Kipplee's,Western Rib-Eye, and Turoni's All Benefit From Roberts Stadium

Tom's Restaurant in NYC

One benefit that patrons of Roberts Stadium have enjoyed over the years is the large amount of good, quality restaurants around this facility. Yes, the plot of land that Roberts Stadium sits on specifically is indeed landlocked making it a "destination site." But that doesn't mean that supporters of Roberts Stadium haven't had a fair amount of restaurants to choose from near the arena.

As with every other sports facility project, these restaurants have used Roberts Stadium as an economic engine for their business for many,many years. Although I am 110% behind building the new arena downtown so that our downtown will thrive instead of more urban sprawl on the far east side, I also believe that the restaurants around the Roberts Stadium neighborhood are second to none and deserve to have a facility that brings in business for them as well.

In order to get a true feel for the quality of restaurants around Roberts, I decided to explore the three best restaurants closest to the arena. The following are those restaurants...

Western Rib-Eye

http://www.westernribeye.com/

westernribeye.com

Guests of Western Rib-Eye have argued for many years over what makes this restaurant the best in town. Some say it's the steak, some say it's the salad bar. No matter which one is your favorite, you can't go wrong with Western Rib-Eye who have hosted Aces, Bluecats, and many other team gatherings on gamedays.

Another great attribute about Western Rib-Eye is the atmosphere of the facility which takes you back to Evansville of the early 20th century....

During my visit to Western Rib-Eye I asked my waitress, Linda, if she supported Roberts Stadium. She quickly answered "YES!" I then asked her if Western Rib-Eye misses Roberts Stadium being open for games and events. She also answered yes to that as well. Losing Roberts Stadium means losing business for Western Rib-Eye. Why would we want to do that when we can use Roberts Stadium for mid-sized events. I support Western Rib-Eye and I hope Mayor Winnecke and the Parks Board does as well.

Kipplee's

http://www.kipplees.com/

By far and away, no other restaurant has felt the economic and community power of Roberts Stadium more than Kipplee's Stadium Inn. In fact, they grew up with the facility...

You can tell by the decorations through out the building that Kipplee's misses UE basketball games...

Although UE isn't coming back, there's no reason why we can't pack Roberts Stadium with events like indoor soccer, minor league basketball, indoor football, BMX events, expo events, lacrosse, youth sports tournaments, college basketball tournaments, and graduations just to name a few.

After these events, guests of Roberts Stadium will have the opportunity to eat from the same establishment that Mayor Roberts and architect Ralph Legeman ate at over 50 years ago. Kipplee's has withstood the test of time because of the taste and quality of their pizza. And if their pizza doesn't fill you up, their wide variety of salads, cheese sticks, and other side items will finish your hunger off for sure.

I support Kipplee's, does Mayor Winnecke and the Parks Board?....

Turoni's Forget-Me-Not Inn

http://www.turonis.com/

For my last stop, I visited Turoni's Forget-Me-Not-Inn. The great thing about Turoni's is that we have the opportunity to help BOTH their Weinbach and Main Street locations by renovating Roberts Stadium into a mid-sized arena and then taking the removed seats and installing them in our ball fields project at Kleymeyer Park.

Obviously, Turoni's has pizza that isn't just good, it's great. In fact, I would say that the pizza is so good that it brings in tourists and guests from out of town just to try it. That's the kind of quality restaurants we have around Roberts Stadium and Bosse Field.

Like Western Rib-Eye and Kipplee's, Turoni's was packed before and after games, concerts, and other events. Although we cannot bring back the big time events that have moved to the Ford Center, we can certainly pack Turoni's on game days again with mid-sized tenants at Roberts Stadium. The nostalgic sports atmosphere at Turoni's is built to compliment a mid-sized Roberts Stadium....

I support Turoni's Forget-Me-Not-Inn, does Mayor Winnecke and the Parks Board?

The truth is, closing down Roberts Stadium doesn't just affect Roberts Stadium itself. Rather, it affects the entire community around it who have invested their lives, careers, and fortunes around Roberts Stadium. Roberts Stadium has served the Evansville community for almost 56 years. No matter where you go around it, whether it be Western Rib-Eye, Kipplee's, or Turoni's, you can see the affect Roberts Stadium has had on this area.

Building the Ford Center downtown was a great idea. We need to vastly improve that area if we are ever going to get Evansville to practice Smart Growth principles. We also need to get restaurants downtown that are of a little bit better quality than Main Gate. I don't think there's any question that the Ford Center will accomplish these goals.

But at the same time, abandoning the area around Roberts Stadium simply because our political leaders are paranoid of Roberts Stadium competing with the Ford Center (an idea that has been refuted by Venuworks) is simply unacceptable.

At all of my stops, the response to saving Roberts Stadium was ALWAYS positive and never negative. These businesses (and neighbors) understand what Roberts Stadium has done for them and what it can still do for them as a mid-sized arena. Demolishing Roberts Stadium IS NOT a widely accepted belief in the area surrounding this iconic arena.

We owe it to the restaurants, shops, hotels, and other retail around Roberts Stadium to reopen this facility as a mid-sized arena. I support the area around Roberts Stadium, does Mayor Winnecke and the Parks Board?

How Mayor Winnecke Can Promote BMX Events With A Mid-Sized Arena

websites.computers4kids.net

Like I've said before, the number one benefit to making Roberts Stadium a mid-sized arena is its ability to be many things to many people (the real "something for everyone"). Not only does a mid-sized Roberts Stadium fill the need for traveling BMX shows, it also can work hand-in-hand with the recreational facilities around it.

Most people are probably wondering: If Mayor Winnecke wants to explore bringing BMX events to Evansville why would he pick Roberts Stadium to be a mid-sized arena over a BMX only facility? Isn't a mid-sized arena designed for traditional sports instead of extreme sports?

Although a mid-sized Roberts Stadium would have the capacity to host a wide variety of events, including games for traditional sports, it also has the potential to do for the BMX community what a BMX only facility cannot do. And that is bring BMX tournaments, shows, and events to Evansville.

You see, if Mayor Winnecke chooses to make Roberts Stadium a BMX only facility, he will be choosing to rip out the seats, the luxury boxes, and probably the concession stands that all could be used to lure traveling BMX events to Evansville. Remember the quote from Portland, Oregon who have decided to make their old Memorial Coliseum a mid-sized arena while constructing a BMX only facility next to it?

