It Takes A Village To Raise An Arena

(nierocks.areavoices.com)

Over the course of the Roberts Stadium debate, many citizens have registered many different views on what to do with our legendary facility. Some of these residents have sent me emails as well detailing their opinion.

One of the opinions that has been expressed to me is that I should form a LLC, buy Roberts Stadium and its property, and run the facility without any government involvement. This sounds good at first glance but isn't doable for the following reasons...

1. City hall has maintained that the facility isn't for sale, thus forming a LLC isn't possible at this time.

2. City hall has not specified what they want to do with the property or what they are willing to do with the property, therefore, I have no power to implement any ideas I have formulated yet.

3. Most importantly, this facility belongs to the people of Evansville, not one LLC.

First of all, I want to note that I have received very friendly emails from those who have offered to sit down and "number crunch" projects with me to make this project work financially. They also want me to offer to run the facility so that government cannot demolish Roberts Stadium in the future or make bad decisions regarding its tenants.

To those residents, I would like to say thank you and I would be honored to run Roberts Stadium shall it be retained as a mid-sized facility. This post is not directed at those residents. I am fully committed to making Roberts Stadium function both structurally and economically. This can and will happen if our community is given a chance to put together a plan. Roberts Stadium does have a place in Evansville's economy, just ask the SMG workers that just got laid off.

This post is directed at those residents who have screamed, " My Money! My Money!" since the Roberts Stadium debate began even though they don't have a clue about Roberts Stadium's history much less what this building stands for! They aren't concerned about the community at all, just their own pocket books. They aren't interested in breaking even or having a facility generate revenue for the city. Rather, they are only interested in lining their own pockets.

Although I hated to see it, Roberts Stadium has been the focal point of every single local political debate. The main reason why I pressed local candidates is because I, as well as you, need to know what government officials stand with us and which officials don't. The sad truth is that Roberts Stadium's fate is currently in the hands of our local government. Therefore, we must make sure every single candidate gives us their opinion on Roberts Stadium. The 5 candidates on the right have given us a strong verbal commitment that they will give a good faith effort to save Roberts Stadium.

And although I felt like it was the correct decision to get all political candidates on record as either supporting or opposing Roberts Stadium, I do not feel like it has been the correct decision for some local residents to impose their political theories upon Roberts Stadium. Let's talk about the different political theories that have been imposed on Roberts Stadium.

On one side, we've had those who support the ideas of liberalism and most closely identify with the Democratic Party nationally. They believe that the government should run the majority of our economy, its size should be big, and its regulations should be lengthy. As a result, they think city hall should have full control of Roberts Stadium and shall not work with the private sector to keep the building going. They are completely against a sale of Roberts Stadium and believe that the ball fields decision was handled correctly as a government official leading the campaign.

On the other hand, we've had those who support the ideas of conservatism and most closely identify with the Republican Party or the Tea Party. They believe that the private sector should run the majority of our economy, government should be small, and there should be very little regulations. As a result, they want no tax dollars going towards Roberts Stadium period. They believe that Roberts Stadium should be sold to a private firm or demolished, whichever is cheaper.

Here in Evansville, conservatism dominates our local politics, while the Democratic Party controls the majority of our government offices. You can already see the mixed signals our town sends off. In Evansville, it is acceptable for a government project to cost a billion, or two, or five if the project is for schools, roads, or infrastructure that is needed as the result of unregulated urban sprawl. But if a city official suggests that our government should invest in our downtown, use regulation to control urban sprawl, or invest in our local facilities, the whole town goes crazy.

For the record, I have worked on both sides of the spectrum. I have worked for liberal and Democrat groups here and in Lexington, KY, and I've worked for conservative and Republican groups in Lexington, KY, Arlington, VA, and Seattle WA. After many jobs, many debates and lectures, and many projects, I have come to the conclusion that I don't believe in any theory. I find that the farther away these groups appear from each other, the closer they are. It is my firm belief that neither side has a monopoly on all of the answers to our problems.

Roberts Stadium is a perfect example of this. Back in 1954, Evansville Mayor Hank Roberts teamed up with local architect Ralph Legeman to build Roberts Stadium. Without this joint venture, we would not have our famed Roberts Stadium.

Mayor Hank Roberts could not say to Mr. Legeman, "Private businessman and entrepreneur, get out of the way. I am the leader of the government and we can do this alone." If Mayor Roberts would have taken this approach, Roberts Stadium would have never received its fieldhouse design that now defines Indiana basketball, nor would it have been able to address the needs of the private sector or the local economy. Ralph Legeman's talent was building and designing buildings so that they could be productive members of society. He hit a home run with Roberts Stadium.

On the flip side, Mr. Legeman could not say to Mayor Roberts, "Mayor get out of the way. I represent the private sector for this project and I don't need your help. I will design Roberts Stadium so that it profits me and me only." If Mr. Legeman would have taken this position, Roberts Stadium would have never gotten built as it would not have had the proper amount of political support that Mayor Roberts gathered for the arena, nor would it have received the proper amount of funding needed to construct a facility large enough to attract events that have benefited the entire community. Because of Mayor Roberts, Roberts Stadium was approved, funded, and built so that the entire Evansville community could reap the benefits of Roberts Stadium. He too hit a home run with Roberts Stadium.

It is important to understand that while both Mr. Legeman and Mr. Roberts are great people that we should strive to be like, neither would have been able to construct Roberts Stadium alone. We needed the talents of both the private and public sector to make the best decision for our community and that's what we got!

For those who are fans of MSNBC like I am, you've probably seen the following commercial put on by Rachel Maddow...




Except for the fact that Roberts Stadium is a local issue not a national issue, this commercial sums up our Roberts Stadium situation perfectly. Although my grandpa Hobert Cooper helped build Roberts Stadium, he cannot take sole ownership of being the one person who built this great venue. In fact, no one man, woman, or child can lay claim to Roberts Stadium as being theirs. You can't be the precinct, the town, the political party, or the organization that owns Roberts Stadium. Only the city of Evansville and Vanderburgh County united can lay claim to Roberts Stadium.

If we are going to be successful at saving Roberts Stadium, this is the most important thing our city needs to realize. I, myself, am just one person. I have ideas just like all of you do, but I cannot solve the Roberts Stadium by forming a LLC and taking on the project myself. That will never work. Roberts Stadium belongs to ALL OF US and all of us should have a say in what a renovated Roberts Stadium should look like.

In order to solve the Roberts Stadium situation as a whole, we need to form a well-rounded committee that can investigate different leads. The following are some of the questions I would like to see answered by a committee...

- What needs to be fixed at Roberts Stadium and what doesn't? We've seen enormous estimates drawn up to renovate Roberts Stadium as a premier arena, yet that isn't even the goal. We need one architect and one engineer on this committee to go room by room and tell us what are our immediate repairs.

- What sources of funding can we explore? I've compiled a list of fundraising ideas... http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/lets-make-funding-personal.html

What fundraising projects would interest this committee and what sources of public financing can we use for Roberts Stadium? We need one government official to give the green light or red light on different financing avenues.

- What feasible ideas are there for Roberts Stadium? We need to compile 3-4 ideas and listen to the entire public on which one is best. We also need to investigate any reasonable idea that a citizen gives us.

- What should we do with the area around Roberts Stadium? If we do indeed scale Roberts Stadium down to a 5-6,000 seat arena, we will not need 4,000 parking spots. We need multiple people to investigate multiple ideas for the area around Roberts Stadium for a 10-20 year master plan. For example, would a botanical garden work next to Roberts Stadium? What about rebuilding Hartke Pool into an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor swimming park, and an indoor water park resort? What about rewatering the old Wabash & Erie Canal?

- Is UE and/or USI willing to get involved? Would USI be interested in playing their home games at Roberts Stadium and use PAC Arena as a practice facility instead? We need one official from UE and one official from USI to tell us what they are willing to bring to the table.

- Are there any starving artists willing to work on the main level? Roberts Stadium's main level has the ability to tell the story of Jerry Sloan, Arad McCutchan, Larry Humes, the 1977 Aces, and so many other great Aces. We need local artists as well as university students on the committee as well.

- How can we work with the new arena to synchronize our events? Oklahoma City uses the fact that they have both the Ford Center (now Chesepeake Energy Center) and the Cox Convention Center Arena as leverage over other cities who only have one venue. We need one official from the Ford Center on our committee.

