It Has Now Been 2 Years Since USI & UE Have Asked For Support

Yes, I am going to beat yet another dead horse that I talked about back in October. For those who read this blog, you will recall I said the following about the fact that we need to recruit USI heavily to move into Roberts Stadium...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-arena-isnt-big-enough-for-both-of.html

Since I made that post, most (I would say close to 95%) agreed with the sentiment that USI and Roberts Stadium are a perfect match, while a few (5% at best) expressed some concern. One of the comments made on the C&P message board was, "USI already has a facility, why do they need to rent Roberts Stadium?"

There are so many reasons for USI to move into Roberts Stadium (which I outlined in the above post) that I have no idea where to start, but I'm still going to try. It's been a little over 2 years since UE and USI appeared in the Evansville Courier & Press citing the need for a boost from the community...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/may/09/usi-ue-athletic-programs-need-boost/

Let me be very clear, I do not in any way interpret the above article to be "a cry for help" or "a demand for a handout or subsidy." Rather, I view this article as USI and UE telling us, "Both of our programs have an exponential amount of talent and promise. We need the Evansville community to rally behind both us, support us, invest in us, and take pride in our programs."

Over the years, both USI and UE have weathered some very strong storms.

Although I can't remember what specific year it was (I want to say late 90s/early 2000s), UE actually considered downgrading to Div III. Thanks to the many Aces supporters around town, the university decided not to make this terrible and wrong move to Div III which would have devastated the Evansville community for many years.

In regards to USI, they have survived Bruce Pearl, a college basketball icon here in Evansville, leaving for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and then the University of Tennessee. This move left USI without their national championship winning coach. Then, the men's basketball team has had to survive an NCAA investigation scandal that has set them back quite a few years.

After surviving all of this, both UE and USI ran into the economic downturn in 2008 which has only improved slightly. To keep these teams afloat as well as work to improve them at the same time, our city took on the role of community supporter, but we have only completed 50% of this task.

Since 2009 when the article was written, the city of Evansville embarked on building a new downtown arena for UE. This arena, which we now call the Ford Center, is going to be a huge asset to UE both in revenue and recruiting. With the Ford Center, there is no doubt that UE can say they are better off now than they were in 2009. I'm excited for the Aces and their new opportunity, and I hope you will support them as well.

For USI though, what have we done as a city to support them? Have we worked to improve their men's basketball team? Have we given them a new arena? Do we even have a plan to take USI to the next level?

The answer to all of those questions is NO. No, we haven't worked to improve their men's (or women's for that matter) basketball team. No, we didn't build them a new arena or help them renovate one. And no, we don't have a plan at all to take USI to the next level, which is upgrading to Div I.

Obviously, the main holdup to helping USI like we have UE is money and economics (isn't that what everything boils down to?). Can we move USI into the Ford Center with UE? No, there aren't enough open dates. Can we build them a new downtown arena next to the Ford Center? No, we've already committed $127.5 million to the Ford Center which will take us approximately 30 years to pay off.

Can we give them funds to build a new arena or renovate PAC Arena on the USI campus? No, there is no TIF district out there that can fund such a project, nor would make any sense as it would place an arena miles away from any retail and would probably sacrifice USI's practice facility- PAC Arena.

Not only have we been prevented from improving USI's basketball team, it looks like it will get even worse for USI. Northern Kentucky University officially applied to move up to Div I last spring. The only holdup, the Ohio Valley Conference feared that NKU would dominate their conference!...

http://www.thenortherner.com/news/2011/11/17/nku-misses-ovc-conference-bid/

As for USI's other rival Kentucky Wesleyan, they are bolting from the GLVC...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/oct/10/kentucky-wesleyan-leaving-great-lakes-valley-confe/

Now that USI has watched SIU-Edwardsville, Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne, Kentucky Wesleyan, and soon to be Northern Kentucky bolt from the conference, only 2 teams (Bellarmine & Indianapolis) are left in the GLVC Eastern Division with USI. You would have to believe that Indianapolis is jealous of IUPUI's success in Div I sports. Bellarmine supporters are already talking about it...

http://blogs.courier-journal.com/rickbozich/2011/06/13/bellarmine-and-division-i-sports/

So with all of that being said, the time to act is NOW. We need to start being proactive not reactive. With the GLVC expanding farther into states such as Missouri, USI losing both of its travel partners in NKU and KWC will drive up expenses significantly. Remember, the C&P article from above said the following...

"That's essentially what the USI Varsity Club raises each year for scholarships. Hall said the athletic department targets another $80,000 to $100,000 in corporate sponsorship dollars and services to help fund an annual budget that is just under $2 million.

"We're not talking huge (corporate) numbers like Division I programs," said Hall. "But if that starts dipping below $75,000, it does hurt us ... This year I think we projected $90,000 with our budget, and we brought in more like $75,000, so the economy did affect us.""

The solution to improving USI basketball is money, specifically, corporate money. And although we cannot give USI funds to build a new arena, what better way to raise corporate funds than Roberts Stadium?

How can USI take advantage of Roberts Stadium?

1. Roberts Stadium has 15 luxury suites already built and just waiting for USI to move in. To my knowledge (it's been a few years since I've been in PAC), USI does not have any suites at all in PAC Arena, just an alumni room that hosts parties before games. These 15 luxury boxes would be a huge boost to USI's corporate revenue.

2. USI will take on ZERO DEBT by moving into Roberts Stadium as the facility is already built and already paid off. This is crucial for any team looking to work their way up to Division I NCAA Athletics. In future years, when USI racks up a significant amount of revenue from Roberts Stadium, they can renovate the facility. For the time being, USI can afford to upgrade their other sports to make the move up to Div I.

3. Rent will be affordable. If we raise the floor, the vast majority of the $300,000 expenses will be eliminated when the pumps are shut off permanently. Renting Roberts Stadium will be affordable to USI who probably wouldn't want to pay $10,500 a game to rent the Ford Center like UE.

4. USI will be enjoying the "economy of scale" model. What do I mean by this? USI would be playing in a 5,000-6,000 seat Roberts Stadium which is right at the attendance mark we would expect for an average USI game. Instead of playing in a half or 3/4s full Ford Center, USI will be playing in a filled Roberts Stadium. Roberts Stadium will allow USI to grow as a Div II to Div I team which is different than UE who is already Div I and in the Missouri Valley Conference as is looking to eventually fill the 10,000 + seat Ford Center every night.

5. USI's support base will grow. If you read the article, you will see that fan support increases when a team is winning or improving. Moving USI into Roberts Stadium will be a dramatic improvement and will spur instant support from USI's base of supporters.

To recap, USI can move into Roberts Stadium which will increase their revenue drastically while taking on zero debt and paying an affordable amount of rent all while freeing up time at PAC arena for other teams to practice. Is it just me or is this a no-brainer?

And let's not forget this week's theme which is "How can Lloyd Winnecke sell Roberts Stadium to the public?" Yesterday, I talked about all of the benefits we will enjoy if Lloyd couples a ball fields project at Kleymeyer Park with Roberts Stadium. This will benefit both the east side and north side of Evansville. With USI moving into Roberts Stadium, the west side will benefit as their university will be improving. He can do all of this while complimenting the Ford Center which is in downtown/south side of Evansville.

No matter if you're democrat, republican, or independent. No matter if you live on the south side, east side, west side, north side, or downtown. No matter if you want jobs, economic development, growth, preservation, or fiscal responsibility. And no matter if you're a UE or USI fan...

Saving Roberts Stadium by moving USI into Roberts Stadium, JUST MAKES SENSE!

For The EVCB & City Hall, Roberts Stadium Will Be The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Yesterday, I talked about the fact that we've already got the vast majority of the funding needed to raise the floor if we move quickly thanks to mayor Weinzapfel setting aside $200,000 for either demolition or renovations and $95,000 for maintenance in the first quarter of 2012, which we can use for renovations if we start construction in early 2012.

The third and final funding I talked about that would be needed to raise the floor would come from selling the 5,000-6,000 seats that would be removed from Roberts Stadium's front rows. While I would love to add a Roberts Stadium game used chair to my sports memorabilia collection, it is imperative for the city of Evansville to give the vast majority, if not all, of the removed seats to the EVCB to use for a ball fields project in exchange for a tiny piece of the Innkeepers Tax.