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2012/01/we-can-learn-lot-from-portland-oregon.html

(bolding has been added by me)

http://www.pdxactionsports.com/

"The Rose Quarter, including both The Rose Garden and the historic Portland Memorial Coliseum, has long represented professional sports in Portland; residents and fans come to large, multi-functional buildings to watch professional athletes compete. Participation in the sports most often played in these facilities has declined by as much as 40% over the past decade. Action Sports, however, represent the next generation of athletics in the US; with participation growing, in some sports by as much as 90% over the past decade, new indoor and high-quality facilities for many of these sports are lacking. The redevelopment of Portland’s Rose Quarter offers an opportunity to create a world class facility that can combine the history of the old with the potential and excitement of the new while providing a safe place for families and friends to participate in a wide variety of active sports.

The Portland Memorial Coliseum will turn 50 in 2010. It is an icon for the city of Portland, and is worth renovating to ensure another 50 years of life. Our proposal is to the leave Memorial Coliseum essentially intact, with updated seating and support facilities and a flexible-events program that not only includes ’showcased’ action-sports events but other events as well. Public opinion and numerous reports suggest the building is actually very well-suited for its current medium-sized events program.

Our proposal takes a long range urban planning outlook. We believe that the proper approach recognizes serious problems at the district scale (not just coliseum scale), and proposes infusing life into the area by fixing what is broken and making best use of what works, in essence, re-invigorating the district with action-sports activities while keeping the coliseum and the rose garden arena more or less intact."
Basically, what those who support BMX in Evansville are asking for are two different things. One concept is a BMX only facility. In the world of basketball, this is comparable to a practice facility. The other concept is a facility that would attract traveling BMX events. In the world of basketball, this is an arena that hosts games and tournaments.

Why should Mayor Winnecke pursue traveling BMX events instead of a BMX only facility?

1. We already have two BMX only facilities, one private facility located on Louisiana Street and one public facility located inside Swonder which is NEXT TO Roberts Stadium.

2. Traveling BMX events bring tourists and guests to Evansville at a higher rate than a BMX only facility would.

3. Making Roberts Stadium a BMX only facility would make it one-dimensional which would fail to allow everyone an opportunity to enjoy it. It would also be risky as all of our eggs would be placed in one basket.

4. Making Roberts Stadium a BMX only facility is estimated to cost more than a mid-sized Roberts Stadium and about the same price as a mid-sized Roberts Stadium AND a green space in the back lot.

5. A BMX only facility would render the sky boxes in Roberts Stadium useless and would probably require their demolition. Therefore, we wouldn't be getting the most bang for our buck out of the existing Roberts Stadium building like we would with a mid-sized arena.

6. A mid-sized Roberts Stadium would bring more guests and residents into the facility than a BMX only facility would.

7. Bringing traveling BMX events to Evansville would increase the city's regional and national brand awareness more than a BMX only facility would.

8. A BMX only facility would more than likely forego some of the intangible benefits to Roberts Stadium such as a disaster relief area, an indoor Greenway trailhub, and an economic driver for nearby retail and restaurants.

9. A BMX only facility would not bring in as much funding from the selling of naming rights to the gates.

10. A mid-sized Roberts Stadium can host mid-sized concerts that can be co-branded and marketed with a BMX only facility next to it.

There are many traveling BMX events, the most notable tour being the Alli Show with the Dew Tour...

http://www.allisports.com/alli/bmx

According to the packet passed out by those who support BMX events, we would need to set aside 50 indoor dates and 68 outdoor dates for these shows. Not only would 50 indoor dates leave plenty of room for other events like football, soccer, basketball, youth sports, trade shows, expo events, etc, etc they would also be mostly during the summer which is a traditional downtime for arenas.

In order to recruit the best of the best in the BMX industry to come to Evansville, we need to think like Portland. We need to make sure our existing facilities are competitive in order to establish a culture that is pro-BMX. We need to layout a master plan, like Portland, that calls for bringing action sports next to Roberts Stadium...

From what I am hearing, those who run Swonder Ice Rink are looking to relocate their existing BMX facility in order to expand the rink on the western side of their building. This is where Mayor Winnecke has another golden opportunity to improve Evansville.

HOW CAN MAYOR WINNECKE SELL A BMX ONLY FACILITY NEXT TO ROBERTS STADIUM POLITICALLY?

As most of you know, Evansville is a deep,deep,deep conservative town. Not only are they conservative, they are also very leary of capital improvement projects. If Mayor Winnecke is going to build a complex around Roberts Stadium that can truly maximize the benefit of having all of our facilities together in one complex, he needs to market it smartly. How can he do this?

When I was in D.C, I had to go through a political school/academy called the Youth Leadership Institute. This organization has trained famous political leaders such as Mitch McConnell, Karl Rove, Grover Norquist, and just about anyone else in D.C. There is one thing they thought me that specifically applies to this situation- Know how to word your message.

For example, you never hear abortion groups mention abortion. No, they are "pro-choice." You also never hear gun groups mention guns. No, they are "pro-2nd amendment." In order for us to get a complex built around Roberts Stadium, Mayor Winnecke will have to apply this same technique.

How can Mayor Winnecke apply this technique? Basically, he would need to say the following...

"I'm not for a new capital improvement project for a BMX only facility. No, that would be a waste of taxpayer dollars. What I am for though is "expanding Swonder Ice Rink." Expanding this facility into Roberts Stadium's northern lot will allow us to expand our existing BMX facility while updating Swonder Ice Rink which has proven to be a valuable asset to our community."

That's right, we would not be building a new BMX only facility, rather we would be expanding Swonder. And not only would be expanding Swonder, we would also be cutting down on Roberts Stadium's parking lot which is nothing more than an expensive eyesore that needs to be scaled down to accompany a mid-sized Roberts Stadium. It would give us the opportunity to construct a facility next to Roberts Stadium with the old brackets that were on the original Roberts Stadium built by Ralph Legeman.

With a BMX only facility next to Roberts Stadium, we will have a complex that is second to none in the Midwest. We will have a complex with the capacity to bring in tourists and guests 365 days a week, the capacity for cross-marketing events like a BMX event with a mid-sized concert, and the capacity to connect Roberts Stadium with Swonder Ice Rink.

Of course, first things first, we need Mayor Winnecke to recommend that our Parks Dept. Board scale Roberts Stadium down to a mid-sized arena. This is the cheapest option and it is the only option that takes into account the goals and desires of all of the other ideas. While Roberts Stadium is being renovated, our Parks Dept. then needs to evaluate how much funding they have left over to convert Roberts Stadium's back lot into a green space. They also need to commit to keeping all profit from Roberts Stadium inside the complex in order to maintain this green space and put funds aside to repair Roberts Stadium and build more capital improvement projects.