- Who will run and operate Roberts Stadium? We need to listen to our two operators SMG and Venuworks to see how we can get the Roberts Stadium staff back to work should we go with the mid-sized arena idea.

- Will the ball fields be a part of this project or not? If so, what location? Can we use the seats that would be removed from Roberts Stadium for our ball fields project? For this task, we need multiple city officials to report to the committee.

These are just a few of the many questions I would like to see a committee iron out. No one person can answer all of these questions. If we are going to truly reinvent Roberts Stadium, we need architects, engineers, city officials, residents, artists, and many, many other skilled professionals.

It is also important to understand that it takes a village to create a ball field complex as well. We saw this first hand when David Dunn and the ECVB thought their plan would get approval while using very little amount of ideas from the public. This turned out to be a mistake as the citizens of Evansville demanded the project be scratched since they didn't feel like they had a part in the project.

When I threw out the idea of building the ball fields at Kleymeyer Park, I received an enormous amount of emails with people who wanted to attach their ideas to the project such as what we should do with the area surrounding Bosse Field. These citizens need to be heard from, not ignored like before. We cannot let that happen again with our ball fields project or with our Roberts Stadium project.

Lastly, it is important to remember that our Roberts Stadium project CANNOT be about money. Yes, we need to draw up a plan that makes sense and is self-sustaining, but profit shall not be the main goal of reinventing Roberts Stadium. Once more, Rachel Maddow sums it up best...




This commercial is eerily in sync with our Roberts Stadium project. To me (and I hope you), Roberts Stadium represents all the glory of Evansville's past, all the glory of UE basketball, and all the greatness that Evansville could be while at the same time serving as a grand monument to the 1977 Ace's basketball team. When I look at Roberts Stadium, profit and money are the LAST THINGS that I think of.

Like I said earlier, I am not proposing that we draw up a plan for Roberts Stadium that is not feasible economically. That is not what I'm saying. What I am saying is that we need to respect Roberts Stadium for what it means to our community.

Like the Soldiers & Sailors Coliseum, Roberts Stadium may not be a cash cow going forward, yet both will continue to be productive members of society for our Evansville community. We have a National Register of Historic Places for a reason, and it's not profit. Yes, Roberts Stadium is not on that list (because of political reasons), but you ask anyone in town what Roberts Stadium means to them and you will see why we need to save it.

So while we see politician after politician grandstand about Roberts Stadium being a waste of money or a project that needs to turn a massive profit to be justifiable, just remember that Roberts Stadium is larger than these fools. If you look at those who were around when Roberts Stadium was built, you will notice that very few of them are recognized by citizens today. They have come and gone while Roberts Stadium still stands.

That is the main point of all points I've been making on this blog about Roberts Stadium. No one person, organization, government official, political theory, or business can claim to be the person or thing that represents Roberts Stadium. Roberts Stadium is larger than life and I myself cannot and shall not be the only person in charge of putting together a plan for Roberts Stadium.

It takes a village to raise an arena and that is just what we need to save our arena. Let's come together, form a committee, and work together as one community to SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!

(successsystemsnow.com)

Would Demolishing Roberts Stadium Curse The Evansville Aces?

(allthingsclevelandohio.blogspot.com)

For those who follow sports, you've probably heard about all of the curses in sports...

- The Chicago Cubs haven't won the World Series in over 100 years
- The Boston Red Sox went 86 years without winning the World Series after trading Babe Ruth.
- No Philadelphia team won a championship until after a small figure of William Penn was placed on top of the skyscraper that surpassed the original William Penn statue in height.
- Any NFL athlete that appears on the cover of John Madden's video game suddenly gets a career ending injury or just tanks in general.

If you want to read about all of the curses you can check them out here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports-related_curses

With all of these curses affecting the sports industry, only one curse has gone undetected. This curse is, " The curse of demolished stadiums." I've been compiling a list of cities who have demolished their stadiums, arenas, and/or ballparks, and as I was scrolling through the list I noticed one thing: No team in any of those cities has enjoyed success after demolition of the old facility the team played in.

For some teams, the curse has been felt the moment they left their old facility. For other teams, the curse didn't go into effect until the old facility was actually demolished. Let's take a look at some of these cursed teams.

The Dallas Cowboys



Known as "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys enjoyed much success at Texas Stadium. All 5 Super Bowls won by the Cowboys occurred while Texas Stadium was their home, including 1971-72 which was the inaugural season for Texas Stadium.

The Cowboys set the stadium bar high when they built the legendary Texas Stadium and it's semi-retractable roof for $35 million. In 37 years of games, the Cowboys compiled a
a 219– 99 record there, including 16 post-season games.

But on December 20, 2008, the Cowboys played their last game in Texas Stadium, a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys played their first preseason game in Cowboys Stadium on August 21, 2009, and Texas Stadium was later imploded on April 11, 2010.

From the beginning, the curse of Texas Stadium has hit the Cowboys strong. Since moving into Cowboys Stadium, the Cowboys have gone a mediocre 17-15 and have never gotten past the NFC Divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

This article sums it up best...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/442599-the-curse-of-texas-stadium-is-haunting-the-dallas-cowboys

If you travel down to the old site of Texas Stadium, just outside of Dallas, you can hear voices of the ghosts of football past still moaning, "Why did you end it that way? What were you afraid of? Texas Stadium has put a curse on the Dallas Cowboys. You will never win another Super Bowl again!" But why are these voices speaking these words? What did the Cowboys do to deserve The Curse of Texas Stadium?

The Detroit Tigers



The Detroit Tigers and Tiger Stadium were synonymous for an amazing 87 years when the Tigers played there from 1912 to 1999. Many great players such as Hank Greenberg, Ty Cobb, and Jim Bunning have played at Tiger Stadium. In fact, it is believed that Tiger Stadium (which has been demolished) is STILL haunted today.

http://www.blessyouboys.com/2010/9/3/1667271/was-tiger-stadium-haunted-an

Authors Dan Gordon's and and Mickey Bradley's new book, Field of Screams: Haunted Tales from the Baseball Diamond, the Locker Room and Beyond, features ghost stories from around the major leagues, coming from quite a few recognizable players. These are drawn from more than 1,000 interviews, they say.

I'll share one that Gordon recently passed on to me.

Extended quote with permission from authors:

"Former and current Tiger Stadium and Comerica Park employees share stories with the authors about the ghost of Ty Cobb and other hauntings at the former and current ballparks. At the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, security guards reported encounters with orbs and apparitions. They felt taps on their shoulder and heard eerie noises. They saw scratches form on their forearm. Other staff reported hearing voices in the tunnels and the roar of the crowd coming from empty seats. And fans claim to have heard the crack of the bat and seen Ty Cobb running the bases.

"At Checker Cab Company, across Trumbull Boulevard, workers at night swear they hear people walking around the second floor, which used to hold offices for Ty Cobb and longtime Tigers owner Frank Navin. Rumor has it the two men are still patrolling their old stomping grounds.

"Stories abound of ghosts at the final game at Tiger Stadium. Hall of Famer Al Kaline told Robert Fick that he would homer during the game. Fick followed suit rocketing a grandslam in the eighth inning off the rightfield rooftop, the location where Norm Cash had hit four memorable home runs out of the park. Fick, who was wearing Cash's uniform #25 in tribute, believes Cash may have intervened. He also believes his late father was present. Fick has a picture of himself rounding second base during the historic home run with a light shining down on his helmet.

''It seems like the ghosts of Tiger Stadium were with us,' recalls Jeff Weaver. 'There were reasons why things happen. It sends chills down your spine.''

Although the Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 2000, the ghosts appeared to be satisfied as long as old Tiger Stadium still stood. Although they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tigers made an impressive appearance in the 2006 World Series.

But in 2008, things changed. The city of Detroit decided to ignore the efforts of the Tiger Stadium Conservancy, who had even managed to obtain federal stimulus funds, and began demolishing Tiger Stadium on June 30, 2008.

Since then, things have all gone down hill. Acquired superstar Dontrelle Willis never produced and the Tigers have never been back to the playoffs much less the World Series. From 2008 to 2010, the Tigers have posted a 241-246 record, a far cry from their 2006 95-67 record.

The Indiana Pacers



Back in the late 90s/early 2000s, the Indiana Pacers were as popular as the Indianapolis Colts are now. Every town you visited in Indiana was filled with Reggie Miller jerseys and fans. Every year, Market Square Garden was filled with fans who fully expected their Pacers to make another run at a NBA Finals Championship.

