Losing Lloyd Loses Us Another Team

Baltimore lost the Colts in 1984. Winnecke has now lost 2 teams!

In yet another sign that Lloyd Winnecke's strategy is based on smoke, mirrors, and just plain hot air, it was announced that Evansville will be losing another team.

The Evansville Rage...

Will now become the Owensboro Rage...



Back in November of last year, Lloyd asked me, "Shouldn't we be trying to push all of our events into one arena-the Ford Center?" A few of his supporters have even gone so far as to say that the Coliseum or putting the curtains around the upper level of the Ford Center would suffice.

Well, let me be the first one to deliver the message to Winnecke- You're strategy isn't working. Indoor football, just like indoor soccer, minor league basketball, mid-sized concerts, and so many other events cannot afford the Ford Center, they don't need a facility as big as the Ford Center, and there has never been, nor will there ever be, enough open dates for these type of teams. As long as Winnecke stays on course to demolish Roberts Stadium, indoor football will never prosper in Evansville. We've seen this with the Bluecats and now we are seeing this with the Rage.

This marks the second team to express interest in relocating to a scaled down Roberts Stadium only to be rebuffed by Winnecke and Company. Previously, Mr. David Reed, who formerly owned the Evansville Rage, wanted to move his minor league basketball team, the Evansville SkyHawks, into Roberts Stadium. Once Winnecke gave him the cold shoulder, Reed moved to Ohio where he is still putting together a bid for a team there and is currently managing his newly created radio station- Ohio Sports News & Radio...

http://ohiosportsradionetwork.net/

Although we are down to just the Evansville Crush indoor soccer team as far as local existing teams go, I want to make it very clear that this does not mean that we cannot restock Roberts Stadium should the City Council make the correct decision. Earlier this year, I talked to SMG Regional Vice-President Sandie Aaron about it as well as Ford Center Director Scott Schoenike. Scott said that he could book events in there while booking Ford Center events with the greatest of ease, while Sandie said, "There's always teams out there that you can acquire." And I think Sandie would know a little thing or two about making Roberts Stadium profitable...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=717553

So, this is where you the residents of Evansville and supporters of Roberts Stadium need to make a decision. Do you want an $8 million dog and skate park that will recruit absolutely zero people to Evansville while racking up a high maintenance bill for the Parks Dept. each year (they can't manage the Gresham House yet want to manage this lot?). Or, do you want a facility that will maintain the solvency of the lot, recruit mid-sized events and sports that will bring in tourists and guests from all over the region?

If you're fine with a dog park, do nothing. But if you believe that there is a better plan, one that involves scaling Roberts Stadium down to a mid-sized arena, then I ask that you become vocal in your opposition to the demolition of Roberts Stadium.

Email Lloyd Winnecke & the Evansville City Council. Let them know that you are tired of losing teams to other cities. You want to grow, you want Roberts Stadium!

StadiumJourney.com

Was Justice Blind In The Roberts Stadium Lawsuit? Not Exactly

Photo Credit: rootedinprosperity.com

For those of you like me who have always had very little trust in the justice system, today is yet another day that should confirm your suspicions.

Earlier today, Judge Richard D'Amour released his decision in the Roberts Stadium lawsuit, and to be quite honest about it, we mights as well have had Larry Steenberg or Lloyd Winnecke himself making this ruling.

Inside the report, which is available at most media outlets online, the judge claims that he had no jurisdiction over most of the case. So basically, he denied the city's request to have the lawsuit thrown out based on jurisdiction only to drag everyone through months of litigation and come to the conclusion that there was basically nothing we could argue against the city because it was out of the judge's reach. You have to wonder why this was done.

Next, I have read the ruling several times and nowhere in this ruling do I see anything about the validity of the 13th page found in the Roberts Stadium Task Force Report. The only thing I see is where the judge claimed that the Parks Board's decision was in good faith and consistent with law which I fail to understand given that one member claimed the task force report "reads good" when it was changed in a fraudulent manner after the final task force meeting while another member claimed the pumps have been running since 1956 (1990 is the correct answer). Not to mention, another member claimed that no one from the private sector was interested in Roberts right after Brille himself offered to buy it even though Roberts has been on the market 0 seconds, 0 minutes, 0 hours, and 0 days.

So here we have yet another step in the process and no one, and I mean no one, has proven or removed the page that was put into the report which has forever tainted the task force I sat on. And let me be very clear about this, I am not arguing about a grammar or spelling error. What the fraudulent page 13 did was give our city, our media, and our government officials a completely false impression of the situation at Roberts Stadium.

It is not cheaper to build a new Roberts Stadium, it is not better to focus on maintenance costs over start-up costs when the difference is measured in millions, and it is was not a general conclusion that something for everyone was the theme of the meetings or that it meant that a park satisfied that notion best. Not only are all of those beliefs false, they WERE NEVER DISCUSSED. Why? Because the mayor himself told us that we WERE NOT TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION! Yet if you read this page in the task force report, and then read the media reports that used it as the bases for their stories, this is the picture you will be given.