Once those two steps are complete, our city's Aquatics Task Force can then evaluate which year they are going to set funds aside to renovate Hartke Pool. I would imagine that this would have to be within the next 4-5 years as the pool is on its last leg and the east side desperately needs a natatorium as well.

By then, Swonder, which is 10 years old this year, will be due for another round of renovations as it will be approaching 15 years old. With the help of the private sector via the selling of cafe space and rental space for BMX practice, our city will be able to construct a BMX only facility in the northern lot that would be just as big as Roberts Stadium and would finally connect Swonder and Roberts.

If we are going to make this complex successful, we MUST think like Portland and plan for the long term not the short term. We must make Roberts Stadium a mid-sized arena with a BMX only facility next to it!

An Open Letter From The Mayans To Dave Rector

(Note: The following is complete satire and fiction and should not be taken as an actual letter from the Mayans or as a notice of the end of the world.)


Dear Dave,

We would just like for you to know that we commend you on your efforts to prepare your city for our December 21st "End of the World" celebration.

We have always admired your work in trying to demolish a perfectly healthy building by claiming that a simple roof leak or a crack in the concrete are reasons alone to convert this iconic facility into rubble. But we are equally thrilled to have read in the Evansville Courier & Press today where you are now shutting down Mesker Amphitheatre over a minor $100,000 paint and mold repair bill. We appreciate you spending these last two years reversing all of the work SMG has done on these two facilities.

As a civilization that specializes in collapsing cultures and cities as quickly as possible, we are very pleased in the work that your former boss, Mr. Weinzapfel, has done with your city's sewer system and Executive Inn. All of that rubble stacked up as high as the sky on Walnut brought tears of joy to our eyes. It reminds us of what our city and civilization looked like shortly before vanishing from Central Mexico due to an unsustainable way of life.

To commemorate the hard work you and your allies have put into prepping Evansville for December 21st, we have now slapped a "Made in Evansville" sticker on our Mayan Ruins. When tourists and guests visit our Mayan Ruins, they will be told about the great work you have done on Roberts Stadium, Mesker Amphitheatre, the Civic Center, and even the brand new Ford Center.

We would also like for you to know that you will not need to worry about Bosse Field as we already have the city and the ECVB fighting all development and ball field projects around it. You also won't need to worry about the McCurdy as your former boss has done an excellent job getting the lawn, the entrance, and the structure as a whole ready for December 21st.

Lastly, after reviewing the work you have done on the entrance to the brand new Ford Center, we are giving serious consideration to moving our "End of the World" celebration up a few months from December 21st. We never thought you would have been able to get the Ford Center ready for our celebration as quickly as you have Dave.

December 21st will soon be here. The end of the world and civilization as we know it is near.... Thanks to you Dave!

Your Friends,

The Mayans

Did They Get The Real Story From Savannah?

This week, 31 representatives from the Evansville region traveled to Savannah,Georgia to get a look at how the city "attracts and keeps young professionals." In this group were 3 Evansville City Council members and 2 County Commissioners.

It is highly debatable whether this trip should have been covered by taxpayer dollars, but now that it's over I certainly hope these officials got the real story from Savannah.

Yes, they toured a container port, something I have been an adamant supporter of for quite some time...

 http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jul/17/slack-water-port-offers-opportunities/

Although I'm sure that was a great thing for these city officials to tour, it is not the main facility that our city officials can learn from in Savannah.

You see, the Savannah's sports scene is very similar to what Evansville's sports industry would be like with a mid-sized Roberts Stadium. Savannah has 1 Division I university, 1 Division II university, and 3 arenas. Currently, Evansville has 1 Division I university, 1 Division II university, and 3 arenas as well. And with a population of roughly 136,000, Savannah is yet another city that sizes up perfectly with Evansville's 116,000 residents.

Let's take a look at Savannah's 3 arenas to see how they stack up against Evansville's 3 arenas...

ALUMNI ARENA

http://www.athletics.armstrong.edu/athfacilities.html

Built in 1995, Alumni Arena seats approximately 3,000 and is a part of the Armstrong Sports Center. It currently hosts Men's and Women's NCAA basketball games, and is located on the campus of Armstrong Atlantic State University. When not being used for basketball games, Alumni Arena also has the capacity to host NCAA volleyball tournaments as well as other various university functions for Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Alumni Arena is known for being the host of the 1998 & 1999 Peach Belt Conference Basketball Tournaments, Georgia Special Olympics, Atlanta Hawks training camps, various prep basketball tournaments, ATA Taekwondo Championships, and area high school graduation ceremonies over the years.

Evansville Arena Comparison: PAC Arena

TIGER ARENA

savannahstate.edu

Built in 2000 at a cost of  $9.6 million ($13 million in 2012 dollars), Tiger Arena seats approximately 6,000 and serves as the home to the Savannah State University basketball and volleyball teams.

Tiger Arena has previously hosted the Georgia High School Association boys and girls playoffs, the annual Georgia Athletic Coaches Association's North-South All-Star Game, and the Savannah Holiday Classic high school girls basketball tournament.

The high school basketball tournaments alone draw in over 3,000 people a game...

http://savannahvisit.com/events/sports/annual-sport-council-events

The facility also hosts various other mid-sized events such as "Founder's Day."


Evansville Arena Comparison: A Mid-Sized Roberts Stadium

MARTIN LUTHER KING ARENA @ SAVANNAH CIVIC CENTER

stadiumsusa.com

Since 1974, the 9,600 seat MLK Arena has brought many great performers and sporting events to the Savannah Civic Center Complex which also includes a 2,524 seat theater.

If you look at the schedule of events for the MLK Arena, you will notice that Elton John, who appeared in Evansville just a few months ago, is on their list of events as well...

http://www.savannahga.gov/cityweb/civiccenter.nsf

The facility also hosts the Savannah Tire Hockey Classic on an annual basis.

Evansville Arena Comparison: The Ford Center

Although Savannah's three arenas are very comparable to Evansville's three arenas, there are also a few differences as well...

1.  Evansville's premier arena hosts more events than Savannah's due to it having both a college basketball and minor league hockey team as primary tenants. This leaves significantly less dates for mid-sized events to use the Ford Center.

2. Evansville's arena is brand new and thus requires more high priced events in order to pay off construction bonds. As a result, events like minor league basketball, roller derby, and small  trade shows would be flexed to Evansville's mid-sized arena while they would normally stay at Savannah's premier arena.