From 1974 to 1999, the Indiana Pacers made Market Square Arena the premier place to be on game nights. Led by shooting guard Reggie Miller, the Pacers made the playoffs 8 of the last 9 years they played at Market Square Arena. This success prompted Pacers owner Herb Simon to demand a new arena which would later be known as Conseco Fieldhouse.

For the 1999-2000 season, the Indiana Pacers played their final game at Market Square Arena (which was a preseason game) before moving to Conseco Fieldhouse for the regular season. That same year, the Pacers made their one and only appearance in the NBA Finals.

But on July 8, 2001, Indianapolis decided to go ahead with demolishing Market Square Arena. This decision doomed the Pacers franchise almost immediately. During the middle of the 2001-02 season, the Indiana Pacers traded for Ron Artest. Ron Artest was the leader in the Pistons-Pacers brawl that forever reshaped the franchise in 2004...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacers%E2%80%93Pistons_brawl

Since the Pacers/Pistons brawl, the Pacers organization has never been fully recovered. The Pacers have never returned to the Finals and have been unable to get past the Eastern Conference Semifinals. As a result, attendance has dropped steadily. This past year, the Pacers ranked dead last in attendance...

http://www.wthr.com/story/14398091/pacers-have-worst-attendance-in-nba

The Pacers have also experience significant financial woes and have been rumored to be relocating...

http://www.sportingmadness.ca/2009/05/aquilini-to-bring-indiana-pacers-to.html

All of this started the year Market Square Arena was demolished.

The New York Yankees



The curse of old Yankee Stadium is a fresh one that is just developing. Once known as the "Cathedral of Baseball," no one thought the New York Yankees would ever leave historic Yankee Stadium. From 1923 to 2008, the Yankees called old Yankee Stadium home for all but 2 seasons when they played at Shea Stadium while old Yankee Stadium underwent renovations. During this time, the Yankees won 26 World Series titles.

But on April 16, 2009, the Yankees played their first regular season game in new Yankee Stadium directly across the street from old Yankee Stadium. During construction, the Yankees took extreme caution to making sure that new Yankee Stadium would not be cursed, including digging up a Red Sox jersey buried by a construction worker...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/13/AR2008041302593.html

Although there has been a major wind tunnel coming from the direction of old Yankee Stadium, the Yankees initially enjoyed much success at the new ballpark. The Yankees won their 27th World Series title in 2009.

But in November of that same year, demolition began on the outfield bleachers of old Yankee Stadium. Although it hasn't been long ago, nonetheless, the Yankees have lost their World Series charm. The Yankees fell miserably to the Texas Rangers in the 2010 ALCS and there has already been cracks reported in new Yankee Stadium's concrete...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/nyregion/24stadium.html

The Miami Hurricanes



For 70 years the Orange Bowl served as the home to the Miami Hurricanes football program. It also served as the host for the Orange Bowl game from 1938 to 1995 and in 1999. Lastly, it hosted the Miami Dolphins from 1966 to 1986.

The Orange Bowl saw the NFL's only undefeated team (1972 Dolphins) and 5 Super Bowl games. The Orange Bowl served as an intimidating home field for the Hurricanes who won 5 NCAA National Championships.

But in 2008, the Hurricanes announced that they would be moving to Dolphin Stadium so that the Orange Bowl could be demolished for a new Marlins ballpark. Since that announcement, all hell has broken loose for the Hurricanes football program.

Many Hurricane fans vocally opposed the decision to move stadium locations and preferred maintaining the Orange Bowl as the Hurricanes' home field, out of concern of Dolphin Stadium's extra distance from campus, the severing of an icon of the Hurricanes' historical successes on the field, and potentially more expensive parking costs.

Many fans have even stated to various broadcast, print and internet-based media outlets that they will no longer attend the games of Hurricanes football, once the team abandoned the Orange Bowl. Some speculate that the decision to leave the Orange Bowl might have cursed the Miami Hurricanes and would cite the Miami Dolphins as a precedent. Indeed a common explanation for the Miami Hurricanes' poor performance during the 2007 season is that "they've never been the same since they left the Orange Bowl."

Recently, things have gotten even worse. Recently, former Hurricane booster Nevin Shapiro has alleged that he provided a wide-array of improper benefits to Hurricane athletes. The allegations are so bad that some are wondering if the NCAA will give Miami the death penalty...

http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/8/17/2368528/miami-hurricanes-scandal-death-penalty-nevin-shapiro

Other Stadium Curses To Watch

New York Mets- Shea Stadium: The Mets have fallen off the charts since Shea Stadium has been demolished.
Baltimore Orioles- Memorial Stadium: The Orioles have never been a threat in the AL East since Memorial Stadium has been demolished.
Indianapolis Colts- RCA Dome: When the Colts went to the Super Bowl after playing their games in the RCA Dome, they won the Super Bowl. When they went to the Super Bowl after the RCA Dome was demolished, they lost.

Ironically enough, the greatest success story in the sports industry has been the Boston Red Sox's decision to save Fenway Park after many hours of hard work from fans and activists in Boston. It paid off for them in 2004...

http://efqreview.com/NewFiles/v22n2/ballpark.html

That year, both the curse of the bambino and demolished sports venues were retired from Boston.

What can explain this phenomenon? Is it the ghosts of those who have played in these legendary venues? Is it a fate that will await any city who demolishes their legendary venue? Or is it just a coincidence that is bound to run its course sooner or later?

Whether you believe it is a curse or a coincidence, the stats speak for themselves. If Evansville demolishes Roberts Stadium, history will not be on our side as we look to take our Aces to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. The last thing we need is to be on the wrong side of history.

There are a lot of great athletes, singers, and celebrities who have made appearances at Roberts Stadium over the soon to be 55 year history of this great facility. There have also been numerous events and games at Roberts Stadium that have filled Evansville's rich history book. Will the ghosts of Roberts Stadium look favorably upon demolition? Or will they place a curse upon us that has already been seen with the Cowboys, Tigers, Pacers, Yankees and Hurricanes?

Let's make sure we are in harmony with the ghosts of Roberts Stadium's past. LET'S SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!

(michaelatsovg.files.wordpress.com)

We Can't Afford To Duplicate Corpus Christi

(www.i-capitaladvisors.com)

Back on May 27th, I wrote about the situation that played out in Corpus Christi with their Memorial Coliseum...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/05/arena-that-divided-whole-city.html

For those who don't want to mess with reading the post, here's a very basic summary...

1. The city of Corpus Christi, Texas built a new arena (American Bank Arena) in the fall of 2004.

2. This left the city in a dilemma of what to do with their old Memorial Coliseum.

3. After 5 years of doing nothing, the city received five bids to reuse the coliseum but only investigated one.

4. That one plan was not properly vetted and demolition was later agreed upon.

5.Corpus Christi thought they were getting a good deal on demolishing the building for $1 million but they were wrong. Demolition took an entire year as the company faced labor shortages, cash flow shortages, and weather delays.

6. The lot is an empty parkland that nobody is satisfied with.

As I said in the post back in May, the scary thing about the whole Corpus Christi situation is that city officials and media writers have picked up the story and think Corpus Christi made the correct decision. That, itself, should explain to you why our town is in the state it is in.

So far, city officials have already done a great job replicating Corpus Christi with our downtown hotel project. They didn't pick the right company to renovate the Big E, they never vetted any of the groups, they refused to listen to a group wanting to reuse the Big E, and then they demolished the Big E so that we have not one, but two empty lots downtown. And like Corpus Christi, no one is happy.

As if that is bad enough, it now appears that city hall is fully prepared to replicate this disaster once more at Roberts Stadium...

http://tristatehomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=294817

Mayor Weinzapfel has included $200,000. in next year's budget to be used for the demolition of the stadium or as a down payment on renovating the facility.

My initial reaction was "You've got to be kidding me. They actually think $200,000 would demolish Roberts Stadium." But after many hours of deliberating back and forth, I have finally come to the conclusion: THEY SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY!

The main point to this entire movement is this: If we fight to save Roberts Stadium, there will be funding. Placing sports such as professional indoor soccer, professional indoor football, professional minor-league basketball with trade shows, mid-size concerts, and youth sports tournaments will draw tourists, create jobs, and maintain Roberts Stadium's sustainability and profitability.