Many supporters of the mayor have argued that "he didn't have to do the task force." On the face of that argument they are 100% true, but here's the problem- The mayor DID DO the task force, and he did it for his own benefit so that he could claim that he gave a good faith effort. Although the task force was non-binding, no one on the committee has a right (at least they shouldn't have) to alter the report with blatantly inaccurate information that is designed to intentionally mislead the public while branding it "General Conclusions." We don't know who did this, but we do know that it was done. Is this report fraud? False Advertisement? False pretenses? Take your pick!

I don't know about you, but it would seem to me that today's ruling should have been simple yet a lot different at the same time. It should have been the following...

1. Roberts Stadium Task Force Report thrown out based on grounds of inaccuracy and deception.
2. New report ordered as indemnification.
3. New report must be independent and non-biased.
4. While the new report is being assembled, a temporary injunction is ordered.
5. After new report is released, mayor and parks board can do whatever is in their jurisdiction to do.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Given that there was no ruling on the task force report itself, I find it to be nothing short of despicable that Lloyd Winnecke would go on television today and claim that it's "a good day for the city" and that today's ruling "validates the process." When Lloyd proves his task force's report and explains why it was altered AFTER our final task force meeting, that is when he can begin to gain a little credibility with his task force's report. Until then, he has still failed to tell the truth about the condition of the arena, the interested tenants in the arena, and the true relationship between Roberts Stadium and the Ford Center.

Of all the horrendous things that have come out of the Roberts Stadium situation, today's ruling has to rank up near the top. Why? Because this ruling has set a dangerous precedent for our city. It has sent a huge message to any citizen who sits on a city run task force that your city government can advertise to you that they will give a good faith effort, use your name to give the task force credibility, and then insert pages into the final report that say anything they want them to say while labeling them "general conclusions" without your approval or anyone else's approval. And we wonder why our city is in the shape it's in?

And it now appears that there is no court, no government body, and no member of any organization period who can stop the government from creating what is basically a controlled red herring. Is this the kind of government and judicial system that we want our country to run off of? That is a question that our city government and citizens need to sit down and think about long and hard because as long as we elect people like Lloyd Winnecke, these type of reports are going to keep happening.

Given how lopsided the ruling was, one would have to wonder why Judge D'Amour would allow this suit to move forward only to rule that he had no jurisdiction while failing to address if he thought the city misled the Parks Board via the task force report. Was there a conflict for Judge D'Amour BEFORE the start of this lawsuit? I'll let you decide.

It turns out, Judge D'Amour's wife, Holly D'Amour, was quite a huge supporter of Lloyd Winnecke. So much so that she can be found on THREE PAGES in Winnecke's campaign report...

(Pages 66, 90, and 114)

http://city-countyobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Winnecke-Campaign-Pre-Election-Report-Oct-14-2011.pdf

Even worse is this article...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/jan/22/winnecke-tells-600-evansville-needs-laser-focused/?print=1

"Winnecke's campaign coordinator is Holly D'Amour, wife of Superior Court Judge Richard D'Amour."

So we have a judge whose wife was the campaign coordinator for the mayor and that's not a conflict of interest? Did Judge D'Amour disclose this to Alan Brille during the lawsuit? Why didn't he pass this case on to a judge who had no conflicts of interest in this case even if that required a change of venue?

It now appears that no matter where Roberts Stadium supporters go to seek justice, they will always be confronted with someone who has ties to Lloyd Winnecke, whether it's Judge D'Amour, Roberts Stadium Task Force Director Larry Steenberg who supported Winnecke's campaign as well, or the Parks Board who has a member who was appointed by Winnecke and at least one other member who can be found on Winnecke's campaign finance report.

Was today's decision the right decision? The answer to that question is the same answer to the other question- Is justice really blind?

Photo Credit: southerndefender.files.wordpress.com

2 Years Ago This Week It All Began

Two years ago this week, I launched this blog in an effort to save what is easily Evansville's most valuable asset- Roberts Stadium. This past year, we have been through hell and high water and at one time were pronounced dead.

But through it all, our arena still stands, despite Winnecke and Rector ripping everything they can off of it. The thing that makes me proud the most of Roberts Stadium is the amount of fight this building has put up. I am VERY proud that this arena has given Winnecke and his buddies downtown everything they can handle and then some. Winnecke, like the previous ten mayors who have been in office during Roberts Stadium's tenure, is only a Johnny-Come-Lately mayor. Roberts, on the other hand, has stood strong during Evansville's toughest moments including the 1977 Aces plane crash.

I am also EXTREMELY proud of the battle you the residents and supporters of Roberts Stadium are giving the city. Watching Alan Brille sit across the aisle from city attorneys as he fights for Roberts Stadium, seeing the 150 Save Roberts Stadium yard signs around the arena neighborhoods, and reading the letters from residents into the City-County Observer all give me strength to continue battling the city.