3. Evansville's mid-sized arena, Roberts Stadium, is owned by the city, while Savannah's mid-sized arena is owned by one of their universities. Since Roberts Stadium is owned by the city, it can bring in many more unique forms of entertainment instead of being used mainly for university activities only.

While Savannah is proving that three arenas of three different sizes is the correct route to go, the city is also proving that Evansville has much more potential than Savannah as we have more teams, a brand new arena, and a perfectly healthy arena waiting to be converted into a mid-sized arena that can host what the Ford Center can't host like high school basketball, minor league basketball, lacrosse, roller derby, mid-sized concerts, indoor football, expo events, indoor soccer, youth sports tournaments, BMX traveling events, and many other miscellaneous events and functions.

So while I hope the 31 representatives enjoyed their trip to Savannah, I also hope they understood what Savannah's 3 arena model is showing them- That having a 3,000, 6,000, and a 10,000 seat arena in your inventory is what you need to grow your city. Savannah also proves that mid-sized cities, like large cities, need mid-sized arenas as well.

Once more, yet another city is showing us what to do, they are showing us why we should SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!

UE Is Going To Spend 4 Times More On A Building Older Than Roberts

Photo Credit: University of Evansville

For those who haven't figured out how ridiculous it is to claim that Roberts Stadium is beyond repair, too costly to repair, or cheaper to build from scratch, the price tags on various capital improvement projects around the city are giving these naysayers a clear view of just how reasonable a Roberts Stadium renovation is.

A few weeks ago, the Courier & Press said the following..

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/may/02/roberts-reports-doesnt-give-us-much-optimism/

"Even if the report released by the Roberts Stadium Task Force came with no estimates on the costs of various options, most citizens who care could figure out for themselves that with the stadium leaking underground water and in need of a new air handling system, it would cost a bunch of money to bring it into operating shape."

First of all, we do have an estimate for renovations to Roberts Stadium and it can be found on page 9 of the Roberts Stadium Task Force Report...

http://media.courierpress.com/media/static/Roberts_report.pdf

"The estimated investment cost for this facility is $4,000,000 to $4,500,000."

Not only is this estimate 1/3rd the price of the green space proposal, most of this estimate is for renovating the facility into a mid-sized arena, not just repairing it. Yes, we will need to do a little work on the roof and bathrooms, but most of what we need to do is renovations like raising the floor, demolishing the precast concrete above street level, and painting the building to make it a mid-sized arena.

But even with all of these costs, which can be easily recouped through year-round events, the price tag to renovate Roberts Stadium is still comparable to other facilities. Currently, we have 2 renovations and construction of a brand new complex inside the Evansville city limits that are showing us just how good we got it with Roberts Stadium.

The first project is the renovations to the Casino Aztar hotel that made the C&P today...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/may/16/aztar-hed-here-and-herppppp/

The hotel is only a few years younger than the renovations to Roberts Stadium (4 years to be exact). So wouldn't this project be cheaper than renovating Roberts Stadium? Isn't it time to consider demolishing this hotel and build a new one on the lot?

The answer to those questions is no. By the end of this year, Casino Aztar will have spent $5 million renovating the hotel, a whole $500,000 to $1,000,000 more than the estimate to renovate Roberts Stadium.

The other two capital improvement projects can be found on the campus of the University of Evansville where change, progress, and vision can all be found.

If you drive through the heart of UE's campus, you will already see that construction is well underway on the Ace's new practice facility...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/mar/14/no-headline---ev_ueplan/

For the $3.3 million, which is roughly 3/4ths the cost of renovating Roberts Stadium, are the Aces getting a facility that is even close to the size of Roberts Stadium? No, the facility is only 25,000 square feet. Roberts Stadium's meeting rooms are 4,500 square feet alone...

 http://www.visitevansville.com/sites/default/files/ECVB%20Meetings%20&%20Conventions%20Facilities%20Roberts%20Stadium.pdf

With this facility, will the Aces have a huge 5,000 seat arena to play games in? No, this facility is only set up for practice..... not a game.... not a game.... practice!!!

Although both of these facilities are great facilities that will serve Evansville well for many, many years, there is one facility that sums up best why we should renovate Roberts Stadium. Ironically enough, this facility was DIRECTLY REPLACED by Roberts Stadium in 1956. What facility am I talking about? It is none other than the Old National Guard Armory.


The amazing thing to me about this whole Roberts Stadium dilemma is that those who want to tear this building down have claimed over and over that it is too old to function. Yet, the two facilities that were directly replaced by Roberts Stadium STILL EXIST today and are in no danger of being replaced.

If you take a close look at the Old National Guard Armory, you will see that it is in a condition that is worse than Roberts...

So is UE going to tear down this historic icon? Are they going to implode the building that started Aces basketball? Do they believe that it is too old to continue?

The answer to those questions, like the ones before, is no. The University of Evansville is going to renovate the building into a performing arts center and they are going to do it at a price that is OVER FOUR TIMES THE PRICE TO RENOVATE ROBERTS!....

Even more ironic is the fact that there is a green space right outside the building...

If our city ends up demolishing a building that dwarfs the size of the Old National Guard Armory for a fraction of the price tag to renovate the Old National Guard Armory, it will be a strong signal from our city leaders that they don't share the same vision that our private university or our private casino share.

It is pretty clear that UE understands the value of historic buildings. It is also pretty clear that they understand how to invest in these buildings. Neither their practice facility nor their armory will ever bring in the amount of revenue that a mid-sized Roberts Stadium would bring in. Yet, UE is still going ahead with their capital improvement projects because they understand the value these facilities bring to their university.

There's no question that UE has a great vision. The real question is: Does our city leaders?

Will Mayor Winnecke Be A Roberts Republican?

Since Mayor Hank Roberts walked down the steps of the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse for the final time as mayor in late December of 1955, there have only been 3 other residents to hold the office for the Republican Party. And before this year, the only two to accomplish this feat were father and son.

We've come a long way since December of 1955. And to be quite honest about it, we've fallen down a lot more than we've climbed up. In fact, the first Census taken since Mayor Roberts left office (1960) has been the only Census that showed Evansville expanding instead of contracting....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evansville,_Indiana

Amid all of the dark skies and turmoil that has surrounded the River City, there is one movement that I would like to see continued. That movement is the Roberts Revolution, a movement that consists of both progressive and aggressive capital improvement projects while stressing preservation as well.