As a result, renovating Roberts Stadium will be eligible for funds from sources such as the Innkeepers Tax which is only allowed to go to tourism projects, not demolition. This is assuming that we haven't generated the funds ourself from fundraisers...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/lets-make-funding-personal.html

On the other hand, demolition supporters are out of luck. $200,000 is probably all they are going to get and it won't even come close to getting their job done. We seen the "deal" Corpus Christi got when they selected the cheapest bid to demolish Memorial Coliseum for $1 million ( which is FIVE TIMES the cost of this estimate). We also seen the "deals" city hall has been getting for demolishing the Big E and building another hotel on the lot. That debacle has resulted in an emergency demolition filing while city hall starts from scratch for the third time.

The worst part of this whole fiasco is that demolition supporters are now dragging the hard working, loyal, dedicated, honest, and faithful Roberts Stadium workers into this mess. Just today, I talked to a worker from SMG who has worked many, upon many, years at Roberts Stadium. This time next month, this worker will be unemployed as Venuworks could only take so many full-time workers from Roberts Stadium.

Once this worker becomes unemployed, it is highly likely that they will need to draw unemployment funds until they can find work, which most likely will not pay as good as SMG/ Roberts Stadium. In an era of unemployment reaching 9%, the last thing we need to do is add these great workers to that list. This will only compound the amount of government funding needed to demolish Roberts Stadium.

The important thing to remember here, is that if we commit to keeping Roberts Stadium as a mid-sized arena, all of these workers keep their jobs and go back to work. Furthermore, SMG or Venuworks (depending on who wants the contract) has the power to schedule and recruit even more events than I currently have rounded up. They also have the power to work together so that we can leverage our two arenas together as one package to bring in top-notch events to Evansville. All of this means more money in the local economy. We don't have to send these great people to the unemployment line.

And then there is what to do with the land post-Roberts Stadium. If demolition supporters only have $200,000 to demolish Roberts Stadium, where are they going to get any funding to build anything back? Where would the funds come to build a non-tourist drawing park (I will be talking about this next week)? Where would the funds come to maintain this park? Where would the funds come to build ANYTHING cheaper than renovating Roberts Stadium? Is there even anything cheaper than renovating Roberts Stadium?

The answer to all of those questions is simple as well: There are no funds to do any other project. If demolition supporters only have a fraction of their funding needed to demolish Roberts Stadium, you can bet they will not come up with any realistic funds to build another project on the land.

Remember last year when the ball fields project budgeted $1.5 million to demolish Roberts Stadium? Don't you think that if there was a chance that they could demolish the arena for $200,000 they would have taken it? In the last remaining weeks of the ball fields project, our Vanderburgh County Council pressed and pressed and pressed the ECVB to trim costs so that they could approve it. In the end, the ECVB could not. They, like you and I, know that $200,000 to demolish Roberts Stadium is a ridiculous and absurd estimate.

For those of you who are unsure about saving Roberts Stadium because of costs, I ask you this: Do you really want the Executive Inn fiasco coming to Roberts Stadium? Do you really think that will save taxpayers one single penny? Do you really think adding former SMG workers to the unemployment line is really going to be cheaper than renovating Roberts Stadium? Do you really think city hall would find funds to reuse the Roberts Stadium lot?

If you are a rational thinker, your answer to all of those questions should be NO. We're constantly being reminded by demolition supporters that renovating Roberts Stadium will be a waste of taxpayer dollars. Well, they must be looking in the mirror because dragging out demolition because you only have a fraction of the funding, adding to the unemployment line, and failing to identify funding for a new project on the land is the real waste of taxpayer dollars.

Last May, we learned a lesson from Corpus Christi's Memorial Coliseum. We learned that we simply cannot afford to duplicate Corpus Christi's decision!


(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_IOH8xHAcSvRAuapSW7I2X-4Fam4KjLlxKHqL_OExsj4bxrDgFkM904NITdZRazDKqMCW6LKHsu62icRZoOo0j608h0oUAE728uPPj3FQuWd888iV_SnV8G1wMkTS0FXX0vrtexYONnu/s400/break+piggy+bank.jpg)

If We're Going To Be Like Oklahoma City, Be Like Oklahoma City

(skylinescenes.com)

In an interesting twist of events, the naming rights to our brand new arena went to our local Ford dealerships who have now named the facility the " Ford Center."

If you read the post below this one, or if you read the Courier & Press, you will soon realize what our local officials apparently did not: There already has been a Ford Center in Oklahoma City. While I would like to keep a positive attitude that city officials will change the name immediately to Ford Fieldhouse, we are stuck with Ford Center in the meantime.

Ironically, Evansville could learn a lot from Oklahoma City on how to deal with Roberts Stadium and the new arena's surrounding district. Let's take one last look at Oklahoma City's urban planning initiatives to see what we can implement here in Evansville.

Back in 2007, I was fortunate enough to attend two college basketball games at OKC's Ford Center. The arena at the time was nice while being bare bones at the same time. It was constructed so that the city would not have to spend a lot of money on the arena until they received a solid commitment from a NBA team. At the same time, the facility had a nice atrium, a comfortable seating alignment, and top-notch lighting and sound devices.

In 2008, OKC got their commitment from the NBA when local natives Clay Bennett and Aubrey McClendon purchased the Seattle SuperSonics and relocated them to OKC. I was in Seattle at the time so I wasn't very happy with the move, but looking back, it is amazing what the city of Oklahoma City has done.

First of all, OKC's Ford Center, like our Ford Center, had a Ford dealership right across the street from it. For those who are not urban planners, it is important to realize that having a car dealership across the street from your brand new downtown arena is quite possibly the worst thing that can happen to your arena. Car dealerships take up a lot of land while not returning a good investment back compared to ballpark villages and urban infill. Never build an arena next to car dealerships without having a plan to develop the land.

Indeed, OKC has finally gotten a move on with their plan to revamp the area around the arena formely known as the Ford Center. Their Ford dealership, which was a block west of their arena, is now gone. For those who follow this blog and my other blog Evansville Moving Forward, you know that OKC drew up a plan called MAPS...

http://evansvillemovingforward.blogspot.com/2011/05/large-capital-improvement-projects-can.html

http://evansvillemovingforward.blogspot.com/2011/08/if-next-mayor-wants-to-create-jobs-he.html

This plan has been widely successful but it failed to address one thing: the area around the Ford Center. If you look at an aerial photo of OKC....

(seattletimes.com)

You will see that their arena is bounded by...

1. The old Ford lot
2. I-40
3. The Cox Convention Center
4. The Bricktown Canal

I will get back to the Cox Convention Center in a moment as it pertains to Roberts Stadium.

Anyways, OKC drew up another plan called Core-to-Shore. This plan was specifically designed to connect downtown OKC and their arena to the Oklahoma River. You can view the plan here...

http://www.okc.gov/planning/coretoshore/index.html

Core-to-Shore will connect OKC's arena to the Oklahoma River by doing the following...

1. Demolishing I-40 and moving it further south.
2. Redeveloping the old Ford lot that will compliment the new boulevard that will be directly south of the arena.
3. Construct a new "Central Park"
4. Construct a second convention center.
5. Establish a light rail system

I don't know about you, but to me that sounds almost exactly like our 2001 master plan here in Evansville. Yes, OKC is a bigger city than us, but does it really make sense to sit on the sidelines and refuse to make our downtown competitive? Does it really make sense for our arena to have a sprawling car dealership next to it while OKC fills theirs in with capital improvement projects that will make their entire town healthier while drawing in tourists by the masses?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Ford stepped up to the plate and purchased the naming rights. Their $4.2 million will help us pay this great arena off (although we should have built on the Ford lot instead of opening up Pandora's box with the Executive Inn). But we have got to learn from OKC on how to surround a Ford Center if we have any hope or desire to make this arena work. For that reason, I am calling on city officials to get back to our 2001 master plan immediately.

Now, we need to take a look at the Cox Convention Center in OKC because it proves the exact method I am proposing for Roberts Stadium. Once more, if you look at that aerial view of OKC above, you will see that the Cox Convention Center is located on the block just north of OKC's arena. For those who do not know, the Cox Convention Center isn't just a convention center, rather it is a convention center AND a 15,000 seat arena all in one.