While this is certainly beating a dead horse as I've already discussed the Cause & Effect model that will result from the decision on Roberts Stadium...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/cause-effect-chain-of-events.html

And I've already discussed how we can help 12 organizations by placing the ball fields at Kleymeyer..

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

I still feel like it is important to make sure that everyone is on the same page as to why and how partnering with the ECVB and the ball fields project is a benefit to both Roberts Stadium and those who support the ball fields.

Like I said back in August, to make Evansville successful, Roberts Stadium, the Ford Center, and the ball fields project ALL NEED EACH OTHER and should be supportive of each other...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/08/why-arena-supporters-should-be-on-our.html

Of course, the next question that critics will bring up is the price tag. We just spent $127.5 million on the Ford Center, will be spending $400,000-$500,000 to raise Roberts Stadium's floor (hopefully), and will then need to secure funding for the ball fields which were estimated to cost $17.5 million on the Roberts Stadium lot.

This is where I believe Lloyd Winnecke has yet another excellent chance of displaying his fiscal responsibility (on a side note: It was good seeing Lloyd at the Vectren hearing. I appreciate him going up and introducing himself to my mom as well. Lloyd is a complete class act!). How can we pull all of these parts together?

First of all, the Ford Center has done received its funding and has already been built. The funds used to construct the Ford Center came from three sources: The Food & Beverage Tax, Downtown TIF funds, and funds from Casino Aztar. All three of these funds were specifically earmarked for tourism only and will have no impact on our city budget. Congratulations and thank you mayor Weinzapfel.

Next, it is up to us to complete the next two projects in this threeplex proposal. But how in the world can we build two projects when our Vanderburgh County Council said we didn't have the funds to finance just the ball fields project? Well, I'm going to make a bold statement and say the following...

We can build both of these projects cheaper than the projected $17.5 million for just the ball fields if we do this correctly.

How is this possible? How can we build two cheaper than the price of one? Doesn't this defeat the basic principles of math?

To get the answers to these questions, let's go back and take a look at what the previous ECVB had budgeted for the ball fields...

http://media.courierpress.com/media/static/The_Park_Construction_Budget-1029.pdf

There are a few budget line items that stick out...

"Community Support Costs–The Park $2,425,830.00"

According to the report, this item consists of the following...

"Existing Facility Reconstruction-$249,830.00
Electrical Re‐Engineering Commitment–Wesselman $200,000.00
New Transformer to Wesselman Park $110,000.00
3 Phase Electrical Distribution to Wesselman Park $216,000.00
New Water Service to Par 3 $150,000.00
Roberts Stadium Demolition $1,500,000.00"

According to the Courier & Press, the $249,830 would have gone towards rebuilding Wesselman's volleyball, basketball and handball courts. Although the basketball courts at Garvin Park could use a little help, the truth is, the Evansville Otters have done a wonderful job with the playgrounds at Garvin Park and I fully trust them to maintain those structures. We also have Bob Walthers' Golf-N-Fun which will pull in the majority of tourists to the ball fields. Therefore, we can pass on this budget item for the time being.

While we will need an electrical system set up at Kleymeyer Park, we have yet another golden opportunity to generate electrical funds from the methane gas underneath Kleymeyer Park...

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

Where else can you build the ball fields and find a source to produce your electricity at the same time?

Obviously, and most importantly to the goal of this blog, the $1.5 million is instantly saved as we will be using the down payment from mayor Weinzapfel and the removed seats to renovate Roberts Stadium, move our tenants in, and keep it turning a profit. This is where Lloyd Winnecke's goal of fiscal responsibility comes in.

Although the EVCB would have to give us approximately $105,000 to $205,000 for the seats in order for us to have the remaining funds to start renovations on Roberts Stadium's floor, they will be saving in the following budget line item from the C&P link...

"Softball/Baseball Complex Construction $12,832,902.00
-Athletic Fields $4,909,404.00"

How much of that was budgeted for seats? I honestly don't know, but the Courier & Press link attached to the budget said the following...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/nov/01/visitors-bureau-distributes-detailed-budget-wessel/?preventMobileRedirect=1

"Accessory structures such as concession stands and bleachers are to cost about $1.56 million,..."

For $105,000 to $205,000, the ECVB will be getting roughly 750 seats (not bleachers) per ball field and will already have 3 ball fields at Kleymeyer to reuse materials from.

Lastly, some, if not most, of the "soft costs" should/could be avoided as well if we use our city legal and engineering departments wisely.

Overall, if we choose Kleymeyer Park for the ball fields project and couple it with a renovated Roberts Stadium, we're looking at trimming at least $3-$5 million instantly. This estimate doesn't take into account...

1. We can involve our local MLB stars: http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/why-are-we-not-involving-our-local-mlb.html

If we partner with Don Mattingly, we would stand a good chance of partnering with Major League Baseball and their sponsors who are currently helping to rebuild ball fields across the U.S.

2. We can increase sponsorship revenue by building the ball fields with simple and affordable, but effective, faux walls that would look like vintage MLB fields: http://www.bigleaguedreams.com/replica-fields

3. In future years, we will be receiving funds from the methane gas generating electricity.

To summarize the articles I have posted on here, how can Lloyd Winnecke sell Roberts Stadium to the public?

1. Jobs
2. Fiscal Responsibility
3. Economic Development
4. Everyone's Interest and Concerns in Improving Evansville
5. A Monument to Hank Roberts, Ralph Legeman, and Legeman's Fieldhouse invention
6. Intangible Benefits
7. A One-Two Punch With Roberts Stadium and the Ford Center

And how many possible groups can we help with a ball fields project at Kleymeyer coupled with a renovated Roberts Stadium?

1. Help Hamilton Golf Course ( if Bob Walters moves his driving range)
2. Help the current North High School building (if EYFL moves to North's field)
3. Help EYFL (if EYFL moves to North's field)
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 the east side maintain business from Roberts Stadium

Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke can give the residents of Evansville at least 7 reasons why we should save Roberts Stadium and build the ball fields at Kleymeyer Park that can help at least 13 organizations while spending significantly less money than the original plan? And all he has to do is ask each resident the following: Would you rather spend money to demolish Roberts Stadium and construct basic ball fields or would you rather spend millions less, save Roberts Stadium, and build 8 quality vintage MLB fields at Kleymeyer Park?

Jobs, fiscal spending, the state of our parks, economic development, and government listening to the people were all prime issues during the past election. Lloyd Winnecke has the power to start addressing every single one of these issues before he even spends a month in the mayors office. He even has the power to pay tribute to mayor Weinzapfel by using his Roberts Stadium funds wisely, helping the ECVB finally get their ball fields project, and gain favor with the neighbors of Roberts Stadium who said they would support the ball fields if they were built elsewhere.

That's how much potential Lloyd has, and this is why I'm excited to see what he will do in office.

Roberts Stadium has guided Evansville for 55 years through daylight and darkness, sickness and health, through the good times, and through the bad times. If we let Roberts Stadium continue to guide our city as we make crucial decisions on our ball fields project and on the future of Roberts Stadium itself, it will still continue to be there for us, I guarantee it!

ROBERTS STADIUM: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!

If We Move Quickly We've Already Got The Funding To Raise The Floor

(offpriceshow.com)

As I mentioned yesterday, Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke has a golden opportunity with Roberts Stadium to display to the citizens of Evansville his fiscal responsibility. During last week's meeting, Lloyd mentioned that he doesn't want to commit anymore government funds to Roberts Stadium, but if you look closely, we ALREADY have the funds to undertake the most expensive part of renovating Roberts Stadium- raising the floor. How is this possible?

Let's take a look at an article from WTVW- Local 7...

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. "

Thanks to mayor Weinzapfel (no I'm not being sarcastic) we've got just what he said- a down payment on renovating the facility. Of course, raising the floor is estimated to cost between $400,000 and $500,000 which still puts us $200,000 to $300,000 short of raising the floor.

However, according to some city officials, the city has also budgeted utilities for Roberts Stadium for the first quarter of 2012. If we go by this Courier & Press article, it's $95,000...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/sep/19/no-headline---ev_roberts/

"Rector said about $95,000 is budgeted for the first three months of 2012 to keep Roberts operational in its minimized state and in case any equipment breaks."

If we begin construction on Roberts Stadium's floor within the next month or so, we will be saving this $95,000 as the pumps will be shut off permanently and the building will be shut down while renovations are underway meaning no equipment will break. So now, we are up to $295,000 of funds that are already in the budget meaning that we are still $105,000-$205,000 short which is in the range of a mere $1 to $1.50 per resident (not counting those in the county).