For those who don't remember, Mayor Roberts not only brought us Roberts Stadium, he also kept the Evansville Coliseum for us as well...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/12/hank-roberts-made-sure-coliseum-was.html

What I find to be the greatest attribute of Roberts was both his desire to preserve the Coliseum and his vision to see that keeping it would have no bearing on Roberts Stadium. While the town naysayers feared that the two would compete or the Coliseum would turn into a "white elephant," Mayor Roberts saw the situation for what it was. And let's be honest, is there even one single person in this town now that thinks the Coliseum and Roberts Stadium competed with each other? And how many people can you name who would rather see yet another vacant parking lot next downtown instead of the Coliseum.

If we are going to truly get out of the Ford Center project all that we can get, we MUST have a mayor who thinks this way. We must have a mayor who is willing to take one step forward while refusing to take one step backward at the same time.

And since Mayor Roberts' time, both Mayor Lloyd Sr. and Jr. have accepted the role of caretaker for the Roberts Revolution. Let's take a look at what the previous two Republican mayors accomplished compared with what Mayor Roberts accomplished...

Capital Improvement Projects Next To Wesselman Woods

Mayor Roberts
Built Roberts Stadium

Mayor Russ Lloyd Sr.
Built the first Swonder Ice Rink- http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=792510

Mayor Russ Lloyd Jr.
Built the second Swonder Ice Rink

Capital Improvement Projects In General

Mayor Roberts
Had A "Plan of Progress"

Mayor Russ Lloyd Sr.
Talked Bob Green into building the Executive Inn after initially giving up.
Tried to keep the Triplets in town- http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=921626

Mayor Russ Lloyd Jr.
Developed the 2001 Downtown Master Plan (canal, ballpark, arena, park(s), marina, etc)

Preservation

Mayor Roberts
Worked to save and reuse the coliseum

Mayor Russ Lloyd Sr.
Renovated than leased the Coliseum to the veterans- http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=940662
Approved funds to renovate Bosse Field- http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=922042

Mayor Russ Lloyd Jr.
Developed a master plan in 2002 to renovate Garvin Park around Bosse Field, this included the historic band stand and water fountain.

Now that mayors Russ Lloyd Sr. & Jr. have left office, the torch has been passed to Mayor Winnecke. And not only does Mayor Winnecke have the torch in his hand to continue the Roberts Revolution, he also has an EXCELLENT STARTING POINT! I don't believe there has ever been a time in Evansville's history where a mayor has had this much potential to accomplish this much good for the city of Evansville.

Let's take a look at how Mayor Winnecke can answer the same exact questions above...

Capital Improvement Projects Next To Wesselman Woods

Demolishing Roberts Stadium would be a huge setback for both Mayor Winnecke and the Roberts Revolution as this would be the first time a capital improvement project would be demolished in favor of a non revenue generating park that doesn't give the area anything new. Yes, the original Swonder Ice Rink has been demolished, but this facility had neither the history nor the architectural flare that Roberts Stadium has. It also was directly replaced on the lot with another ice rink, not a green space.

If Mayor Winnecke would commit to renovating Roberts Stadium into a mid-sized arena, he would then have the opportunity to do what Republican mayors have done before him- construct a new capital improvement project(s) on the lot. You see, with a scaled down Roberts, we will not need all of the 4,000 parking spaces on the lot. This gives Mayor Winnecke the opportunity to set up a master plan where a new Hartke pool (and natatorium?) along with a new BMX only facility and park surround Roberts Stadium.

Being that a renovated Roberts Stadium is cheaper (by 1/3rd the price) than a green space AND generates revenue, Mayor Winnecke won't have to struggle to find additional funding for the next capital improvement project.

Capital Improvement Projects In General

With the new Ford Center built, open, and ready to settle in, Mayor Winnecke is in a prime spot to bring back the 2001 Downtown Master Plan. It makes no sense to construct an arena without preparing to develop the land around it. Our city has made a big and bold choice to construct a new arena downtown (a move I support). Now that we have made this decision, we must take over the responsibilities of it. This means that we build around the Ford Center and not I-69/I-164 or University Parkway or I-64.

Of course, there will be many politicians who will claim that building the 2001 Master Plan is expensive and can't be done. Yet these same people don't say a word when these funds (and even more) are spent on projects in the county and outside of downtown that bear no fruit.

For example, how many people objected to Mayor Lloyd Jr's $22.5 million downtown ballpark on the basis of costs? Quite a few. On the flip side, how many people objected to the $25 million North Green River Road expansion? Hardly any. If Mayor Winnecke is willing to change his focus from county roads to downtown projects he will in turn change many hearts and minds into supporting Smart Growth. Mayor Winnecke can build downtown and he can do it with EXISTING funds!

Preservation

Obviously that starts with Roberts Stadium, an arena that has seen over 150 yard signs go up around its surrounding neighborhoods calling for it to be saved while seeing residents come out to the task force meetings almost always in a 90-10 split in favor of Roberts Stadium. Mayor Winnecke MUST recognize this opportunity for Roberts Stadium to be the cornerstone of his administration!

With that being said, there is also yet another HUGE preservation opportunity for Mayor Winnecke and his administration to take advantage of. As of right now, we know the following...

1. The ECVB is hellbent on building 8 ball fields
2. Jacobsville has just been cleaned up by the EPA and the DMD is looking to connect the Ford Center with Bosse Field via young professional housing and retail.
3. The Otters are losing money and a new ballpark is eventually inevitable.
4. We have a historic ballpark in Jacobsville that turns 100 in 3 years.
5. We have land ALREADY owned by the parks department and ALREADY has 3 ball fields on the land.
6. There is a company that builds ball fields taxpayer free and designs them to replicate vintage MLB ballparks so that they have a competitive advantage...

http://www.bigleaguedreams.com/replica-fields
http://www.bigleaguedreams.com/corporate/park-development

7. Our city has recently installed the downtown Main Street archway that is designed to connect with the other Main Street archway at Garvin Park...

If you look at the above examples of preservation that the previous Republican mayors fought for, it isn't too hard to notice that what they did certainly didn't have all of the built in advantages that Mayor Winnecke has this time around. If our city can't take a plan that is going to receive full funding from the Innkeepers Tax and place it in an area that is both historic and in dire need of renewal, what can our city accomplish?

Although Mayor Roberts took a lot of heat for the hard work he put into getting Evansville going in the right direction, eventually the city appreciated, respected, and understood what he stood for and what he had done for them...

