Mow Down The Grass Not Roberts Stadium

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Since the beginning of the debate between those who support Roberts Stadium and those who support making the entire 20 + acre lot a green space, we've heard about problem after problem with Roberts Stadium. We've also heard political leaders complain that Roberts Stadium will compete with the Ford Center, it will be too costly to run, and it won't make financial sense.

Ironically enough, we have spent numerous hours addressing the concerns about Roberts Stadium. I have explained time and time again how a mid-sized Roberts Stadium will compliment, not compete with, the Ford Center (a view held by SMG and Venuworks as well). I have also explained how Roberts Stadium will continue to remain solvent, recapture most of the jobs lost by SMG when Roberts closed, put heads in beds for the hotel industry, stabilize the economy around it, and support the community as a disaster relief area and indoor Greenway trail hub while leaving space for a natatorium, a BMX only facility and a lake and small green space on the lot.

Even after the final Roberts Stadium Task Force meeting, we STILL haven't heard a peep from the Green Space Subcommittee nor any of those who support a green space only on the lot about the effects a green space on the Roberts Stadium lot would have on the rest of our parks, green spaces, and other city owned lots with grass on them.

It's bad enough that these green space supporters never ever presented one single plan that would have their green space co-existing with Roberts Stadium, a view held by 1 of the 3 green supporters who came to our final public Task Force meeting. It's also bad enough that there has been no real financial reason given for placing a green space on the lot (if we would have done this with Roberts Stadium, it would have been demolished a long time ago).

But it's even worse that our task force will be giving Lloyd Winnecke a report that includes one idea to demolish Roberts Stadium and construct a green space on the lot that isn't even close to being defined and does not take into account the effects this plan would have on the rest of our city.

For those who follow this blog frequently, you will recall that I talked about the current situation our Parks Department is facing...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-call-to-stand-evansville-parks.html

In that post (amongst many other great quotes from the Parks Dept) there was one quote from then Parks Dept director Dan Schall that still sticks out to me...

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

""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.""

For the handful of residents who still think that a green space on the lot is the way to go, it is important that you understand the severity of the problem Mr. Schall was talking about. Today, I decided to give the readers of this blog a taste of this problem.

The problem of not maintaining our public green spaces is so rampant that you really don't have to go far to see a perfect example of this. Today, I started out by visiting the plaza in the middle of Riverside Drive which runs along our riverfront. This area has seen many renovations to it in the past decade or so and has seen recent construction projects such as a turn bay on Main Street. This plaza is THE gateway to out of town visitors coming to visit downtown facilities such as the Ford Center. It is the last place you would expect to be rundown, yet it is. Let's take a look...

On this stretch, they tell us to "Celebrate Our City,"

Yet right under these signs is weeds and dandelions galore...

The private sector has done a wonderful job maintaining their green spaces. This is the complex next to Vectren...

And this is the park on the lot with Old National Bank...

Yet, just across the street from these private developments is a simple median that our city should maintain but doesn't...

This median is like this all the way down Riverside...

The grass is deep enough you can bury your feet in it...

There is trash all over the median...

This median also happens to be right next to our Greenway...

And is right down the road from the Ford Center...

The banners that say "Celebrate Our City" line this median as a way to get the word out about Evansville's 200th birthday. The primary logo for this marketing promotion is our Four Freedoms Monument (They should have never left our railroad station to begin with)...




Yet if you walk down the rundown median and over to our Four Freedoms Monument, you will see that the grass around it isn't mowed either...

The worst part about these out of control weeds and tall grass is the fact that they are moving into the area of our memorials dedicated to local residents who have served in our military...

By now, some of you are probably saying, "Well that's just one area. That doesn't necessarily represent the conditions of the rest of our city."

Well, let's take a look at some other public green spaces.

Starting with the lot outside of the McCurdy...

Not only is our riverfront full of weeds and tall grass, the other side of the Lloyd Expressway, which is the other main entrance to the Ford Center, is full of even more weeds and tall grass as well...