To get these remaining funds, we will need to sell the 6,000 or so seats that will be removed during construction. We can either sell these seats to the public on the open market as game used memorabilia or sell them to the EVCB who would use them in their ball fields project like Mesker Amphitheatre uses the old bleachers from Roberts Stadium.

I feel like these seats would sell for $100 a piece but even if we sold them for $50 a piece we would net $300,000. To get $205,000, we would only need to sell the seats for $34.17 a piece which is cheaper than an Aces replica jersey. To get $105,000, we would only need to sell the seats for $17.50 which is only $3-$5 more than a ticket to one single game at either Roberts Stadium or the Ford Center.

For the record, in the meeting last week Lloyd Winnecke did say that he is very interested in exploring the sale of the seats that would be removed. This is where Lloyd's marketing degree and experience will begin to pay dividends for Evansville as I have 110% confidence Lloyd can find a buyer for the seats at a mere $17-$34 a piece.

With all of that being said, there are several other aspects to this situation that make exploring the path much more reasonable than demolition. These aspects include the following...

1. If you watched the video on the WTVW- Local 7 article you will see that Councilwoman Missy Mosby admitted that $400,000, not $200,000, was originally budgeted to demolish Roberts Stadium. The figure was lowered because the city got an estimate from Klenck Demolition Co. that it would only cost $200,000 if we ASSUME that the salvage materials will sell for the price they are estimated to sell at.

It's quite a stretch to go from the ECVB estimating demolition of Roberts Stadium to cost $1.25 million to lowering the figure to $200,000 in the city budget just because there was "an estimate" of salvage materials.

Look to Corpus Christi, Texas to see what happens when you ASSUME something during demolition...

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

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/08/we-cant-afford-to-duplicate-corpus.html

If Corpus Christi doesn't convince you, just drive downtown to the lot of the former Executive Inn and you will see this firsthand. Klenck Demolition already had to walk off the job once...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/jul/15/klenck-returning-debris-removal-executive-inn/

With this plan, there is no assuming. Before we start raising the floor, we will have an exact estimate and an exact amount of funding from the 2012 city budget and the seats which would already be sold.

2. There is no estimate on how much it would cost to construct a park on the lot. I asked Lloyd Winnecke how much maintenance would run on the park, and he said he was unsure. The truth is, no one knows how much it would cost to build a park and maintain it. With this plan, we have our floor raised and will be ready to host mid-sized events (I will talk about maintenance funding at the bottom of this post).

3. Demolition of Roberts Stadium would drain the $95,000. Before the city could advance to the stage of actually demolishing Roberts Stadium, they would have to process all of the paperwork as well as plan on what they would do with the lot. This will take several months while the expenses at Roberts Stadium will continue to rack up.

There are many benefits of this plan that Lloyd Winnecke can sell city residents on such as...

1. This plan takes no additional funds from the city budget that aren't already budgeted for.

2. This plan takes no Casino Aztar money.

3. This plan opts to invest the $295,000 of taxpayer money wisely by investing in Roberts Stadium instead of wasting it on demolition and water pump expenses.

4. This plan would not receive any Innkeepers Tax funds directly. The only way the Innkeepers Tax would be involved would be if the ECVB purchased the seats for their ball fields project. This plan would both generate funds for Roberts Stadium while making the ball fields project cheaper at the same time as the ECVB will be able to purchase the seats at a better price from Roberts Stadium than the open market.

5. As a result of the above 4 points, we will still have funds to explore other projects such as the ball fields which will be significantly cheaper because they can use materials from Roberts Stadium.

Next up, we need to figure out how to maintain Roberts Stadium. Repairing and renovating Roberts Stadium by raising the floor is half the battle, the other half is making sure that we maintain it. Remember, we will need to invest $3-$4 million in our Central Plant System between now and the end of 2016 (5 years). This equates to $600,000-$800,000 a year.

Please note, this system is running just fine right now. In fact, it is believed that many of these repairs have already been made such as most of the pumps. This is only an estimate of future repairs. Once this Central Plant is completely replaced by 2016, it will not be racking up a $600,000-$800,000 bill a year. The current Central Plant System only needs to be replaced because it has been intact since the 1990 renovation and is nearing the end of its useful life. This is a once every 25 years expense.

I talk about this in the post below which looks at the HNTB report line by line...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/12/hntb-existing-roberts-stadium-building.html

This is where we need Lloyd Winnecke to sit down with Mr. Chip Rosetti (the investor I've talked about), the USI Athletic Department, and others who want to rent the facility for an event(s) and iron out an agreement that is beneficial to both sides. This shouldn't be too hard due to the following reasons...

1. If we lease Roberts Stadium, the tenants can pay for security and utilities while they are using the facility.

2. To break even with the Central Plant, we will need to make 2,191.78 a day in revenue. In contrast, the Aces pay $10,500 to rent the Ford Center while the Icemen pay between $6,000 to $7,000 per game plus revenue sharing. This figure is assuming that it will cost the high amount of $800,000 to maintain the Central Plant.

3. Chip Rosetti, for instance, has said that he is willing to sign a lease, share ticket revenue, share concession stand revenue, AND work with the city to generate any other additional funding.

4. If we go after all 11 of the ideas I discussed yesterday, we will have the facility rented out well over 90-95% of the time.

5. We still haven't calculated...

- Naming rights to the gates
- Leftover funds generated from the selling of the seats
- Revenue from selling the old Ace's court
- Revenue from fundraisers with UE Alumni (and USI Alumni if we bring them on board)
- Revenue from selling bricks and plaques to the general public who would like to help out by buying a brick with their name on it. Remember, it was fundraisers like this back in 1984 that paid for most of Roberts Stadium's renovations back then!

Once the Central Plant is taken care of, the rent-per-day ratio goes down even more drastically. In turn, this will allow future administrations to become even more aggressive in their recruiting of big time events to package Roberts Stadium and the Ford Center with.

Lloyd Winnecke has an enormous opportunity to display fiscal responsibility at a level we have never seen before. He can take the existing money budgeted for Roberts Stadium, couple it with funds generated by selling the seats, and raise Roberts Stadium's floor once and for all. This will eliminate those infamous and expensive pumps that many have cited as reason to demolish Roberts Stadium.

But to do this, we have to act fast. We have to commit ourselves to breaking ground on raising Roberts Stadium's floor by January or February at the latest to save most of the $95,000 budgeted to maintain Roberts Stadium. We also need to be aggressive in raising funds to pay for the maintenance of Roberts Stadium for the next 5 years.

As usual, we have two paths we can go down...

1. We can waste at least $295,000 + to demolish Roberts Stadium, pay an undisclosed amount of money for an artificial expansion of Wesselman Woods, and pay an undisclosed amount of money to maintain a park that will never profit.

2. We can commit to renovating Roberts Stadium, commit to exploring the additional avenues of funding that will pay for future maintenance, and commit to filling Roberts Stadium with tenants for at least 90-95% of the time each year. In turn, we will be ensuring future success and profitability of Roberts Stadium that will in turn generate economic development for all of Evansville. We can do this just by using our $295,000 city budget funds wisely and by being aggressive in selling our additional assets.

Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke is a smart, dynamic, and an innovative leader. He didn't get to this spot by not learning how to manage funds, projects, and people. By making the simple step of going down path 2 instead of 1, he will be setting up Evansville, Roberts Stadium, and his career on a long path to success. We all need to rally behind Lloyd to get this done.

We can move quickly, we can use existing funds, WE CAN SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!

How Can Lloyd Winnecke Sell Roberts Stadium To The Public?

(courierpress.com)

Anyone that lives in Evansville will tell you one thing- This town is a pressure cooker. Everything a political leader does, says, or supports is always under a microscope. Therefore, it is essential that every capital improvement project is justified to the city of Evansville.

Not only has Roberts Stadium fallen into this category, it leads the category. While we've seen other projects get a free pass (You know what these projects are, there is no need to bring them back up), Roberts Stadium has been under the microscope many times over.

If we are going to be successful with this project, we have to give Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke plenty of reasons to save this venue. Indeed, there are sufficient reasons for Lloyd to save Roberts Stadium as well as avoid going down the road of demolition and planting an artificial park at the same time.

Let's dive into the many ways Lloyd Winnecke can sell Roberts Stadium to the public...