The Cox Convention Center was built in 1972 and was OKC's premier arena at the time. However, this title was lost once the Ford Center was built in 2002. It's a good thing our city officials weren't in charge of OKC at the time because the arena at the Cox Convention Center would not have stood a chance. They would have demolished it for sure. If you look at the Ford Center...

(flickr.com member ouphotoguy)

And then you look at the arena inside the Cox Convention Center...

(okcbarons.com)

You will see that in no way, shape, or form can the Cox Convention Center compete with the brand new arena (which changed from Ford Center to Chesapeake Energy Center last July). So how does the arena remain a vital asset to OKC? Let's look at some of their events...

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

Its primary use is that of large scale convention and meeting facility. It also hosts major concerts, conferences, and other large scale events. The complex houses multiple meeting rooms, conference and convention space, dining halls, and a 15,000 seat multi-purpose arena (one of the city's three major arenas).

The arena in the Cox Convention center is home to the Bricktown Brawlers Indoor Football League team, in addition to the Oklahoma City Barons of the American Hockey League. The Cox arena has also hosted numerous state and college basketball events, including the 2007 and 2009 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament and UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard on September 16, 2009.

Now that the arena inside the Cox Convention Center is not the premier arena, it has gone after events that cannot afford the new arena but still need a nice play to perform. These events include indoor football, women's basketball championships, boxing matches, hockey, large trade shows, and much, much more. With the exception of hockey, this is exactly what we need to do with Roberts Stadium.

City hall needs to realize that Roberts Stadium will be an asset for both the city of Evansville as well as the Ford Center itself. We have a golden opportunity to convert this historic facility into a mid-sized arena that will accomplish two things for us...

1. Host the events that cannot afford the new arena such as indoor football, minor-league basketball, indoor soccer, trade shows, etc,etc

2. Compliment the new arena by jointly hosting events and serving as a back-up facility should the Ford Center schedule two events at the same time.

When OKC was given lemons, they made lemonades. OKC firmly believes the fact that they have two arenas facing each other is a good thing not a bad thing. They refuse to play the "either/or game." Rather, OKC uses their two arenas as leverage against other cities. This plan has worked perfectly. If you look at the diagram below, you will see that OKC will be constructing yet another convention center on the other side of their new arena (note: the old ford lot is on the western side of the arena in the middle)...

http://www.okc.gov/planning/coretoshore/images/redevconcept.jpg

When construction is complete, OKC will have 2 convention centers and 2 arenas on 3 connected plots of land. This superplex will be accompanied by the entire development from the Core-to-Shore plan as well as the MAPS program. That is what I call progress! I firmly believe that we can reposition Roberts Stadium so that it will compliment, not compete, with the Ford Center.

It's pretty simple: If we're going to be like Oklahoma City, then we need to actually be like Oklahoma City. Bring back the 2001 downtown master plan & SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!

Ford Center Again? Why Not Ford Fieldhouse?

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Yesterday, we finally got the name for our new arena: The Ford Center.

Although I found it ironic that this deal was announced the same day I had to ante up $224 to repair my Ford, the truth is, I really don't care who sponsors it as long as we get this new arena across the finish line.

However, the main problem I have with the Ford Center is that there has already been a Ford Center. Although it is now called the Chesapeake Energy Center, Oklahoma City named their arena the Ford Center from 2002 to 2010.

As most people who follow arenas closely know, you really cannot name an arena twice and expect to get the same bang for your buck. Although the names have changed, San Francisco will always have Candlestick Park, Chicago will always have the Sears Tower, and Utah will always have the Delta Center even though each of these buildings has given up their names (although San Francisco has gotten theirs back). When someone says Ford Center, Oklahoma City will still get the recognition.

There are a few other facilities named Ford Center as well...

Stanford has a Ford Center...
http://www.gostanford.com/facilities/stan-burnham.html

Ole Miss has a Ford Center...
http://www.fordcenter.org/

Michigan Tech has a Ford Center...
http://fordcenter.mtu.edu/

A few years ago, I attended the Oklahoma City Shootout at the Ford Center and took some pictures that I would like to share with you....

(Click on photos to enlarge)












As you can see from the pictures, their Ford Center is much bigger than our Ford Center, and has since attracted the NBA's Seattle Supersonics since I last visited there. Their arena isn't just a regional draw like ours, it is a national and international draw with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. Therefore, we should not try to go head-to-head with their arena.

What should our new arena be called? Simply put: Ford Fieldhouse. Here is why...

1. Evansville native Ralph Legeman, who was the architect for Roberts Stadium and the old North High School gymnasium, still holds the patent for the fieldhouse design. Evansville is home to the creator of the fieldhouse, shouldn't we honor that?

2. Ford Fieldhouse has a better ring to it than the Ford Center.

3. Only one facility has "Ford Fieldhouse" and it is a community center that is called the Gerald R Ford Fieldhouse which would be a different name than our sponsor.

4. We already have a Centre next door. There is no need to further confuse patrons of the new arena.

5. This is Indiana, we play in fieldhouses not arenas, centers, centres, or anything else.

One of the best fieldhouses around is Conseco Fieldhouse...

(mswoods.com)

Indianapolis did a magnificent job constructing the entrance to their fieldhouse. Shouldn't we do the same? Don't get me wrong, I am dying for Evansville to replicate every single thing Oklahoma City does including the MAPS program that built the original Ford Center...

http://evansvillemovingforward.blogspot.com/2011/08/if-next-mayor-wants-to-create-jobs-he.html

However, if we want our arena to be unique, bold, and distinctive, we will do the right thing and make the necessary minor correction. Let's go with FORD FIELDHOUSE!

(logo credit: Ford Motor Co, photo credit: mobilemarketingwatch.com)

Why Won't They Connect The Dots?

(ataleoftwochicas.files.wordpress.com/)

These past few weeks, we've sat and watched as our Evansville Icemen hockey organization battled the City of Evansville for a fair lease at the new arena. Today, both sides agreed to a lease they feel comfortable with. For the record, I'm glad the Icemen got this deal done with the city to play in the new arena. I have never felt like Roberts Stadium was an option for the Icemen.

During this battle, we have seen comments that confirm most of what I have been saying all along. Let's dig into some quotes...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/aug/11/no-headline---ev_icemenmeeting/?partner=popular

Geary said the financial arrangements the city offered the IceMen made it
impossible for the team to survive.

This is exactly why the Bluecats folded. While the Icemen are in a league strong enough to attract enough fans to keep up with the demands of the city of Evansville, other sports such as indoor football, indoor soccer, minor league basketball, small trade shows, and small concerts are simply to small to afford to rent the new arena. Where are they going to go? If we demolish Roberts Stadium none of these events will happen, NONE!

In that deal, if more than 3,500 people attended a game, rent would go down. If fewer than 3,500 attended, rent would go up. The scale was based on the prediction that each person physically attending the game would spend about $6 on concessions, Kish had said.

The investor I have identified who is interested in bringing 2 + teams to Roberts Stadium as well as concerts has said that he too is willing to split concession and ticket sales revenue with the city. Why hasn't the city explored a deal for Roberts Stadium as well? How can you recommend demolition if you haven't listened to offers for teams interested in renting Roberts Stadium?

Geary had told the Redevelopment Commission, "It was like the city doesn't even want us here," adding the city gave his team some of the weakest dates to play.

However, he conceded that many of the prime dates his team sought instead were given to the University of Evansville for Purple Aces basketball.

This proves once and for all why the new arena and Roberts Stadium are not competitors. Simply put, there are few, if any, premium dates at the new arena that are still open. If the Icemen are having to take dates that aren't on the top of their list, what makes anyone believe that there are going to be enough dates for an indoor soccer team, an indoor football team, and a NBDL team?

The Icemen and Aces will account for approximately 68 events at the new arena. They alone will take up over 1/6th of the calendar year at the new arena before you even consider the open dates needed to convert the arena over to another event, concert events, and miscellaneous events such as the circus and Jehovah Witness' convention. In fact, commissioner Winnecke and Mayor Weinzapfel both told me they don't believe there are enough dates for a NBDL team. So why not let them play at Roberts Stadium?

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/aug/12/city-icemen-reach-agreement-hockey-new-arena/

Geary said the IceMen will open their season at the arena on Nov. 5 against their state rival, the Fort Wayne Komets.

“It’ll be a great game,” Geary said. “Evansville is going to love it.”

This quote confirms that our biggest rival in hockey will be the city of Fort Wayne. Keep this in mind as I will be coming back to it in a few moments.