Now, the torch has been passed for the 3rd time to Mayor Winnecke. In the next few weeks, we will know for sure if he is committed to the Roberts Revolution with his decision on what to do with Roberts Stadium. We will know, once and for all, if he is committed to building off of the success and hard work that Mayor Roberts put in almost 60 years ago. We will also know if he is willing to take on the task of fending off the naysayers from destroying the Roberts Revolution.

Mayor Winnecke, here is the torch to the Roberts Revolution. Please take it and SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM...

Let's Take A Deeper Look At The Financial Benefits Of Roberts Stadium

examiner.com

When asked by the Courier & Press about what he would be looking for in making a decision regarding the fate of Roberts Stadium, Mayor Winnecke said the following...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/apr/19/roberts-hed-herpppp/

"I said this during the campaign, I want to make a good, data driven decision," Winnecke said. "I still think that, and I think it should be what's best for the city financially."

Given Mayor Winnecke's desire to make a decision driven by good financial data, let's take a look at just how big of a gap there is between the cost to renovate Roberts Stadium versus the cost of converting the entire 35 acre lot into a green space.

First of all, it is important to remember that the estimate to renovate Roberts Stadium into a mid-sized arena is $4 million to $4.5 million while the cost to build a full green space on the lot is $12 million to $14 million. For arguments sake, we will use the median estimate for both of these proposals which is $4.25 million and $13 million.

Before compiling any additional data, we know that the average difference in costs between the two projects is $8.75 million. What I find to be amazing about this whole debate is that those who support the green space idea seem to think this isn't a big gap and that Roberts is the one that is too expensive for the city to undertake.

Yet, if we take a deep look at what $8.75 million could buy our city, we will see that this is no chump change that you would find in your couch. Basically, we can renovate Roberts Stadium 3 TIMES for the cost of constructing a green space on the lot!

For $13 million, instead of building a green space, we could renovate Roberts Stadium AND...

1. Construct Mr. Bob Warren's ball fields project at Kleymeyer Park + save $750,000.

OR

2. Rebuild 3 city pools (this estimate is based off of the remodeling of Bellemeade and Howell Pools costing $2.9 million each.) + save $5,000.

OR

3. Construct 1 brand new natatorium on the east side and put down 75%  of the costs for one on the north side (or renovate Lloyd Pool completely). This estimate comes from the $5 million estimate given to us by Paul Neidig, EVSC’s director of athletics...

http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles/drowning-in-disappointment

OR

4. Construct 4.67 green space lots the size of the Roberts Stadium back lot (This estimate comes from taking the median of the $1.75 million to $2 million it is estimated to cost to convert the back lot into a green space).

OR

5. Construct 1 BMX facility (the median of the estimate from the Roberts Stadium report) + save $2.4 million.

Of course, if the city really had $13 million to work with, mixing and matching different projects from each of the 5 categories would make the most sense. How would I spend $13 million instead of constructing a green space?

Renovate Roberts Stadium ($4.25 million) + Rebuild Hartke Pool (2.9 million) + Construct A Natatorium With Hartke Pool ($5 million) + 45% Of Converting The Back Lot Into A Green Space ($850,000)

If we built the 4 above projects, it would come to a grand total of $13 million (if the full green space costs the high end of their estimate, $14 million, we would have complete funding for a green space in the back lot).

However, I am not one of those people who believe that we should just build projects that are on our wish list. It is my opinion that our city really doesn't have the $13 million that would be needed to build a green space on the lot. For this reason, I believe that every project our city constructs should fit into one of the following criteria...

1. It is necessary to maintain Evansville's quality of life. It is needed to replace an existing facility that is in need of significant repairs.

2. It is a venue that will be profitable for the city. It will also increase Evansville's revenue through indirect benefits such as drawing tourists who will eat, sleep, and shop in Evansville.

3. It is a venue that can be built with funds specifically earmarked for it that cannot be spent elsewhere.

Using these 3 categories, the above 4 projects fit into at least one of them in the following ways...

Renovate Roberts- #2, I will explain how in this post.
Rebuild Hartke- #1, We cannot let Hartke Pool continue to crumble while other new projects are built. It must be addressed within the next 5 years.
Build A Natatorium With Hartke Pool- #2,#1, I don't expect a natatorium to profit directly but I do believe that the amount of visitors it would bring to Evansville would easily offset its costs indirectly. I also believe that a new natatorium is needed regardless of what happens to Lloyd Pool in order to maintain Evansville's quality of life.
Build A Green Space In The Back Lot- #1, Our city needs to get away from the idea of constructing stand alone parks (like the new bicentennial park) and start focus on constructing small green spaces that serve as connectors between parks and as forms of alternative transportation to the automobile. A green space in the back lot only would work perfectly as a connector to Wesselman Park and Mental Health Park.

I would also like to add the following...

1. I do not believe that constructing a BMX only facility should be in the first phase of projects since there already is a private facility on Louisiana Street and a public facility at Swonder. However, I do believe that the city should work on constructing a new BMX only park next to Roberts Stadium in the northern lot once funding can be obtained. This facility would replace the smaller BMX park inside Swonder and would be used as leverage to recruit traveling BMX shows like the Dew Tour to a mid-sized Roberts Stadium located next door.

2. I do not believe that 2 natatoriums should be constructed in the cities first round of projects because Lloyd Pool has recently received approx $400,000 in repairs. These repairs, although just a band-aid, will serve the northern part of Evansville until the next round of funds would be identified.

Now that we know what projects make the most sense financially, we must take the next step in identifying sources of funding...

Hartke Pool and Natatorium- Although desperately needed, neither of these facilities would be able to pay back their start up costs. However, approximately every 3-4 years, our city chooses to renovate two pools. Instead of renovating two pools in the next cycle, the city should commit the $5.8 million earmarked in the city budget for a combined pool and natatorium at Hartke Pool. This $5.8 million would bring the costs down to $2.1 million. The ECVB could use a portion of their Innkeepers Tax that would be saved using Mr. Bob Warren's ball fields plan ($8 million) instead of David Dunn's ($17.5 million).

The Green Space In The Back Lot- Like the Hartke Pool Complex, this project would never come close to recouping its initial investment (which is why building one on the entire lot is a terrible idea). Funds to construct and then maintain this project should be paid off from revenue generated by Roberts Stadium.

This brings us to Roberts Stadium. To recoup the start up costs for Roberts Stadium, we will need to find sources of revenue that will generate an additional $4 million to $4.5 million. What sources should we look at?