Job Creation

The most important thing to Evansville voters this year was jobs. Job Creation came in first place in all surveys and polls taken of Evansville voters. It was also the topic at just about all of the town hall meetings as well.

If Lloyd Winnecke is looking to create jobs, he will save Roberts Stadium. Why? Because the Ford Center can't employ everyone.

A few weeks before Roberts Stadium closed, I called up a full-time SMG employee who had worked at Roberts Stadium for quite some time now. I asked them if they were heading to the Ford Center in a few months. They said no, that the Ford Center couldn't take everyone and the Centre was already full. This person said, "It looks like I'm heading straight to the unemployment line."

We have two choices to pick from: Create and retain good paying sports management jobs with Roberts Stadium or eliminate those jobs in favor of just a few park maintenance jobs that pay slightly above minimum wage.

As someone who graduated in the sports management field, I find this topic to be of extreme importance as well. I too applied to the Ford Center and didn't get too far at all. The sports management field is basically non-existent in Evansville. The only positions available here are already spoken for by the good ole boy network. If you don't believe this, just try it.

By converting Roberts Stadium into a mid-sized arena, Lloyd Winnecke has the ability to bring back the SMG employees who were laid off as well create more good paying sports management jobs to handle the additional tasks/events created by Roberts Stadium.

Fiscal Responsibility

One issue that Lloyd Winnecke wants to make the cornerstone of his administration is fiscal responsibility. Indeed, it does make sense to protect taxpayer investments.

To display fiscal responsibility Lloyd Winnecke should save Roberts Stadium. Why? Because Roberts Stadium is a taxpayer asset that has plenty of taxpayer dollars still invested in it.

Not only was over $17 million invested in Roberts Stadium back in the 1990-91 renovation, $1.53 million has been invested in Roberts Stadium since 2002 including a new roof, a repaved parking lot, and a new sound system (see link below). Also, as I said last year, the HNTB report says Roberts Stadium's structure is healthy...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/12/hntb-existing-roberts-stadium-building.html

According to the Vanderburgh County Assessor's website, the two parcels Roberts Stadium sits on are worth $19, 479,700...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/just-how-much-is-roberts-stadium-worth.html

If Roberts Stadium is demolished, all of this investment is lost while a park that stands no chance of turning a profit will replace it. Furthermore, demolishing Roberts Stadium, replacing it with a park, and then maintaining the park will not save the taxpayers one dime. In fact, it will cost the taxpayers more and will guarantee them of having to spend additional funds each year to maintain a park that stands no chance of turning a profit.

There are plenty of avenues of funding to explore for Roberts Stadium...

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

By working with the investor I have been in contact with (Chip Rosetti) and exploring the 10 possible tenants I have mentioned for Roberts Stadium, Lloyd Winnecke will be protecting the investments made by the taxpayers over the years.

Economic Development

We were told that it is vital to the success of the east side that the Roberts Stadium lot "put heads in beds" during the ball fields discussion. Lloyd Winnecke has the power to do just that by saving Roberts Stadium.

If the hotel industry is looking for youth sports tournaments, Roberts Stadium is their place...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/05/you-want-youth-amateur-sports-lets.html

If the hotel industry is looking to fill their rooms with guests from the Tri-State who would come to town for a Ralph Legeman Fieldhouse Classic, Roberts Stadium is their place...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-do-we-put-heads-in-beds-start-ralph.html

And if Lloyd Winnecke wants to help out businesses such as Kipplee's, Turoni's Forget-Me-Not, and Western Sizzler who lost business when the Aces moved out, he will go after USI...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-arena-isnt-big-enough-for-both-of.html

During the meeting, Lloyd expressed that he didn't want to sacrifice anything in the budget for Roberts Stadium, and that he wouldn't want to lose ten miles of roads, for example, to offset Roberts Stadium's expense. Aside from the fact that we won't need to cut anything to renovate Roberts Stadium if we do the correct fundraisers and sign Chip Rosetti's tenants to contracts, name one road that can sustain business for the surrounding restaurants, put heads in beds, and make the city a few bucks or two?

Lloyd Winnecke has the power to create and sustain economic development with Roberts Stadium.

Working To Make Sure Everyone Wins

As I've said before, we have the ability to help everyone with this project. Those who want something green to go with Roberts Stadium can use the back lot to do this. I suggested a botanical garden as replanting the back lot with non-virgin trees will cause harm to Wesselman Woods which is virgin, old-growth, and original.

Those who want to seek funds for a natatorium may do so by working with a private investor to bring in an indoor water park resort to couple with the natatorium and outdoor pool complex on the land currently occupied by Hartke Pool...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-natatorium-is-better-next-to.html

Those who want to improve the Greenway may do so with Roberts Stadium. On non-event days, Roberts Stadium can serve as the indoor trail hub to the Greenway. This works in other cities such as Gainesville, Florida, and it will allow those who want to enjoy the Greenway inside on rainy, snowy, and winter days...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/10/neither-rain-nor-sleet-nor-gloom-of.html

This option will also increase our naming rights deals as it will increase foot traffic at Roberts Stadium. Also, there are many other benefits where everyone can win with Roberts Stadium that I will be talking about in the intagibles section.

Lloyd Winnecke has the opportunity to listen to help out all concerned residents by saving Roberts Stadium!

Preserving A Monument

Lloyd Winnecke will be only the third Republican since Hank Roberts to serve as mayor of Evansville. He will also be the first Republican not in the Russ Lloyd family to serve as mayor of Evansville. With this close connection, Lloyd Winnecke has the power to preserve the one and only monument dedicated to Hank Roberts.

Would you tear down the Washington Monument? Of course not. Just like the statues on the riverfront stand to pay tribute to our soldiers who have served overseas, and just like the Coliseum stands for our soldiers and sailors who have served all over the world, Roberts Stadium stands for Hank Roberts, a veteran himself who served in the Naval Reserve during WWI.

Not only is Roberts Stadium a monument to Hank Roberts, it also serves as a monument to Ralph Legeman, the architect of Roberts Stadium. Unfortunately, many Evansville residents don't realize that Legeman is responsible for creating the fieldhouse design. As a result of his work, Indiana has the largest high school gymnasiums in the world with his gym in New Castle serving as the home to the State of Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

If we can't market Roberts Stadium to our visitors, residents, and tourists as a monument to one of Evansville's greatest mayors who served his country in WWI, as a monument to Ralph Legeman-one of Evansville's greatest architects, and as a monument to Evansville being the home to the fieldhouse design, which is Indiana basketball in a nutshell, then what can we sell?

Intangible Benefits

As I mentioned to Lloyd during our meeting last week, there are many intangible benefits to Roberts Stadium. Although none of these benefits are enough reason alone to keep Roberts Stadium, they are strong benefits that we will enjoy if we save the venue for mid-sized events. These intangible benefits are...

Using Roberts Stadium as a disaster relief area...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/04/sports-venues-are-there-for-cities-in.html

Using Roberts Stadium's parking lot to shuttle those to the Ford Center who don't want to park downtown...

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

We can also help the EVCB build their ball fields they have long sought to build. How so? By taking the 6,000 or so seats that will be removed when we raise Roberts Stadium's floor and give them to the ball fields project, which belongs at Kleymeyer Park, in exchange for a small part of the Innkeepers Tax. If you go to Mesker Amphitheatre, you will notice that the bleachers installed there came from the original Roberts Stadium and were removed during the 1990-91 renovation. Doing this again will save the ECVB from having to buy these seats on the open market for the ball fields project while generating cash for Roberts Stadium at the same time!

As I mentioned before, using the main level at Roberts Stadium as an indoor trail hub for the Greenway will promote health and fight obesity at the same time.

There are many intangible benefits that Lloyd can sell the public on. Although these benefits cannot stand alone, they are essential to the health, growth, and safety of our city. Lloyd can provide all of these benefits to Evansville by saving Roberts Stadium.

Will Compliment Not Compete With The Ford Center

To be quite honest, I am very much surprised that there is still paranoia running rampant around town that Roberts Stadium will compete with the Ford Center. With a renovated Roberts Stadium, this just won't happen. How do we know this?

1. Roberts Stadium's floor will be too high to bring in premier concerts. Raising the floor will make the loading dock insufficient for premier concerts.

2. Roberts Stadium's roof isn't strong enough. Roberts Stadium's roof only holds an estimated 78,000 pounds of pressure while the Ford Center holds over 180,000 pounds.