For those who don't know, I have been advocating for bringing the NBDL to Evansville for quiet some time now...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/11/making-case-for-nbdl.html

Last month, we watched Canton, Ohio bypass us by acquiring a NBDL team for their arena that just happens to be older than Roberts Stadium...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/now-canton-ohio-is-moving-ahead-of-us.html

Why would our city leaders let this happen? How can they look the residents of Evansville straight in the eye and tell them that we need to demolish Roberts Stadium when Canton, Ohio just acquired a team that will compete in the NBA's premier development league with an arena that is older that Roberts Stadium, managed by SMG as well, and contains a fraction of the seating that Roberts Stadium has? What reason can they give for not going after the NBDL?

With that being said, there still is time to make things right. That's because there are now rumors circling around the NBA community that the Indiana Pacers are looking to purchase a team so that they can have exclusive affiliation with it...

http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2011/5/5/2154540/d-league-hybrid-affiliation-nba-teams

According to two league sources, both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers have seriously looked into buying into the D-League while the New York Knicks are also still being batted around as a team that is interested in signing on with a D-League squad.

As far as the Pacers are concerned, two people contacted on Wednesday told Ridiculous Upside that Indiana has contacted at least one D-League team about interest with the idea being to begin a hybrid affiliation.

Given this bit of knowledge, the time to act is now. While the current plan is to mothball Roberts Stadium until next year, there is no reason why our city cannot at least give the Indiana Pacers a phone call to see if they would be interested in bringing their NBDL team to Roberts Stadium.

If we don't act soon, we will be bypassed by either South Bend, Gary, West Lafayette, Muncie, Bloomington, Terre Haute, or Fort Wayne who already has a NBDL team. Currently, the Pacers are affiliated with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. However, both the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks are affiliated with the Mad Ants as well. The Pacers are looking to own a team that would give them an exclusive affiliation. Therefore, there is a huge gap Evansville could fill by supplying the Pacers with a team that is exclusively Pacers prospects.

Earlier, I asked you to keep in mind that we will be having a rivalry with Fort Wayne in hockey. If we are able to acquire a NBDL team, we will also have a rivalry with Fort Wayne in basketball. This will keep transportation costs down for the team while giving the fans a reason to come to the games.

Why should we pursue the NBDL? There are many reasons but the main ones are these...

1. Evansville is a basketball town surrounded by more basketball towns.

2. If the NBDL fails, we can simply fill in these empty dates with other events from other teams, trade shows, youth sports, or concerts.

3. The NBDL economics work perfectly with a scaled down Roberts Stadium.

So let's now take a look at the "dots" we have been given...

Dot #1: The Icemen and Aces have taken the premier dates for the new arena as well as 1/6th of the entire calendar.

Dot #2: The city of Evansville needs a tenant to go with an indoor soccer team, an indoor football team, trade shows, youth sports, and mid-sized concerts.

Dot #3: The Indiana Pacers are looking for a city to relocate their NBDL team to.

Dot #4: Evansville has an arena that is comparable in age and management organization as well as capacity if the floor is raised to Canton's Civic Center which just got a NBDL team.

Dot #5: A NBDL team is extremely low risk.

Dot #6: Evansville is a basketball city surrounded by other basketball cities.

Dot #7: Evansville already has city officials hired to acquire teams for the city.

Although many Evansville residents don't consider themselves to be rocket scientists, the truth is, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to connect these dots. That is the main point that our city government needs to understand.

We need to connect the dots and we need to connect them soon. We need to bring the NBDL to Roberts Stadium!

(nbdl)

Why Arena Supporters Should Be On Our Side

(lafourche.org)

For those who have been following this site, you know that I have made it perfectly clear that the Save Roberts Stadium movement is NOT Roberts Stadium versus the new arena...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/10/this-is-not-roberts-stadium-vs-new.html

Rather, this issue is about whether you believe in investing in sports facilities for your city or are against it. Like me, I hope that you truly see the gifts we have been given whether it be the Soldiers & Sailors Coliseum, Roberts Stadium, or the new arena. These are all great and unique facilities that will serve us well.

Unfortunately, many residents have been led to believe that this issue is about Roberts Stadium competing with the new arena. Arena opponents want you to believe that it must be one or the other, that the two facilities would fight for the same events, and we can only have one facility. This is completely false. In reality, Roberts Stadium supporters and new arena supporters are on the same side. How is this so?

Why Supporters Of The New Arena Should Support Keeping Roberts Stadium

Not only will Roberts Stadium and the new arena be kept from competing, Roberts Stadium will actually enhance the new arena. With Roberts Stadium, we can use a parking lot that would normally be empty on non-event days to shuttle patrons down to the new arena...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-cant-we-all-win.html

Having the ability to use Roberts Stadium for parking for the new arena can only increase ticket sales for the new arena. Most importantly, it will all but eliminate the complaints of arena opponents.

Another reason supporters of the new arena should support keeping Roberts Stadium is because of its ability to coordinate events. Yes, we do have the Centre but the Centre won't always be empty, nor will it have the capacity to handle youth sports camps. With Roberts Stadium standing, we can pursue Olympic style events that will require multiple venues for competition. Having Roberts Stadium will help the new arena go after more competitive games and tournaments.

Also, Roberts Stadium will free up more dates for the new arena. Imagine a top-notch concert wants to come to town to play in our new arena but can only play on a day that is already booked by another event. Without Roberts Stadium, we will have to pass on this concert or cause a mess for the event that is already booked. With Roberts Stadium, we can shift the smaller event out of the new arena so that the top-notch concert can set up shop downtown.

Lastly, what happens to Roberts Stadium will determine what happens to the new arena when it gets old. With the Roberts Stadium situation, we can look at how our city handled the Coliseum situation...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/01/history-repeats-itself-before-save.html

In a court of law, the Coliseum situation would be a huge case law we could use to support saving Roberts Stadium. If we lose the battle to save Roberts Stadium, it will probably have tough implications on the new arena once it gets old. Currently, Evansville has an image of keeping its old and historic venues such as Roberts Stadium, the Coliseum, and Bosse Field intact. If Roberts Stadium were to be demolished, it would then become an example arena opponents could use to demolish the new arena. We need to make sure that respect for our facilities continues with Roberts Stadium so that this situation will repeat itself when our new arena becomes old.

Why Supporters of The New Arena Should Support Building The Ball Fields At Kleymeyer Park

When the ECVB unveiled their plan to build the ball fields at Wesselman Park and on the current footprint of Roberts Stadium, they cited the east side development as their primary reason for choosing this site. Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't make sense AT ALL.

We just agreed to pay over $127 million to construct a new downtown arena for the sole purpose of stimulating downtown Evansville. I fully agree with this decision and I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of arena supporters want this arena to be downtown. Slowly but surely, downtown Evansville is coming back!

So why would we want to build our ball fields on a site that would not drive development downtown? With Kleymeyer Park, the closest hotel is the hotel that will be constructed across from our new arena and Centre. Isn't that the hotel that should be getting priority over the east side hotels?

If we construct the ball fields at Kleymeyer Park, we will be connecting North Main Street with South Main Street. In other words, our ball fields and new arena would form a 1-2 punch for downtown Evansville. Doesn't that make more sense that constructing the fields at the Roberts Stadium site which is landlocked and will only promote urban sprawl?

I know there has been a lot of bad blood between those who support Roberts Stadium and those who support the new arena. Truthfully, both sides have the wrong idea about the other. We must come together as one if we are ever going to defeat the naysayers who refuse to invest in our own city. We must realize that both facilities, as well as the ball fields project, CAN ALL BE BUILT if we work together to defeat those who refuse to let Evansville make progress.

New arena, ball fields at Kleymeyer Park, and Roberts Stadium. Together, they complete the puzzle!

(macmurray7thgrade.pbworks.com)

A Simple, Friendly Request For The Courier & Press

(pbp1.com)

Over the past few weeks, we have seen the Evansville Courier & Press write many articles and many editorials regarding Roberts Stadium. Unfortunately, I do not believe they will be changing their mind about their support for demolishing Roberts Stadium anytime soon if ever. That is fine as freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, and independent thinking are what make our county such a great place to call home.

I do have one simple, friendly request/suggestion/challenge for the Evansville Courier & Press.

A few weeks ago, I met with the C&P for this interview....