1. We can sell 1,000 bricks for $1,000 like the University of Kentucky did with their practice facility...

http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/kfund/spec-rel/brick.html

This would give us $1 million or approximately 1/4th of the total needed to renovate Roberts. We could also sell cheaper bricks to those who want to put their name on Roberts Stadium but don't really have $1,000 to spend.

2. We can sell naming rights to the gates. How much would be need to generate?

We already know that $200,000 was earmarked from this year's budget for Roberts Stadium. This would bring the costs to renovate Roberts down to roughly $4 million, or $1 million per gate. For those who don't follow sports venues, it is important to understand that naming rights are normally sold over long periods of time instead of in one set payment. This is designed to offset the loan costs for construction of a facility which generally takes 30 years to retire.

Just last year, our city sold naming rights to our downtown arena to Ford for $4.2 million over 10 years. So by the time the debt from the loan to build the Ford Center is retired, the city will have collected roughly $12.6 million from naming rights which represents approximately 10% of the total costs.

Since Roberts Stadium is significantly older than the Ford Center, we will want to collect our initial return on investment much sooner than the life of a 30 year bond. Ideally, we should have recouped our investment within 10 years of renovations.

To collect $4 million from Roberts Stadium via selling naming rights to each gate for 10 years, we need to apply the following formula...

$4 million/10 years = $400,000- The amount of revenue we need to take in each year from the gates

$400,000/4 gates = $100,000- The amount we should sell the naming rights to each gate each year.

Note: I did not calculate the future value of an annuity (inflation) into my formula because inflation numbers rise in different increments. It shall be noted though that inflation will bring in more revenue from naming rights deals for the gates at Roberts Stadium as each year passes by.

How would a company benefit by sponsoring a Roberts Stadium gate for $100,000 each year?

1. Sponsoring a gate is 1/4th the price Ford paid to name the Ford Center.

2. Sponsoring a gate allows a company to set up products, displays, and a wide variety of other marketing materials to Roberts Stadium patrons.

3. Sponsoring a gate would allow a company to reach local residents 365 days a week IF the correct step in using Roberts Stadium as an Indoor Greenway Trail Hub is made.

4. Each gate is big enough for companies to host fundraisers, meetings, and other business functions at Roberts Stadium on non-event days.

5. Each company could receive either bulk tickets or one luxury box to each event in exchange for sponsoring a gate (this would still give us 11 luxury boxes to sell). They would also receive parking passes, access to all public areas of Roberts Stadium as well as areas to display their company logo in the sections located directly in front of their gates.

6. Depending on which gate is chosen, a company could reach motorists on the Lloyd Expressway with proper signage around their gate. If we can get the city to repair the outdoor jumbotrons, all 4 gate sponsors will be able to reach motorists going down Boeke AND the Lloyd Expressway each day.

7. Sponsoring a gate would allow a company to reach both local residents as well as tourists coming from nearby cities where a company may want to expand their business to.

8. Sponsoring a gate would be a business expense that if done properly could be written off as a tax deduction.

9. Sponsoring a gate at Roberts Stadium would be seen as a community investment versus other avenues of marketing that are seen as just a business only investment.

10. Sponsoring a gate would bring more media and community attention to a company than other traditional avenues of marketing such as billboards, ads, and other generic forms of marketing.

If we collect $100,000 from each gate each year, all additional fundraisers would either be saved for future repairs or used to fund one of the other 3 projects. With that being said, revenue from other fundraisers such as selling the seats, selling bricks, and taking donations from those who would like to put their names on various plazas, streets, and pavilions around Roberts Stadium could also be used to lower the asking price for naming rights to each gate.

WHAT ABOUT MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP?

Obviously, it is pointless to pay off the debt on the start up costs to renovating Roberts Stadium if the maintenance and operation budgets are in the red.

For a rough estimate, SMG placed operating Roberts Stadium each year at $1,163,000. It is unclear how much of this expense would be cut if Roberts Stadium were to be scaled down from its current size. So for the time being, we will use the full SMG estimate as an operating expense.

Also, the maintenance budget for Roberts Stadium has ranged from $69,000 to $94,000 (an estimate that has not be reached to my knowledge). Since I don't like the way Roberts Stadium is being run by Dave Rector, I am going to nearly double the estimate to $137,000.

Therefore, when we combine operating and maintenance expenses, we get $1.3 million a year to run the facility.

The good thing about mid-sized arenas is that, in a very quiet manner, they almost always host more events than their big brother premier arenas. The reason that they do this in a quiet manner is because they don't host big time events that bring in patrons in bulk at one time. For example, while the Rose Garden in Portland sells 18,000 + tickets to each Portland Trail Blazers game, Memorial Coliseum next door sells 3,000 to 4,000 tickets to a minor league hockey game. But when you add in that Memorial Coliseum hosts more events than the Rose Garden, the figures even out.

Another good thing about mid-sized arenas is that they are flexible. If one of your teams fails financially, you can replace them very easily with another team, concert, trade show, or other miscellaneous events. Roberts Stadium needs to remain versatile in order for it to remain profitable!

In order to try to get a realistic estimate on revenue, I am going to throw out all team events, all concerts, and all miscellaneous events since we don't know how many and what kind we are going to put in Roberts Stadium. Although I am omitting them now, these events will play an integral role in keeping Roberts Stadium solvent as these events, especially ones with teams, will pay for their own labor and overhead costs which is the vast majority of the SMG estimate.

For the time being, I am only going to calculate the 180 expo events that Mr. Greg Stilwell and Alan Brille want to bring to Roberts. Since we would be demolishing the precast sections above street level, we can use Roberts Stadium as both a mid-sized arena AND expo hall. It is believed that each of these expo events will bring in at least 1,000 people where the city will make at least $10 per person (this is outlined in the Roberts Stadium report).

Our new formula should look like this...

180 (events) x 1,000 (number of guests) = 180,000 (number of annual guests for expo events)

180,000 (see above) x $10 (profit per person) = $1,800,000 (revenue generated each year)

$1,800,000 (revenue) - $1,300,000 (expenses)= $500,000 (profit BEFORE all team and concert events are considered)

As someone who has seen and analyzed many arenas, ballparks, and stadiums, I find $10 per person to be a very reasonable number. We will be generating $2-$3 alone from parking fees as well as a $2-$3 ticket handling charge for each ticket sold. The rest of the $4 to $6 per person would be attained via concession stand and merchandise stand revenue sharing as well as rent per event.