3. The capacity will be too low. If we raise the floor, Roberts Stadium's capacity goes down to 5,000-6,000 seats. No premier concert or event will go into a venue that small. If the Ford Center is going to be worried about smaller facilities, they would have to worry about PAC Arena, the Metro Center, and the Soldiers & Sailors Coliseum as well. Simply put: Not happening!

4. The Ford Center is already booked. Thanks to the hard work of Mr. Scott Schoenike, he was able to say the following quote in this month's News4U...

http://www.news4uonline.com/articles/2011/11/the-ford-center-interview-with-scott-schoenike.aspx

"Not that the Ford Center won’t be offering plenty of events, especially during the next several months. Schoenike says that every year in October, their busy season will kick off. “We hit it pretty hard starting—we start with Bob Seger, but it starts before that with an exhibition basketball game on November 4th…. In the month of November, there are only really three days once we open up that we don’t have an active event.” In fact, if anything, there may be too much going on. “One of the hardest things is dates—we’ve got two solid tenants. We’ve got 33 hockey games, and this year 19 men’s basketball games and 14 women’s basketball games. There are 66 events that all happen between October and April. Every year, it’s going to be busy between October and April, it’ll be non-stop every year because the Icemen will play here and UE will play here. It’s nice to have that core business. We’ll still have the staple events—Disney on Ice will be in March, monster trucks will be in January, Winter Jam is going to be in February—you’ll see us continually push things out as we book things,” says Schoenike."

The Ford Center is already having to push things out, yet we have city leaders worried about Roberts Stadium hosting the following events that will never be able to afford the Ford Center..

1. Indoor Football- Evansville Rage
2. Indoor Soccer
3. Minor- League
Basketball
4. Inline Skating
5. Professional Lacrosse
6. USI basketball
7. Youth Sports Tournaments
8. Mid-Sized Concerts
9. Small Trade Shows
10. High School Basketball Tournaments
11. Exhibition College Basketball Games (Games that will be booked at Roberts when the Ford Center is already booked. Last year, the Aces played at PAC Arena because Roberts was already booked.)

Furthermore, Roberts Stadium can work hand-in-hand with the Ford Center as a package deal. To recruit big tournaments, such as Div II basketball tournaments and other NCAA tournaments in other sports, the Ford Center can host the men's basketball games while Roberts Stadium hosts the women's basketball games. This can work for any event that needs two facilities at the same time (and there are plenty if you look up NCAA tournament events).

Nothing would make me happier than to make the Ford Center everything that it can be. Roberts Stadium is here to help, not hurt, the Ford Center. Mr. Schoenike has done one hell of a job filling up the Ford Center before it even opened for the first event. Now, let's fill up Roberts Stadium with events that will never ever appear in the Ford Center. If you look at Oklahoma City, Louisville, Omaha, and Indianapolis, you will see that they do this exact thing.

Lloyd Winnecke has the power to promote taxpayer investments in both Roberts Stadium and the Ford Center at the same time!

Overall

As you can see, there are numerous reasons to save Roberts Stadium, and there are numerous reasons not to demolish Roberts Stadium and build a park on the lot. If I was Lloyd Winnecke, my theme would be "Preserve & Create" because Lloyd has the power to preserve and create the following things...

1. Jobs
2. Fiscal Responsibility
3. Economic Development
4. Everyone's Interest and Concerns in Improving Evansville
5. A Monument to Hank Roberts, Ralph Legeman, and Legeman's Fieldhouse invention
6. Intangible Benefits
7. A One-Two Punch With Roberts Stadium and the Ford Center

Saving Roberts Stadium isn't too hard to sell to the public, and I'm confident that Lloyd Winnecke can get the job done. No matter what your interests or concerns are, you have every reason to want Roberts Stadium to be saved while having zero reasons to support demolishing it and constructing an artificial Wesselman Woods expansion.

With Roberts Stadium, Lloyd Winnecke has a golden opportunity to go down as one of Evansville's greatest mayors. He can make all 7 of the above attributes a reality.

LLOYD WINNECKE HAS GOT THE POWER!

Selling Secondary Naming Rights Can & Will Work

(sportsbusinessdaily.com)

When I met with Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke last week, I brought up the idea of naming rights to fund both the renovation to Roberts Stadium (raising the floor) as well as the maintenance and upkeep for Roberts Stadium in the coming years.

Let me be perfectly clear, I am not suggesting that Roberts Stadium lose its title name. Renaming Roberts Stadium would be a disgrace to mayor Hank Roberts and I have no desire to do that. Rather, I am proposing selling naming rights to the 4 gates at Roberts Stadium and I will explain why.

When I brought up the idea of selling the naming rights to the 4 gates, Lloyd said he didn't believe it would work. He cited the fact that Roberts Stadium has had its name for over 50 years as reason to suggest that there would be no value in the naming rights to the gates.

While I do see Lloyd's point, overall, the evidence from other stadiums clearly shows that it doesn't matter how old a stadium is. All that matters, is how you design the plaza itself.

Let's take a look at a few examples of selling naming rights to stadium and arena entrance gates...

Lucas Oil Stadium- Indianapolis Colts

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2007/12/Issue-68/Facilities-Venues/Sprint-Buys-Naming-Rights-To-Gate-At-Lucas-Oil-Stadium.aspx

"Sprint Nextel has purchased the naming rights to the east gate at the Colts' new $700M Lucas Oil Stadium, set to open in August, according to Jeff Swiatek of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. The deal marks the final gate to be sold, as Sprint will join Lucas Oil, Huntington Bank and hhgregg as gate sponsors. Colts Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Tom Zupancic said that Sprint "will build a 'fan-friendly' display at the east gate to exhibit its telecommunications products" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/18)."

Reliant Stadium- Houston Texans

http://www.houstontexans.com/about-us/corporate-partners.html

"Comcast is the Official Triple Play Partner of the Houston Texans. Comcast is also the naming rights sponsor of the Northwest Gate.

Verizon is the Official Wireless Provider of the Houston Texans. Verizon also serves as the naming rights sponsor of the Verizon East and West Clubs at Reliant Stadium."

Cleveland Browns Stadium- Cleveland Browns

http://sports-venue.info/NFL/Cleveland_Browns_Stadium.html

"The city chose not to sell the naming rights to the stadium itself; this is very unorthodox for major American stadiums built in recent years. However, the naming rights to all four of the facility's gates were sold. The names of the gates are Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Gate located in the Southwest corner, National City Gate located in the Southeast corner, STERIS Gate located in the Northeast corner, and FirstEnergy Gate is located in the Northwest corner of the stadium."

MetroDome- Minnesota Vikings

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2009/07/Issue-214/Facilities-Venues/Vikings-Look-To-Sell-Field-Rights-Gate-Sponsorships-At-Metrodome.aspx

"The Vikings for the "first time are looking to sell field" naming rights, as well as "three gate sponsorships," at the Metrodome, according to Daniel Kaplan of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL."

Lambeau Field- Green Bay Packers

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2002/08/12/daily29.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambeau_Field#Corporate_naming_rights

"The Packers have sold naming rights to the five entrance gates. From the north going clockwise, they are: Miller Brewing (atrium gate), the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin (east gate facing Oneida Street), Mills Fleet Farm stores (southwest gate), Associated Bank (west gate and private box entrance), and Verizon (northwest gate). Miller Brewing is also a sponsor of the atrium, and has a section in one end zone called the "Miller Lite End Zone", giving away tickets in that area with various beer promotions."

Whether it's Lambeau Field, which opened the same month of the same year as Roberts Stadium, or Lucas Oil Stadium, which is only a few years old, selling naming rights to gates makes sense.

Lloyd did make one point that I agree with when he said, "it depends on what we put in there." Lloyd is absolutely right, we need to put quality tenants inside Roberts Stadium, and our gate sponsors need to make sure they have filled their gate with as much of their product as possible.

Look at what Sprint put inside their Sprint Gate at Lucas Oil Stadium...

http://www.dimin.com/?page=work_case&s=2

Although our gates at Roberts Stadium probably aren't big enough to hold something that big, we do have a fairly large area inside of each gate to place something special and creative for each of our sponsors...



Also, Lloyd is correct that we need quality and quantity at Roberts Stadium to make sponsors interested in our gates. As I've said before, we need to explore the following...

