sports hall. We can go after large youth and amateur indoor soccer tournaments, basketball tournaments, and fill in the rest of the dates with our 2-3 minor league teams, concerts, and festivals.

Velodrome- If we go with the raised floor stadium concept, Roberts Stadium will not be able to fill this hole. However, there is plenty of room in the complex for future construction of a velodrome which would fit in nicely with a mid-sized Roberts Stadium, Swonder Ice Rink, and Hartke Pool.

Meeting Facilities- Most people do not know this, but Roberts Stadium has not one but two meeting rooms. One meeting room is 48x47, and the other is 60x47. Their seating capacity individually is...

Theatre- 136
Classroom- 120
Banquet (60" rounds)- 120
Reception- 136
Conference- 50

If you combine the two rooms, the general capacity is 378.

These two meeting rooms are comparable to Blaine's Schwan Center. Roberts Stadium's locker rooms and large playing surface can compare directly to Blaine's Sports Hall, although we may have a few scheduling conflicts if we add minor league sports. Lastly, we also have a 4,000 car parking lot at Roberts Stadium that can host ride-and-drive events which would be crucial for us since our facilities are scattered across town.

Youth soccer and basketball tournament planners will take these two conference rooms, Roberts Stadium's locker rooms, seating capacity, and large playing surface, as well as its 4,000 car parking lot into consideration when choosing a site to host their event(s). Why would we want to pay to demolish a facility that can provide us with so many recruiting tools for youth and amateur soccer and basketball tournaments that currently aren't available here?

Another great thing about using Roberts Stadium for youth/amateur sports is that it would be improving our parks department as well. Currently the parks department hosts basketball, volleyball, and many other sports at the tiny C.K Newsome Center...

http://www.evansvillegov.org/Index.aspx?page=616

The Sports Department offers adult recreational programs for Men's, Women’s and Co-Ed teams in different skill levels for Basketball, Flag Football, Indoor Volleyball, Sand Volleyball, Soccer, and Softball. The Sports Department schedules and manages over 1,200 teams each year with an estimated 10,000 program participants for all leagues.

This would be a huge upgrade for the parks department who would be able to move most of their indoor sports leagues into Roberts Stadium.

Like I said earlier on this blog, I have NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER with Mr. David Dunn's idea of bringing youth baseball tournaments to Evansville. If our hotel industry is going to thrive, we must put heads in beds which is what our Innkeepers Tax is designed to do.

But I have to ask: How does paying to demolish a facility that is fully capable of hosting youth/amateur soccer and basketball tournaments, meetings, and ride-and-drive events improve our chances of putting heads in beds?

The good thing about it is that Roberts Stadium is already built. All we have to do is raise its floor back up, and update some of its interior. There will STILL be plenty of Innkeepers Tax revenue left to pursue building 8 ball fields that replicate vintage MLB ballparks at the Kleymeyer Park site with the championship game taking place at historic Bosse Field.

Blaine's National Sports Center has set the bar quite high. 8 ice sheets, 52 soccer fields, several meeting facilities with dorms, an 8,500 seat stadium, and many other facilities in the same complex is quite impressive. However, I hold big aspirations for our town as well. I truly believe we can build great facilities for youth and amateur sports as well. But, if we are going to do this, we have to take two steps forward not one step forward/ one step backward.

Why don't we keep Roberts Stadium AND build the ball fields? Once more, EVERYONE WOULD WIN!

(photo credit: attainable-utopias.org)