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/jul/30/cost-of-roberts/

During the meeting with the C&P, I discussed my counter proposal for the ball fields project. For those who don't know what my counter proposal is, here is a basic summary of it...

1. Build the fields at Kleymeyer Park.
2. Build them to replicate vintage MLB fields like this...http://www.bigleaguedreams.com/replica-fields
3. Play the championship games at Bosse Field so that ad revenue can be shared with the Otters and the girls softball teams can play on the same field where the movie " A League of Their Own" was filmed.
4. If possible, land swap Bob Walthers' driving range to Hamilton Golf Course.
5. If possible, land swap EYFL to the old North High School field.
6. Work with the EPA to tap into the methane gas below Kleymeyer Park to make the ball fields electrical needs profitable not a liability.
7. If possible, work with local MLB all-stars such as Don Mattingly, Scott Rolen, and Jamey Carroll, and Alan & Andy Benes to get MLB involved and to pay tribute to them.

Here are some more links if you are interested in this concept...

http://city-countyobserver.com/2011/01/30/jordan-baer-releases-video-of-his-vision-for-kleymeyer-park/

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/11/introducing-big-league-dreams-sports.html

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

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

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/05/take-kleymeyer-park-sniff-challenge.html

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/wouldnt-land-swap-make-much-more-sense.html

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/why-are-we-not-involving-our-local-mlb.html

If done correctly, I believe we have the opportunity to help the following groups with our ball fields project...

1. Help Hamilton Golf Course
2. Help the current North High School building
3. Help EYFL
4. Help Bob Walthers
5. Help the Bosse Field District
6. Help Roberts Stadium
7. Help North Main Street finally connect to downtown Main Street
8. Help Wesselman Park grow around Roberts Stadium
9. Help increase the Innkeepers Tax revenue
10. Help the Parks Dept clean up a current park
11. Help the new arena with parking
12. Help the Evansville Otters find more revenue
13. Help bring MLB to town and pay tribute to our MLB stars at the same time

Because of this valuable, once in a lifetime opportunity, I would like for the Evansville Courier & Press to weigh in on the situation with their opinion. Here are a few questions I would like for them to consider...

1. Do you believe that the ball fields fit better next to historic Bosse Field versus Wesselman Park?
2. Do you believe that Garvin Park, Kleymeyer Park, and Bosse Field district needs this stimulus more than the Wesselman Park area?
3. Do you believe that replicating the fields to represent vintage MLB fields would bring in more visitors and tourists than Dunn's generic fields?
4. Do you believe that this is a valuable opportunity to help organizations such as the Otters who need a shot in the arm now not later?
5. Do you believe that the fact that both the Roberts Stadium lot and Kleymeyer Park are one road and the LLoyd Expressway from the east side negates any economic benefit that Dunn's location has?
6. The closest hotel to these fields would be our downtown hotel next to the arena and Convention Centre. Do you believe that it is wise to support our own taxpayer funded arena first?
7. Do you believe that it is wise to find events to fill up Bosse Field's open dates now and not at the last minute when a new ballpark is eventually built?
8. Do you believe that it makes sense for Bob Walthers to have his driving range next to Hamilton Golf Course and not next to Bosse Field?
9. Do you believe that Bob Walthers' Golf-N-Fun is the perfect venue to go with our ball fields project?
10. Do you believe that it makes sense to put pumps next to our ball fields to convert Kleymeyer Park's methane gas to electricity to sell to the public instead of purchasing electricity?
11. Do you believe that this project is a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring the Bosse Field district back to life and the Garvin Park area under a much needed urban renewal process?
12. Do you believe city hall, who has the power to get in contact with legends such as Don Mattingly as well as government officials such as the Parks Department, should be willing to help put this plan together since they are the only entity that can make decisions involving government land and spending?

Make no mistake, this offer is open to ALL media sources. The only reason why I am specifically listing the C&P is because I have already discussed this plan with them personally. I am willing to discuss this plan with any interested media outlet as well as meeting with the C&P again.

Let's be honest, the ball fields project isn't going anywhere...

http://www.14wfie.com/story/14907700/new-cvb-director

There's a reason why this site is STILL up and running...

http://www.theparkevansville.com/

Now is the time for us to have this discussion, not when our government secretly unveils another plan and only considers their plan for implementation.

We have over 5 months before a new mayor takes office and begins the process of making a decision on Roberts Stadium. Surely there is one open editorial space for the Courier & Press to give a serious look at placing these ball fields at Kleymeyer Park between now and then.

Like I've said before, I have great respect for the Courier & Press. I ask that they continue to be THE leader of our community and join in on the quest to find the perfect location for our ball fields project.

That's my suggestion/request!

(capta6.org)

3 Years Later, Facts Are Still Facts

( ericatwitts.files.wordpress.com)

Back in 2008, the Roberts Stadium Advisory Board was given the task of deciding to renovate Roberts Stadium or construct an entirely new arena. They ultimately chose to construct an entirely new arena that would be located in downtown Evansville.

After concluding their research, they gave us a list of what they considered to be 45 "key facts" regarding the entire situation. The following are those key facts...

************************************************************************************

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/may/25/roberts-stadium-advisory-boards-45-key-facts/

1. Roberts Stadium was renovated in 1990 at a cost of $16.2 million. It seats 12,232 people, has 15 corporate suites and no club seating.

2. Roberts Stadium is a textbook "destination site." Destination site venues have not proved to be successful in stimulating ancillary economic development.

3. The problem with Roberts Stadium is that the floor is too small, there is no permanent ice-making plant, the truck docks and marshaling areas are undersized for today's events, and the rigging is significantly under capacity for modem acts, concerts and other events.

4. Roberts Stadium has served the community well for 50 years, but it is functionally obsolete. It cannot be brought up to today's standards due to the inability to "raise the roof' (as they did in Fort Wayne), which also prevents expansion of the stadium floor.

5. Renovation would be very expensive and impractical, even if you didn't try to raise the roof. The estimated cost to increase the floor size, rigging capacity, truck docks and add permanent dock space would be approximately $50 million.

6. According to the consultant's analysis, a Downtown location is the only one that would help generate revenue equal to or greater than the cost of a new facility. A Downtown location appears to create economic spinoff, such as retail shops and other businesses.

7. The consultant has determined it will cost approximately $92 million to build a 10,000-seat arena located Downtown. A new arena will require a minimum of 3.5-4 acres and approximately 4,200 parking spaces within 2,000 feet of the entrances (2-3 blocks).

8. Downtown Evansville has a total of 8,300 parking spaces available. There are 2,418 private garage spaces; 2,417 spaces in private surface lots; 1,579 spaces in city garages and 1,886 metered spaces.

9. The consultant has determined that potential funding sources for a new 10,000- seat arena Downtown include: naming rights ($14 million), revenue bonds ($6 million), federal transportation support ($2 million), gaming revenue ($15 million), TIP ($32.5 million), CRED ($. 75 million), New Markets Tax Credits ($18 million), Food and Beverage Tax ($15 million) and Innkeepers Tax ($8 million).

10. The consultant readily stated that the funding sources presented were merely estimates; plus, he did not provide a multiyear projection of revenues and expenses, debt service and maintenance reserves. The cost of site acquisition is also likely to differ from the assessed value. It would therefore be appropriate to have a detailed financial forecast prepared by a firm or firms having significant expertise and experience with various funding sources and revenue/expense projections.

11. The public input and media coverage of the process to date have been very beneficial, with the apparent preference of the community being a new facility Downtown.

12. A major concern seems to be Downtown parking and traffic flow.

13. Many citizens prefer an 11,000-seat arena, if it is economically feasible, because we need to prepare for growth 10 to 20 years into the future. We need the range of costs for both a 10,000-seat and an 11,000-seat arena.

14. Many citizens feel a new hotel next to an arena will be economically beneficial to the project.

15. Many citizens seem to prefer a new arena built near The Centre on the Executive Inn/D-Patrick site.

16. Most citizens do not want their property taxes increased in order to build a new arena.

17. Most of the markets that are comparable to Evansville that have opened arenas recently have more people living within 25 miles of their cities. However, Evansville is relatively strong when you compare the number of people living within 50 miles of the city.

18. The Evansville metropolitan area has an inventory of 425 corporations and branches. It ranks fourth among the markets analyzed for corporate inventory, and Evansville's inventory is significantly higher than the comparable market average.