1. Indoor Football- Evansville Rage
2. Indoor Soccer
3. Minor- League Basketball
4. Inline Skating
5. Professional Lacrosse
6. USI basketball
7. Youth Sports Tournaments
8. Mid-Sized Concerts
9. Small Trade Shows
10. High School Basketball Tournaments
11. Exhibition College Basketball Games (nothing that will compete with the Ford Center)

If we pursue all 11 of these avenues, we shall have enough people passing through Roberts Stadium to entice a fair amount of sponsors to our gates. Couple these 11 ideas with the fact that we can use Roberts Stadium as an indoor trail hub for the Greenway, and we will be introducing our gate sponsors to a lot of foot traffic 365 days a year.

Do I know how much naming rights to the gates would yield? No, this will have to be determined by taking bids for the gates. That is the only way we will ever know. Do I feel like these gates can bring in a significant amount of revenue for Roberts Stadium? Yes, these gates are basically 4 "mini-buildings" inside of one building. When you come into a Roberts Stadium gate, there is plenty of room for marketers to entice you if they do their job correctly.

Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke said he would investigate the idea although he's not convinced it will work. Let's hope that he sticks to his words. Next year, I hope to be standing next to Lloyd outside of the 5/3rd Gate as we announce that Roberts Stadium has been saved!

(sportsbusinessdaily.com)

A Special Thank You To Those Who Have Stood Up For Roberts Stadium

To be quite honest, I'm not big on holidays, but I feel like it is important for those in Evansville to recognize the efforts put forth by those in the community to save Roberts Stadium.

Of course, there are so many supporters of Roberts Stadium that I have met over this past year and a half that it would be nearly impossible. So I would first like to thank you the viewers of this blog who have taken this blog to a whole new level. I never would have imagined that this blog would be sitting here today with over 17,000 hits. Thank you!

I would also like to thank those who have emailed me their questions, comments, concerns, and ideas. Each week, I'm pleasantly surprised to hear from those in the community who want to do something, anything, to help keep Roberts Stadium going. Like the viewers of this blog, those who have sent emails to both me as well as those at city hall, are the heartbeat of this movement and are the reason for us still being in this game. Thank you!

Of course, I am also very thankful to the 69 people who have signed up for Save Roberts Stadium's facebook group (you can too by clicking on the facebook icon on the right). The facebook group attached to this blog has come in quite handy as most viewers of this blog can't post on this site because 1. It won't work or 2. They don't have an account. It's always good to click on facebook and see where members such as Samuel Smith are engaged in conversation about Roberts Stadium. Thank you.

Next, I would like to thank those in the media who have been instrumental in getting the word out about the Save Roberts Stadium movement. They include...

The Evansville Courier & Press Opinion Section: Every single article I have sent to the C&P has been published. This was key in getting this movement going and sustaining it. I appreciate their willingness to publish my articles. Thank you.

Fox 7's (Now Local 7) Lindsay Merwin: Lindsay has been the first and only television reporter to interview me about this blog (you can see this interview by clicking on the link at the top right). Since that interview, the number of hits this blog has received has continued to increase every single month. Thank you.

Dan Shaw & Arek Sarkissan at the Evansville Courier & Press: Both Dan Shaw (who is now in China) and Arek Sarkissan have emailed me and called me up to interview me about Roberts Stadium. During these interviews, both reporters made sure they got the entire story from me about Roberts Stadium. Their articles in the C&P have been a tremendous help towards getting the word out about Roberts Stadium. Thank you!

Joe Wallace @ The City-County Observer: Prior to this movement, I had already been working with Joe on several projects in and around town. Once this movement started, Joe has made sure it went to the top of the Evansville news scene. His "Is It True" columns were key in getting the ball fields project cancelled and Roberts Stadium and second look. Thank you!

Those at Watch Evansville: If you click on the Watch Evansville link to the right, you will see a tribute video I made for Roberts Stadium. Currently, it is the 16th most viewed video on their site. I thank them for all of their support and opportunities.

Next up: We have many local activists who have taken time out of their busy schedule to fight for Roberts Stadium. These people are...

Berniece Tirmenstein: Berniece doesn't have a car or the internet at her house, but this hasn't affected her desire and determination to go to the Evansville Central Public Library, compile the entire history of both Wesselman Park and Roberts Stadium, and then distribute this knowledge to local residents. I wish all 116,000 residents of Evansville were like Berniece. Thank you!

Brenda Bergwitz: Brenda has hosted more rallies for Roberts Stadium than most of us can count. Although I have had to work during these rallies, I am told that Brenda does a great job of picking days when the weather is good, rounding up the politicians, and hosting the rally in a spot where passers-by can't miss it. Thank you!

Sherman Stevens: These past few weeks, Sherman has knocked on doors in and around the vicinity of Roberts Stadium to ask these neighbors if they'd like to have a sign in their yard. Sherman has already placed OVER 150 YARD SIGNS in various yards around Roberts Stadium. He only stopped there as he ran out of yard signs. Sherman tells me he never met a person who wanted to demolish Roberts Stadium. Thank you!

Martha Crosley: Martha has taken her Wesselman Park Support Group and joined forces with the Save Roberts Stadium movement. I'm truly thankful to her for doing this as it shows that Roberts Stadium is here to compliment not compete with Wesselman Woods. One of the most important things we can do is to protect Wesselman Park. Roberts Stadium will do this. Thank you.

Next up: I would like to thank those who ran for office, took the pledge from this blog to save Roberts Stadium, but came up a little bit short of making it into office. These people are...

Rick Davis- Mayor: Rick has done so many things for this blog I could never mention them in one breath. Without Rick, there would be no Save Roberts Stadium. I'm very thankful for all of those in his committee who welcomed me in with open arms as well! I still haven't recovered from that November 8th loss. Thank you.

Patrick McBride- 2nd Ward CC: I worked with Patrick almost every day leading up to the primary election. He worked his tail off to win the primary but ended up losing because of low voter turnout. We need to convince him to run again! Thank you.

Lon Walters- 2nd Ward CC: Like Patrick, Lon fell victim to the 2nd Ward who obviously doesn't know how to pick good candidates. Lon has done everything he can to save Roberts Stadium. He has talked to engineers who put the water pumps in, he has emailed all public officials, and he made Roberts Stadium a priority. I'm confident he will run again. Thank you.

Sylvia Trabits-Niemeier- 3rd Ward CC: Sylvia ran for office solely because she wanted to make sure Wesselman Woods and Roberts Stadium were taken care of. That is the kind of people we need running for office. She has been a tremendous asset to me anytime I've had questions about Wesselman Woods or Roberts Stadium as she has lived next to them for quite awhile. I'm glad she is still active today with these causes. Thank you.

Jeremy Heath- CC At-Large: Jeremy is one of Save Roberts Stadium's most passionate supporters. I have it on good faith from Jeremy that he will run again. I plan on holding him to that! Thank you.

Steven Smith- CC At-Large: Steven is one of those people that we must have in our government because they know how to make the right decisions, they know how to make smart decisions, and they are always willing to discuss these decisions with you. Losing Steven was tough on this movement as he would have been a voice of reason on the council who is perfectly capable of number crunching. But mark my words, he will be back! Thank you.

Bill Kramer- CC At-Large: I met Bill at one of his Meet-N-Greets shortly before the general election. I must say, it's dang shame that he was not elected this month. Bill has a great vision for this city, and I hope this city realizes this before the next election. Thank you.

Next, I want to thank those candidates who took the pledge and were elected this month into office. They are...

Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley- 3rd Ward CC: Stephanie will be one of Save Roberts Stadium's greatest assets as she will be serving the Ward that is home to Roberts Stadium (and Bosse Field were the ball fields need to be built next to). Stephanie has been on board with fighting for Roberts Stadium for some time now, and I am truly thankful to her for that. Thank you.

Al Lindsey- 6th Ward CC: What can you say about Al? Better yet, what can't you say? As I've said many times over, Al's victory is one of the greatest victories in the history of Evansville. After many defeats, Al was finally able to topple the Mosby Evil Empire, and it couldn't have come soon enough. There's a breath of fresh air in the 6th Ward, and it's making its way over to Roberts Stadium. Thank you.

Dr. Dan Adams- CC At-Large: I don't care what anyone says, Dr. Adams is a genius. Every time you ask him a question about a project, he always has an outside of the box idea that has worked in other cities and will work here. His vision, his leadership, and his dedication are just what the doctor ordered for Roberts Stadium. Thank you.

