(amazon.com)These past few weeks, we've learned everything we need to know about what a Winnecke Administration would do with Roberts Stadium if elected.
With these past few announcements and his testimony at the WNIN Mayoral Debate, it's more than obvious that Commissioner Winnecke wants us to do as he says and not as he does.
The first three mayoral debates were enough alone to understand that Commissioner Winnecke isn't serious about Roberts Stadium. During the first debate at Harrison High School, Commissioner Winnecke said that we need to get local residents to wrap their arms around the idea of demolition.
Then at the second debate, Commissioner Winnecke questioned the city of Omaha constructing a natatorium as an indirect response to putting one either in or next to Roberts Stadium. As I pointed out before, Omaha is NOT a good example for Commissioner Winnecke's invest in nothing idea...
http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/09/lets-talk-about-omaha-nebraska.html
I would like to thank the Creighton Blue Jays fansite Bluejayunderground.com for picking that post up. As a result, from here to Omaha, several hundred people came to this blog and have no idea why Commissioner Winnecke doesn't want to be like Omaha, Nebraska who is getting ready to bring swimming legend Michael Phelps to town. Everyone from Omaha has agreed that they are satisfied with the progress of downtown Omaha!
The third debate, which was the second debate on WNIN, Commissioner Winnecke really lays the double standard down on Roberts Stadium. Check out the 26 minute segment of the debate...
http://video.wnin.org/video/2156418259/
That's right, Commissioner Winnecke who told me in person that Roberts Stadium should be "nothing but a hole in the ground," and emailed me his statement that says he does not believe we "can or should "save" Roberts Stadium," is rushing to the defense of Lloyd Pool (You can read that email in this post: http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-do-mayoral-candidates-stack-up-on.html)
Yet Roberts Stadium, even in mothball form, costs $300,000 to operate while Lloyd Pool, according to Commissioner Winnecke, costs roughly $400,000 to operate. It doesn't take a math expert to realize the simple equation: $300,000 < $400,000.
On top of that, Roberts Stadium is in much better shape than Lloyd Pool. If you go to Lloyd Pool, which I did last year, you will notice that the complex has seen better days. The water from the pool is running amuck on the structure. For this very reason, I have been advocating for building the swimming complex next to Roberts Stadium, not inside Roberts Stadium...
http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-natatorium-is-better-next-to.html
If you keep watching the above video from the debate, you will notice that Mr. Rick Davis echoed the same idea of "killing two birds with one stone."
Given that Lloyd Pool is in terrible condition and costs $400,000 to operate, does Commissioner Winnecke propose a committee that will decide if it should be saved or demolished like he did with Roberts Stadium? Of course not, he has already made the decision that we should save it...
http://www.winneckeformayor.com/2011/10/20/winnecke-pledges-to-keep-lloyd-pool-open/
Let's take a look at some of the quotes from the press release...
"Our public pools are an asset to the community. With attendance for 2011 surpassing previous years, it is obvious that the community uses our expansive pool system, so keeping it up-to-date and safe is an investment worth making."
So why are we letting Hartke Pool crumble? Why are we not investing in an indoor water park resort to couple with a natatorium and outdoor pools that will share the expenses with a private investor? Why are we letting French Lick, Indiana who has Big Splash Water Adventure jump ahead of us? Wouldn't an indoor water park resort, an indoor natatorium, and an outdoor pool complex make perfect sense next to Roberts Stadium where travelers can enjoy retail and entertainment?
"Rather than support Lloyd Pool’s existence and proper restoration, Rick Davis has called for it to be closed entirely. I do not believe this is the right answer. Our administration will look for new ways to promote Lloyd Pool’s use and ensure it is properly maintained."
The same exact thing can be said for Roberts Stadium. So why did you tell me you thought it should be demolished? Why don't you look for ways to properly maintain and promote it as well? Why is a pool costing $400,000 worth saving but a stadium/arena costing $300,000 that is one of the few things in Evansville that has been successful isn't worth saving? Pot meet kettle...
(thelibertyvoice.com)"Tourism officials have already indicated that there is no way a Natatorium in Evansville can generate enough income to offset the retirement of construction bonds and operation costs."
So why are you wanting to stick money into Lloyd Pool? Of course a natatorium doesn't make sense for tourism if you don't couple it with an indoor water park resort. Natatoriums tailor more to the locals than they do tourists (unless you build one like Omaha's). It is the opposite for indoor water park resorts.
"The cost of construction could easily range from $10 to $20 million with annual maintenance and operation costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. "
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in operation costs? Isn't that what you said Lloyd Pool has in the above video?
"With a struggling economy, Evansville cannot afford more extravagant public works projects."
This is the worst part of this entire press release. It's amazing just how far the Vanderburgh County GOP has fallen since the days of Hank Roberts and Russ Lloyd Jr. Both of those mayors had a vision. Hank Roberts wanted to build Roberts Stadium, while Russ Lloyd Jr. wanted to build the 2001 Downtown master plan.
Now, we are left with a candidate who calls capital improvement projects "extravagant" yet spends over $100 million on simple road projects such as North Green River, Oak Hill, Millersburg, and the Lloyd Expressway that will do absolutely nothing but create more urban sprawl. Commissioner Winnecke mentioned the 2001 master plan on his website. I guess we now know what will happen to that plan as well.