19. The current average number of annual events at Roberts Stadium is fairly competitive with most of the comparable markets surveyed. The average number of annual events for the last three (3) years at Roberts Stadium is 112.

20. "I believe the Downtown area is a city's heartbeat, and a thriving downtown often reveals a strong vibrant city. As a thirty-something Evansville native who returned home after living in Indianapolis and traveling fairly extensively, I believe that building an arena in Downtown Evansville is the catalyst Evansville needs to resuscitate its heartbeat. However, it has to make sense."

21. We should consider the loss of taxable revenue on a site where the owner is currently paying property taxes.

22. The average attendance at Roberts is 6,000 for concerts; nothing close to the 11,000 seats that are being suggested for a new arena.

23. We have heard from many that this is a "once in a lifetime chance" to do it right. We should create a facility we will be proud of.

24. We should build for the future, not for the past. (ex: USI growth.)

25. We consistently heard from people that Evansville has momentum now. An arena is a key element in moving forward.

26. We should make sure this facility is not simply large but also handles several different types of sports and events well (basketball, hockey, conventions, etc.).

27. The study saw The Centre as a place to function in tandem with an arena Downtown (ex: exhibition space). An arena, The Centre and hotels will be greater than the sum of their parts. We need to consider which location will result in the most potential economic development.

28. Many people question the revenue sources that came out of the study: TIF, parking, CRED.

29. There may be other opportunities for use of Roberts Stadium that were not included in the study.

30. SMG does lose some concerts due to shortcomings of the current stadium.

31. The mayor made it clear at the beginning of the process that USI and UE would be instrumental in the development of this facility.

32. We think an arena should be used to help attract other events to our community: soccer, football, etc. We could be a capital for regional sports, collegiate sports and entertainment.

33. The negotiation process for some Downtown sites will be easier and less costly than others (ex., fewer land owners).

34. There are 60-75 activities listed in a previous survey that Roberts Stadium was not able to accommodate. (ex.: automobile shows).

35. We should figure out how to involve USI in a new arena without being a detriment to UE.

36. We hear, "It would be wonderful if the $14 million of corporate sponsorship came in early in the process."

37. Some of the funding in the study is already dedicated to other budgeted items (i.e. Food and Beverage Tax goes to the Convention and Visitors Bureau).

38. We believe an arena will be an economic stimulator for the community.

39. We don't think we have exhausted the potential uses for Roberts Stadium beyond the recommended water park. This should be explored as part of the process.

40. We have heard that whatever happens to Roberts Stadium, it needs to pay for itself.

41. There is nothing that says Roberts Stadium could not be redeveloped and those profits used to support the cost of a new arena.

42. We could donate Roberts Stadium to EVSC, USI, UE and the Diocese of Evansville.

43. We heard from many people that the seating should be comfortable.

44. We think "optimal size" needs to be 10,000-11,000 seated comfortably. Arena size would depend upon our ability to finance, events we could attract and looking to the future.

45. The process of designing and building a new arena should include the participation of the entire community.

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In a nutshell, these 45 key facts cover the entire Roberts Stadium/ new arena situation from start to finish. Let's break down the key facts that relate specifically to Roberts Stadium.

1. Roberts Stadium was renovated in 1990 at a cost of $16.2 million. It seats 12,232 people, has 15 corporate suites and no club seating.

No club seating yet we have an entire city hall scared to death Roberts Stadium will compete with the new arena's 16 16-person suites, one 24-person suite, two eight-person mini suites, two 10-person mini suites, 92 main concourse loge seats, and 516 club seats with access to suite-level clubs.

It should be more than obvious to city officials that the primary goal of reinventing Roberts Stadium is to reuse it as a mid-sized arena not as a competing premier-sized arena.

2. Roberts Stadium is a textbook "destination site." Destination site venues have not proved to be successful in stimulating ancillary economic development.

Exactly, so why would you want to construct 8 ball fields on the lot whose main purpose is to draw indirect benefits from nearby retail? Mid-sized events that would go inside a reinvented Roberts Stadium do not intend to be a huge stimulus of nearby retail, although a minor league basketball team, an indoor football team, an indoor soccer team, trade shows, and concerts would do a lot of good for Kipplee's, Turoni's, and Western Sizzler as well as the rest of the east side.

3. The problem with Roberts Stadium is that the floor is too small, there is no permanent ice-making plant, the truck docks and marshaling areas are undersized for today's events, and the rigging is significantly under capacity for modem acts, concerts and other events.

These were the reasons that we were sold on building a new arena. In my opinion, these reasons were more than enough reason to build a new arena.

But now, things have changed. City hall is doing everything they can to keep Roberts Stadium from standing because they believe it will compete with the new arena. What has changed? The answer is nothing. The same reasons why we built the new arena are the same exact reasons why the two arenas will not compete!

4. Roberts Stadium has served the community well for 50 years, but it is functionally obsolete. It cannot be brought up to today's standards due to the inability to "raise the roof' (as they did in Fort Wayne), which also prevents expansion of the stadium floor.

Now that the new arena is being built, the purpose is not to raise the roof. The main goal is to now raise the floor. This will allow us to eliminate the pumps, sell some of Roberts Stadium's seats to finance the renovation, and provide a more intimate setting for mid-sized events.

5. Renovation would be very expensive and impractical, even if you didn't try to raise the roof. The estimated cost to increase the floor size, rigging capacity, truck docks and add permanent dock space would be approximately $50 million.

Estimates for raising the floor have ranged from $400,000 to $500,000, much less than the $1.2 million to demolish the arena. As for renovating the docks and rigging capacity, that will not be needed due to the conversion from premier traveling events to low-profile mid-sized events that do not require such large materials to be transported.

29. There may be other opportunities for use of Roberts Stadium that were not included in the study.

Correct. So why were none studied outside of the indoor waterpark?

30. SMG does lose some concerts due to shortcomings of the current stadium.

Once more, this is rock solid evidence that Roberts Stadium will not compete with the new arena. It is also rock solid evidence that building a new arena downtown and converting Roberts Stadium to a mid-sized arena makes perfect sense.

35. We should figure out how to involve USI in a new arena without being a detriment to UE.

USI, this is Roberts Stadium. Roberts Stadium, this is USI. You two should talk!

39. We don't think we have exhausted the potential uses for Roberts Stadium beyond the recommended water park. This should be explored as part of the process.

The board felt so passionate about this fact that they bolded it in their letter yet the Evansville Arena Advisory Committee recommended demolition without studying any reuse ideas for Roberts Stadium...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/may/06/arean-committee-endorses-putting-ball-fields-rober/

One member of that committee even told me they voted for ball fields because it was the only plan. What happened to studying Roberts Stadium?

40. We have heard that whatever happens to Roberts Stadium, it needs to pay for itself.

I have heard that demolishing Roberts Stadium will not pay for itself and will require spending even more money to build something else which probably won't pay for itself either.

41. There is nothing that says Roberts Stadium could not be redeveloped and those profits used to support the cost of a new arena.

The board is correct again. Why don't we start with the parking lot?...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-cant-we-all-win.html

42. We could donate Roberts Stadium to EVSC, USI, UE and the Diocese of Evansville.

Or, we could rent the facility out to these organizations on non-event days. Each of these organizations has events they could host at Roberts Stadium. Together, they would fill up every single event date that will be lost to the new arena. Like I said earlier, I have an investor who can fill the rest.

45. The process of designing and building a new arena should include the
participation of the entire community.

And the process of what to do with Roberts Stadium should include the community as well. Problem is, that hasn't happened at all since day 1. Only the ball fields project was given a fair hearing from city hall and the local residents. No committee has ever been established to try to put together a plan for Roberts Stadium using ideas from the local citizens. Why?

Overall, I think these 45 key facts speak volumes about what we can do with Roberts Stadium. This board, as well many others, believes that we should investigate Roberts Stadium for potential reuse plans. I have been doing this for almost a year now and have made tremendous progress on putting together a plan. The last step we need is a committee with the power of the government to get something going.

After reviewing the board's key facts, I hold these truths to be self-evident...

1. Roberts Stadium will not/ can not compete with the new arena.

2. Roberts Stadium can be reused.

3. Roberts Stadium should be studied for reuse options.

4. The ball fields belong at Kleymeyer Park or within vicinity of Bosse Field.

5. Roberts Stadium hasn't gotten its due process.

After 3 years, facts are still facts. LET'S SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!


(listenersbible.com)