Lastly, I want to issue a SPECIAL THANK YOU to the following two people who proven that this movement is the right thing to do for Hank Roberts. I want to thank the following two people...

Kristine Beard & her daughter Lisa Jean: As the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of former Evansville mayor Hank Roberts, they understand what this building means to Evansville, what this building means to the Roberts family, and what this building meant to Hank Roberts who only served one term in office because he used up all of his political capital on Roberts Stadium.

Kristine and Lisa's participation should be more than enough evidence for you to see that this building must stand to pay tribute to mayor Hank Roberts. It was nothing short of a miracle for mayor Hank Roberts and architect Ralph Legeman to get this building built, now we must make sure it still stands as there have been plenty of options brought forward to city hall for it. Kristine and Lisa- THANK YOU!

To all those who are fighting for Roberts Stadium... THANK YOU!

I Call To The Stand The Evansville Parks Department

(koehlerlaw.net)

Note: This coming week, I will be discussing issues and concerns that are in relation to the questions and comments that Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke expressed during last night's meeting. The main and sole purpose of this is to ensure that everyone is on the same page and fully educated about the benefits of Roberts Stadium versus the negatives of the counter-proposals. Education is key to Roberts Stadium receiving a fair trial.

Since the ball fields project died a slow and painful death, Roberts Stadium has been on a trial that will ultimately determine its life and fate. There is no question that Roberts Stadium is the defendant in this case.

Since day 1, the plaintiffs in this trial have attacked Roberts Stadium on many fronts but to no avail. They have claimed that Roberts Stadium isn't in good shape, yet the HNTB report states otherwise. They have claimed that no one is interested in investing in Roberts Stadium, yet the emails from Chip Rosetti prove this to be a complete lie. They have also claimed that Roberts Stadium isn't compatible with anything affordable. Once more, the emails to engineers involved with Roberts Stadium suggest that raising the floor at Roberts Stadium is very much affordable ($400,000 to $500,000) and would eliminate the most expensive part of Roberts Stadium-the water pumps.

Now, the plaintiffs are attacking Roberts Stadium on what appears to be one last front. They are now claiming that the land which Roberts Stadium sits on shall serve as a green space instead. They claim that this solution is cheaper and more practical.

To get to the bottom of this claim, we need to call the Evansville Parks Department to the stand. Why? Because previous testimony from the Evansville Parks Department suggests that a green space will not be cheaper than Roberts Stadium, nor will it be free.

First of all, it is important to understand that building a park next to Wesselman Park, which is an Old Growth forest, is not practical as the newly planted trees will produce seedlings that will migrate to the Old Growth forest and damage the eco-system. I will be talking about this in an upcoming post.

On June 20,2010, in an interview with the Evansville Courier & Press, the Evansville Parks Department gave us some quotes that go a long way in answering some of our questions...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jun/20/special-report-evansville-parks-department-isnt/

Note: The following are questions asked by me. The answers are quotes taken from the above article. These ARE NOT direct answers to my questions.

Question: If Roberts Stadium is turned into a park, a green space, or ball fields, will your department be able to handle the extra amount of work?

Answer: "In discussing a plan to build new baseball and softball fields at Wesselman Park, proponents of the project have yet to give much attention to one important question: Who will perform the maintenance?

Dan Schall, executive director of the Evansville Parks Department, said he doesn't think that's a responsibility his staff can take on, not without more help at least."

Question: Are there any additional avenues of funding that you expect to receive to offset the additional maintenance costs of a Roberts Stadium park?

Answer: "And he(Schall) isn't likely to find the money for extra work any time soon,
especially as state leaders continue to press forward with limits on cities'
ability to raise property taxes.

"Financially, we don't know how we would do it," Schall said.
The Parks Department already at times can seem to have too few resources to
undertake the tasks laid before it, Schall said."

Question: Does your crew ALREADY maintain Roberts Stadium?

Answer: "Beyond that, separate crews maintain 21 special properties, including Roberts Stadium, The Victory, Swonder Ice Arena and Fendrich, Helfrich and McDonald golf courses. And there are the city's 51 street boulevards, although the responsibility of mowing them is largely contracted out to private firms."

Question: As your department struggles to stay level with the existing facilities you have to maintain, are there even more challenges ahead for you?

Answer: "The dearth in hiring has come at the same time as the department's responsibilities have expanded to include the maintenance of the Goebel Soccer Complex, new sections of the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage and other properties."

Question: Have all of your parks been adequately maintained at all times?

Answer:"He(Schall) said he wouldn't be surprised if many residents can recall seeing instances of high grass standing in local parks.

"It can be that at the beginning of the year, we are trying to get our pools
going," he said. "And the people in the community see the grass growing, and
it's, 'How come you are not out here cutting the grass?' Well, we are out here
trying to get our pools going at the same time."

Question: Does the public genuinely understand what they are in for with a new park at the Roberts Stadium lot?

Answer: "Susan Harp, chairwoman of the parks, trees and beautification committee of the United Neighborhoods of Evansville, said she doubts the public appreciates how
difficult it is to maintain a park."

Question: Are there other parks that should get priority over building a park at Roberts Stadium?

Answer: "Others in Evansville say they have been patiently waiting for the city to make improvements to parks near their homes. Mary Kixmiller, president of the Tepe Park Neighborhood Association, said she is expecting a decision soon on the future of Tepe Pool, which was closed in 2006 after being deemed to be in poor condition."

Question: Critics of Roberts Stadium say it must turn a profit to stick around even though they refuse to count the indirect spending that events such as high school basketball tournaments will bring. Has your new Goebel Soccer Complex turned a profit without counting the indirect benefits?

Answer: "Schall said new sports fields have proved their value to the community, even if they aren't money-makers for the Parks Department. Goebel Soccer Complex, opened in 2004, has yet to turn a profit. But any measure of its success would be incomplete without taking into account the revenue it has brought to local hotels, shops and restaurants, he said."

Question: Did the previous EVCB think that demolishing Roberts Stadium would cost the current projection of $200,000?

Answer: "But the Visitors Bureau has discussed its plans in public on several occasions, saying its budget of between $15 million and $18 million for the project sets aside about $1.25 million for demolishing Roberts Stadium."

Question: Were the ball fields, which stood a greater chance of either a park or green space of profiting, projected to profit?

Answer: "Dunn said he isn't disheartened by the thought that the fields may run a deficit, especially if that happens only in the early years.

"We don't think of them as a profit center," he said."

Question: It is estimated that Roberts Stadium, in mothball formation, costs $300,000 a year to maintain. How much would the ball fields, which would have taken up the same amount of land and used similar materials such as trees and landscaping as a park or green space cost to maintain?

Answer: " For the fields to be built at Wesselman, research conducted by Dunn and others suggests an operating cost of between $300,000 and $500,000 a year, he said."

Question: Has your department done an acceptable job of maintaining the parks you already have such as the Goebel Soccer Complex?

Answer: "Yet even the best management can't overcome every adverse circumstance. Schall concedes the Parks Department has had a "bad year" at the Goebel Soccer Complexso far in 2010.

Schall said the condition of one field was bad enough to be deemed unsuited for
matches in the Indiana State Cup Preliminary Round, held in the middle of May."

Question: How does your customers feel about the condition of the Goebel Soccer Complex?

Answer:" In an e-mail sent to Schall and Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, Scales called the Goebel Complex "an embarrassment to our city.""

Question: Do customers of the Goebel Soccer Complex approve of the product?

Answer: " Jennifer Scales, whose two children play for the Southwestern Indiana Soccer Association, said she wasn't surprised by the decision.

Scales later said playing at the fields costs too much for what a team gets
in return.

"If I were scheduling a game, I would avoid the Goebel Soccer Complex because
of the field conditions, price and lack of general accommodations," she said."

Question: Is placing down materials for a green space or park, such as sod, free?

Answer: "Earlier this month, the Parks Board awarded a $12,600 contract to the local firm GrassMasters Sod Farm to replant 12 acres at the Goebel complex."

Question: Last question, if Roberts Stadium is saved, it will likely be placed in the hands of an organization such as SMG or a non-profit organization such as a foundation. Did moving Roberts Stadium from the Evansville Parks Department to the Evansville Vanderburgh County Building Authority help with your budget?

Answer: "The Downtown arena, for one, won't be the Parks Department's responsibility to keep up, as Roberts Stadium is.