"I am open to preserving Roberts Stadium, if it makes financial sense to do so."
No you're not. You specifically said "We cannot or should not "save" Roberts Stadium." That means 1 of 4 things...
1. You weren't telling the truth then.
2. You aren't telling the truth now.
3. You changed your mind so that you don't lose the Roberts Stadium vote.
4. You genuinely changed your mind once you decided to run for mayor.
I'll let you the readers of this blog decide which # makes the most sense.
"Unfortunately, cost estimates, both for re-use and for demolition, have varied substantially. We must have all the facts before committing to spend tens of millions of dollars on such a costly project. "
That's because you haven't been willing to commit yourself to researching Roberts Stadium. Why didn't you ask an engineer how much it would cost to raise the floor? Why didn't you talk to SMG about going after mid-sized event teams such as indoor football, soccer, NBDL basketball, trade shows, concerts, and youth sports tournaments? Why haven't you talked to USI? Why do we have to elect you for you to do these types of things?
"Evansville needs a mayor who will control spending."So why did you approve of road projects that cost over $100 million and will only cause more urban sprawl which will result in more sewers, more utility upgrades, more emergency services, and more government services in general? Why do you support I-69, an interstate that will cost over $5 billion ($3.31 for new terrain, $1.2-$1.4 billion for bridge, legal fees, and extra funds needed to replace inferior materials and add back the interchanges, rest areas, and bridges that won't cause flooding) when even I-69 supporters themselves have admitted they don't have the money? Why did you not take a stand on the ball fields at Wesselman Park that were going to cost $17.5 million? Most importantly, have you heard of the Homestead Tax Credit?
Although it makes absolutely no sense for Commissioner Winnecke to pledge to save Lloyd Pool, talk about his memories at Lloyd Pool, and then commit to financing almost $200,000 for what will surely be a duct-tape solution while telling us that Roberts Stadium must be looked at financially not emotionally.
It also doesn't make sense for Commissioner Winnecke to oppose capital improvement projects, ones that have brought Oklahoma City, Omaha, Indianapolis, and Louisville back from despair, while committing to I-69 and county roads that will cost billions and billions and billions and are reported to fall short in their financing, job creation, and environmental impact.
Lastly, it doesn't make sense for Commissioner Winnecke to say we need to do what is best for the city of Evansville in regards to Roberts Stadium when he refused to consider alternative locations for the ball fields. When I met with him last year, he admitted that building the ball fields at Kleymeyer Park was a good idea but wasn't willing to support moving the ball fields out of Wesselman Park because, " It wasn't a Johnny Come Lately Project." He believed Dunn and the ECVB spent too much time on it to consider other ideas. How did that turn out?
But what may shed a little light on some of these positions is Commissioner Winnecke's Campaign Finance Report...
http://city-countyobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Winnecke-Campaign-Pre-Election-Report-Oct-14-2011.pdf
Some things of note:
On page 43 you will see Eugene Hahn of Hahn Realty. Is this why Commissioner Winnecke refuses to control urban sprawl? Is this why Commissioner Winnecke would "root for" development projects out in the county if they simply build a bike path even though a bike path far away in the suburbs cannot prevent the automobile from sprawling, thus proving to be irrelevant?
On page 108 you will see a $5,000 donation from John Dunn who is partners with David Dunn at Dunn Hospitality who was in charge of the ball fields that magically kept appearing on plots not too far from Dunn Hospitality Hotels...
http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/12/locationlocationlocation-for-dunn.html
If Commissioner Winnecke is this close to the Dunns, then why didn't he ask them to simply move the fields to Kleymeyer Park which he conceded is in much worse shape than Wesselman Park? Why didn't he simply ask the Dunns to build the fields around Roberts Stadium or somewhere else if he genuinely cares about Roberts Stadium?
On page 7 of the expense report you will see that Commissioner Winnecke gave the Southwestern Indiana Chamber of Commerce $650 for "promotion and goodwill." He's also seen golfing with them on their front page: http://www.evansvillechamber.com/ Does anyone think he will be standing up against them on I-69 or any other of their projects such as consolidation for that matter?
It's more than obvious who we need to elect to make sure that Roberts Stadium is saved. While Commissioner Winnecke refuses to stand up against the Dunns, the Chamber, urban sprawl, and the Homestead Tax Credit being taken away, Treasurer Rick Davis has taken a stand against the Democratic Central Committee, against the loss of the Homestead Tax Credit, and against the demolition of Roberts Stadium.
Commissioner Winnecke is a great man, just a terrible politician. We just cannot afford to elect those who don't want to lead on key issues. We need leaders, like Rick Davis, who are willing to fight for Evansville. We have a golden icon in Roberts Stadium, a dying North Main Street that needs a shot in the arm in the form of 8 softball fields, and an urban core that needs to be renewed while lowering taxes at the same time. Rick Davis is, OUR SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM CANDIDATE.
Let's not do what Commissioner Winnecke says, let's do what Treasurer Rick Davis does!
(city-countyobserver.com; PLEASE SUPPORT THIS GREAT WEBSITE!)
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