I also find that Roberts Stadium has an enormous ceiling for profit when you add in minor league basketball, indoor football, indoor soccer, professional lacrosse, youth sports tournaments, BMX tournaments, college basketball tournaments, high school basketball games and tournaments, trade shows like the Home Show (would be flexed from the Ford Center so that the Icemen would get another Saturday), as well as mid-sized concerts.

In the end, a mid-sized Roberts Stadium would bring the following benefits to our city...

1. A profitable arena using tenants that don't belong in the Ford Center.

2. A an arena that will increase tourists for the Ford Center and Bosse Field to market to.

3. An arena that will provide funds for upkeep for the Wesselman Park area.

4. An arena that will increase the amount of events going on next to Wesselman Woods.

5. An arena that will serve as the anchor to Evansville's next wave of capital improvement projects.

In the next few weeks, Mayor Winnecke is supposedly going to sit down with City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr. to discuss the financial aspects of his decision on Roberts Stadium. I sure hope he genuinely evaluates the financial benefits of using Roberts Stadium as a mid-sized arena when he does. I hope he SAVES ROBERTS STADIUM!

Connecting Roberts Stadium With UE & The 1977 Aces



In previous posts, I talked about how we can use Roberts Stadium as...

1. An Indoor Greenway Trail Hub
2. A connector from Wesselman Woods to Mental Health Park
3. A place to exhibit statues of former greats of Roberts Stadium

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

Indeed, renovating Roberts Stadium into a mid-sized arena while converting the back lot into a green space makes the most sense of the 6 proposals currently left on the table for the following reasons...

1. Both Roberts Stadium and the green space are 1/2 the price of just one green space.
2. Roberts and a green space is the only way to accomplish "something for everyone."
3. Roberts Stadium and a green space are the only way to achieve a financial balance that will allow the project to pay for itself.

With all of that being said, there is one more connection to Roberts Stadium that we need to make to take full advantage of the facility as both a hub for the east side of Evansville as well as a destination point for those looking to stay active and healthy. That connection is to the University of Evansville where the memorial to the 1977 Evansville Aces men's basketball team sits directly in the middle of campus...

(click on photos to enlarge)

Before considering connecting UE with Roberts Stadium, there are already several pre-existing benefits to the plan...

1. There already is a route taken by those who do "Relay For Life" and other benefit walks/runs. As a result, there are already existing signs on the route that simply need a dedicated path added.

2. There already is a pedestrian bridge that can connect UE with Roberts Stadium over the Lloyd Expressway. That bridge goes over the Lloyd Expressway next to Harper Middle School.

3. All Right-Of-Way is already acquired for the route. There would be no need to purchase any additional land.

The route I am referring to is aligned in the following way...

(click to enlarge)

Given that there is already signage along the route, what would need to change?

1. Road diets would need to be added along some of the streets. What is a road diet? Find out more here...

http://evansvillemovingforward.blogspot.com/2011/07/evansville-needs-more-road-diets.html

2. The vast majority of the route, which includes the entire route minus intersections, would be separated from automobile traffic. In other words, painting a bicycle logo on an existing street isn't going to cut it. We need a route that is painted in Aces colors (Purple & Orange) and is separated from the streets that would run parallel to it.

3. Additional signage, plaques, and decorations would be added to the route.

4. Many parts of the area, most notably the bridge over the Lloyd would be given a full clean-up.

5. The route would pay tribute to the 1977 Aces men's basketball team, who lost their lives in a tragic plane crash, by using the on campus memorial and Roberts Stadium as the endpoints of the route.

A few days ago, I took a stroll down the route to give everyone a street level view of how the route would look.

If implemented the route would start at the northwest corner of the Roberts Stadium lot...

It would then head down Franklin Street....

As you can see, there's already signs marked on the street...

When you get to the corner of Franklin and N. Alvord, you can see that putting a bike/walking path in the middle of N. Alvord would be much easier...

In fact, there's already signs telling cyclists how far they are from Lincoln Avenue...

After heading south on N. Alvord, we come to the pedestrian bridge over the Lloyd Expressway. Once this bridge is cleaned up and repainted in Ace's colors, it will have plenty of room for signage and decorations commemorating the 1977 Aces team..

After getting on the other side of the bridge, we are now on S. Alvord. Thankfully, this road still has plenty of room in the middle for a bike/walking trail and is already marked with distance signs...

On the day I walked the path, it was busy with kids playing on the sidewalks and residents riding their bikes...

After traveling down S. Alvord, the next street that the route would take would be Walnut. This road goes directly into UE's campus...

Once arriving on UE's campus, the route would take a short stroll down Walnut before curving into the heart of campus where the memorial is located...

As you can see, the vast majority of the route is already constructed and heavily used by residents and neighbors. So what would be the advantage to upgrading the path to a designated route?

1. Upgrading the route brings UE closer to their neighbors as community partners.

2. Upgrading the route puts our Greenway system one road (Walnut) from being connected from the downtown Ford Center and Greenway all the way out to Roberts Stadium which would connect to the rest of the east side.

3. Upgrading the route brings more awareness to UE's rich tradition in basketball.

4. Upgrading the route would leave only a few bridges from having a completely separate walkway from city roads.

5. Upgrading the route would encourage biking and walking while discouraging dependence on the automobile.

6. Upgrading the route would give UE students a familiar path to walk together on at night which would cut down on crimes against joggers.

7. Upgrading the route would eventually connect UE with land that they will eventually acquire for future expansion for housing. It also will promote current capital improvement projects the university is taking on.

8. Upgrading the route would make the neighborhoods around UE a better place to live which should increase property values.

9. Upgrading the route promotes Roberts Stadium as an "Indoor Greenway Trail Hub" which would have routes connecting to all sides of the facility.

10. Upgrading the route utilizes and promotes existing infrastructure like the pedestrian bridge over the Lloyd Expressway.

Ironically enough, there is already a plan to connect an arena with a campus, and that is Rupp Arena and the University of Kentucky...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2012/03/lexington-kentucky-understands-how-to.html

I can personally relate to the proposed "cat walk" as I had to park in the middle of it on my way to campus each morning (on campus parking permits were too expensive and neighborhood parking was zoned). If build correctly, the cat walk and this proposed route will serve a large number of students and residents.

This proposed route would also fit in perfectly with a Roberts Stadium master plan...

There are many different names this route could be given such as...

Aces Walk
Aces Alley
'77 Trail
Aces Memorial Walk

The amount of names for this proposed route would certainly range in the tens to hundreds, but one thing we can all agree on, we need to promote a healthier Evansville and we need to remember the 1977 Aces men's basketball team. We can do this by connecting UE with a saved Roberts Stadium!