That work instead will fall to the City Building Authority. Schall said he is
grateful for the switch."

There you have it, nothing, and I mean nothing, in that article suggests that there is any room whatsoever in the budget of the Evansville Parks Department for yet another park or green space to be built at Roberts Stadium. Nor is there any evidence to suggest that this park or green space would be free or would cost less to maintain than Roberts Stadium.

It's very simple. If you are looking at the Roberts Stadium situation from a financial standpoint, you have no choice but to fight to save Roberts Stadium. If Roberts Stadium is renovated, the pumps, which are the main expense of Roberts Stadium, will be eliminated. Furthermore, the events inside Roberts Stadium which could include indoor football, soccer, minor league basketball, USI basketball, high school basketball, youth sports, trade shows, professional lacrosse, inline skating, and mid-size concerts will offset the small costs of running Roberts Stadium. Whereas, a green space or park, stands no chance of making any money.

Before we decide that demolishing Roberts Stadium and building a green space or park on the lot is "what is best for the taxpayers," we must do a little investigating. WE MUST CALL THE EVANSVILLE PARKS DEPARTMENT TO THE STAND!

(truenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com)

Thank You Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke For Meeting With Me Today

Today was yet another milestone for the Save Roberts Stadium movement. I, along with Sherman Stevens, Sylvia Trabits-Niemeier, Brenda Bergwitz, and Berniece Tirmenstein, sat down with Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke to discuss Roberts Stadium.

First of all, there are a couple of things to note. During the meeting Mayor-Elect Winnecke told us we can call him "Lloyd" instead of Mr. or Mayor-Elect Winnecke so that is what I will be doing. Next, I want to express my gratitude to Lloyd for inviting us in to discuss Roberts Stadium. Lloyd could have easily said, "Forget it, I will just make the decision myself without listening to anyone," but he didn't. He was suppose to leave his office by 5 but he stayed over to make sure he gathered all of the facts, leads, and details on Roberts Stadium. Thank you Lloyd!

In regards to the meeting itself, this was one of those times where we needed to rise to the occasion. For Roberts Stadium, it's the 4th quarter and the game is tight. What we do in the next few months will make or break Roberts Stadium, no doubt about it. If we are going to win this battle we have to rise to the occasion for events like this.

To prepare for this meeting, I have been busy the last 48 hours making sure this meeting went down smooth. Last night, I met with the other supporters of Roberts Stadium at Hardees on Boeke to make sure that we were all on the same page. I gathered all of the information and then processed what I should and shouldn't say during the meeting.

After the brief get-together, I went home and spent most of the night gathering all of the data that I needed, printing it off, and going over it. This included the emails sent to me by Mr. Chip Rosetti of the Evansville Rage, the News4U article where Scott Schoenike of the Ford Center said that they are completely booked from October to April, and all of the data pertaining to the Continental Indoor Football League.

To make sure I got up early (because I had to go to work, change, go to the meeting, change, and then go back to work) I set the alarm on my Dick Vitale Alarm Clock (click on photos to enlarge)...



It is extremely important to realize that I only set this alarm clock on special occasions because it is so loud and Dick Vitale's voice is so damn annoying. But hey, it fits in with my other sports memorabilia...



So, the meeting time finally came and it was time to deliver for Roberts Stadium. How did the meeting go?

Overall, I felt very confident coming out of the meeting. Some of the highlights were the following...

1. Lloyd did an excellent job listening to all of the data and then asking questions. Most people don't care what you have to say as they have already made up their mind. I gathered that Lloyd genuinely cared, listened, and thought about what I said.

2. Lack of communication on what we can do with Roberts Stadium seems to be the biggest problem. Lloyd had a lot of questions for me that I'm glad he asked as I feel like these questions have hindered Lloyd's understanding of Roberts Stadium's potential. He did a great job asking detailed questions, and I felt like I answered most if not all. I'm hoping that this will help Lloyd give strong consideration for Roberts Stadium.

3. Another important thing to note is that Lloyd, like most Evansville residents, did not know that a newly planted forest will not work with Wesselman Park's Old Growth Virgin Forest. I felt like this meeting was very valuable to us as we were able to communicate things like this to Lloyd. I'm glad that he is willing to listen and learn which is what every one of us should do!

4. Lloyd seems to have a committee that will be open to converting Roberts Stadium into a mid-sized arena. I sure hope this belief holds up.

5. As usual and always, Lloyd was a complete class act. I'm excited to see what he has in store for Evansville and I hope he lets me serve his administration.

Overall, we have good reason to remain confident that we will deliver Roberts Stadium for the Evansville community. I appreciate Lloyd Winnecke inviting us in, listening to our ideas, and genuinely exploring these ideas instead of just brushing them off.

Thank you Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke for listening to those who support Roberts Stadium. LET'S SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!

Just Remember: We've Been Here Before

(usgennet.org)

It's been over 44 years since one of Evansville's greatest groups came into existence. The Conrad Baker Foundation, who had previously existed as the activist groups "Save The Coliseum" and "Save The Courthouse" decided to file the necessary paperwork to become an official non-profit organization in Indiana. Their goal was simple- Take control of these buildings, keep and maintain them, and improve their viability at the same time...

(Click on photo to enlarge)
http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=952736

For those who don't remember from the article I did back in January...

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

This plan worked. All 3 venues- The Old Courthouse, the Old Jail, and the Soldiers & Sailors Coliseum are all still intact today. If you ever get a chance, make sure you drive through the part of downtown with these three buildings and you will see why we owe this group one big THANK YOU!

So now, it's time to ignite the fire of the Conrad Baker Foundation one more time. If you look at how the recent events of Roberts Stadium are playing out, you will see they are eerily similar to the events of the Conrad Baker Foundation.

The Conrad Baker Foundation started out as basic "Save The Coliseum" and "Save The Courthouse" activist groups whose only goal was to improve their community, not make a boatload of money. That is what we are doing with this blog. Roberts Stadium deserves this same representation, and there are so many people who have stepped up to the plate for Roberts Stadium, whether it be Berniece Tirmenstein catching a ride to the library so that she can compile the history of Roberts Stadium and distribute it, Brenda Bergwitz hosting rallies, Sherman Stevens putting up 150 + Save Roberts Stadium yard signs, Sylvia Trabits-Niemeier running for office, Martha Crosley taking her Wesselman Park Support Group and working hand-in-hand with this organization, and Kristine Beard and her daughter Lisa Jean passionately expressing their desire to see the building named after their grandpa/great-grandpa preserved.

Now, the next step is very obvious. Like the Conrad Baker Foundation, we need architects, government leaders, and others on a committee to join us. Judging by the tea leaves, Mayor-Elect Winnecke plans on doing this exact thing. But the question still remains, who is on this committee and are they prepared to play an active role in Roberts Stadium for many years to come?

After that, our next move can take one of two paths. We can either follow the direct footsteps of the Conrad Baker Foundation by officially forming a non-profit organization and then setting up a small board who will oversee the day-to-day operations of Roberts Stadium. Or, we can choose to work with SMG who has the power to bring in a NBDL team. Truthfully, I can see the argument for both sides, but either way, WE MUST bring back those who at SMG who were recently unemployed with the closing of Roberts Stadium!

So if the city does decide to go the non-profit route, what should this organization be called? If you read the article above, many of the "Save The Courthouse/Coliseum" members struggled with this same question. Eventually, they decided to name it after Conrad Baker, who was the first governor of Indiana from this area, because his name had faded away. To me, this question is simple: It shall be the "Roberts & Legeman Foundation."

Like Conrad Baker, mayor Hank Roberts and architect Ralph Legeman have done some wonderful, historical, and legendary things for our community, but most of these acts have been forgotten by our youth. So, we need to do the same thing as the Conrad Baker Foundation and remind our town of the greatness of Hank Roberts, who sacrificed his political career to get Roberts Stadium built, and Ralph Legeman, who holds the patent for the Indiana fieldhouse design.

I sure hope Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke takes a few moments of his time to look through the history books of Evansville. Why? Because if you notice, those who fought to save the courthouse, coliseum, and jail were on the right side of history and they will never be forgotten. On the flip side, those who sought to demolish these 3 buildings, lost and have faded into time. Nobody, and I mean nobody, remembers those who thought demolition was a good idea.

So Mayor-Elect Winnecke, while this may seem to be a daunting task, indeed it isn't. We've already heard this song and dance. WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE!

(chan4chan.com)