First take a look at the great job Berry Plastics has done with their lots...

Unfortunately, right across the street from Berry Plastics is yet another wonderful green space provided to us by the city of Evansville...

We've invested almost $127 million into our new Ford Center (an arena that I am proud to support) but our city won't even mow the grass underneath the sign directing visitors to this state-of-the-art facility...

The grass is so high that our local residents are having to create their own trail through the grass...

Would you walk through this?

After visiting these horrendous sites downtown, I traveled out to Burdette Park which was in a little bit better shape overall than downtown but still had some nasty looking areas right outside one of our biggest swimming pools...

Make no mistake, I am not placing 100% of the blame on our Parks Dept. Yes, there have been previous members of our Parks Dept who have refused to address these problems while lobbying for an entirely new ball field complex on the Roberts Stadium site. But at the same time, just as much blame should be placed on those in city hall who have refused to allocate the proper amount of funding for these facilities as well as those who have ignored these problems simply because they want a new green space on the Roberts Stadium lot.

Problems with our parks and green space is nothing new. Dr. Troost has been lobbying for change for quite some time now...

http://city-countyobserver.com/2011/02/02/4857/

I myself have been pushing our government to reform Kleymeyer and Garvin Parks...

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

There are several things we need to take from today's findings...

1. Our existing parks and green spaces don't look good at all. There's no question that we are going to have to increase our city budget already to provide an adequate amount of resources to fix these areas. Why would we want another green space or park competing with these areas for resources?

2. Our city is doing a horrible job of maintaining our existing green spaces. Why would anyone think the situation would be any different at the Roberts Stadium lot?

3. Our green spaces are struggling, our Ford Center is not. Shouldn't we be more worried about a green space competing with existing green spaces before we worry about Roberts Stadium affecting the Ford Center (especially since Venuworks doesn't have a problem with a mid-sized Roberts Stadium)?

4. None of the areas you saw today are profitable. And not only are they not profitable, they are obviously turning into a liability for our city. Why would anyone want our city to construct another project that will drain city resources?

5. If our city leaders don't have the money to adequately maintain our existing parks and green spaces, where are they going to get the money for a Roberts Stadium green space?

6. Why wasn't any of this documented by the green space subcommittee? If their members genuinely wanted to present the best ideas for the city, shouldn't they have noted the atrocious condition our existing parks are in and the competition their plan would have with these areas?

Yes, in a previous post, I did say that a green space on the Roberts Stadium lot would work in harmony with our arena..

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2012/02/lets-dive-into-park-green-space-lake.html

There are several key differences between what I am proposing and what the green space subcommittee is proposing...

1. The green space I am proposing is smaller and would require less maintenance.

2. The green space I am proposing consists mainly of a lake which eliminates the problem of tall grass.

3. The green space I am proposing would be maintained by whichever operating company runs Roberts Stadium whether it be SMG or Venuworks. Funding for upkeep of this green space would come from revenue generated at Roberts Stadium.

4. The green space I am proposing would eventually connect into Wesselman Woods with a small canal (long term master plan). Connecting this green space to Wesselman Woods by more than just a bike path will allow us to invest in our existing Wesselman Woods area at the same time as a new canal would run right through the complex.

5. The green space I am proposing does not mess with Wesselman Woods. If we place new growth trees next to our old growth nature preserve, over time, tree samplings will mix and we will no longer have a virgin forest.

Whether the green space subcommittee members and their supporters like it or not, the truth is, our existing parks, green spaces, and open areas are in shambles. They have given us no reason whatsoever to believe that constructing yet another green space wouldn't take away resources from these areas.

I challenge Mayor Winnecke and his administration to genuinely look at what Roberts Stadium can bring to the Ford Center, the east side, and our city as a whole. I also challenge them to then look at the condition of our parks and green spaces and realize that these areas need our attention much more than any green space on the Roberts Stadium lot does.

DON'T MOW DOWN ROBERTS STADIUM, MOW THE GRASS!