Moving forward, we are certainly going to need all hands on deck as we make sure we keep Winnecke stuck between a rock and a hard place. Make no mistake, he is prepared to do whatever it takes to dig himself out of the hole he created. It's even looking like he might try a desperate attempt to revive the ball fields project. But whatever dead-end trail he goes down, I am confident in you the supporters of Roberts Stadium to keep reminding him that you will not accept anything less than Roberts Stadium.

So on this 24th day of September in 2012, we renew our commitment once more to fighting for everything that Hank Roberts gave us with his arena that still stands today. 2 years ago it all began. Now, let's make sure it doesn't end!



StadiumsUSA.com



Kleymeyer Park Ball Fields Would Enable Civil Rights Game

thestadiumshoppe.com

In an earlier post, I talked about how Roberts Stadium, with a mid-sized capacity, would address the needs and concerns of Councilwoman Connie Robinson who has expressed a desire to bring more diverse entertainment acts to Evansville...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2012/09/i-am-willing-to-solve-problems-mayor.html

Like I've said a thousand times on this blog, any goal whether it be diversity, profitability, and/or economic growth must be reflected in all three of our projects: Roberts Stadium, the Ford Center, and the ball fields project.

Once more, in order to satisfy the goals of bringing a diverse audience to Evansville, it is imperative that our ball fields be constructed at Kleymeyer Park. Why is this?

For those who don't recall, I have suggested that the city either enter into an agreement with the following company or build fields that replicate theirs...

http://www.bigleaguedreams.com/replica-fields

Building 8 ball fields that replicate vintage MLB fields across Pigeon Creek from Bosse Field would enable us to tap into one of Evansville's most valuable landmarks. It would also solve a wide array of other problems as well...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/11/for-evcb-city-hall-roberts-stadium-will.html

So now, we are given the problem of Evansville needing to improve its diversity in entertainment, and we need to address this problem with our vintage MLB fields at Kleymeyer. How can we do this?

For those who don't know, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier on April 15, 1947. And when he broke the color barrier, he did it as a Brooklyn Dodger at legendary Ebbets Field. Lucky for us, Big League Dreams has a design for Ebbets Field in their portfolio...

http://www.bigleaguedreams.com/replica-fields/ebbets-field

And they even do it taxpayer free...

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

So how could we use a replica of Ebbets Field at Kleymeyer Park to increase african-american participation in youth baseball?

Back in 2007, Major League Baseball unveiled a "Civil Rights Game"...


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

"The intent of the game was to "embrace baseball's history of African-American players," as well as to generate interest for future black players, after a demographics survey revealed that the percentage of black players in the league has dwindled over the past twelve years to just 8.4 percent. The survey also gave the diversity of players in Major League Baseball an A+ grade: while African-Americans in the sport since 1996 dropped from 17 percent to 8 percent, the percentage of Hispanic players increased during that period from 20 percent to 29 percent, and Asian and other minorities increased from 1 percent to 3 percent."

This year, MLB played the 6 year-old game at Turner Field with the Los Angeles Dodgers defeating the Atlanta Braves 6-2. Attendance for the game was 42,219. So while the game on the MLB level has been a success, there still exists an opportunity for the game on the youth level.

WHY IS EVANSVILLE & KLEYMEYER PARK THE PERFECT LOCATION FOR THE GAME?

I'm sure those who want these ball fields built on the east side will claim that this game can be hosted here without having to place it at Kleymeyer or with the Ebbets Field design. They are wrong for many reasons including the following...

1.  If you look at the demographics of nearby Jacobsville...

http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Jacobsville-Evansville-IN.html

You will see that the area has a significant amount of African-Americans, youth, and low income residents who would be the target market for this game to help. The far eastside does not have these type of demographics nor does the area need to be rehabilitated.

2. The allure and nostalgia of Bosse Field, which represents the history of baseball, is essential for the city to use as a marketing tool to ensure that the game doesn't get stolen by another city.

3. The design of Ebbets Field would stick out like a sore thumb on the eastside whereas it would fit in perfectly with the Bosse Field district, giving the city yet another tool to make sure another city doesn't steal the game.

4. Evansville is extremely fortunate to have the African-American Museum. This museum is located in Downtown Evansville and would be closer to the ball fields site than the far east side.

5. Given the history of the Jacobsville region, the ball fields at Kleymeyer could market the history of the Negro League as a part of the game.

As usual, Evansville is given a choice- We can build 8 dull and boring ball fields on the east side or we can build 8 vintage MLB fields at Kleymeyer that will actually produce for our society such as working to improve diversity in youth baseball.

If we want to bring diversity to our entertainment acts, our mission is simple- Save Roberts Stadium & build the ball fields at Kleymeyer Park!

Roberts-Smoke Free

Save Roberts Stadium In The City-County Observer Regarding Auction Sign Banners

http://city-countyobserver.com/2012/09/17/after-the-roberts-stadium-auction-by-jordan-baer/

Lloyd Winnecke Caught On Camera

Photo Credit: MSNBC

It's bad enough that we just had to endure a task force whose work was negated by an inaccurate page 13 inserted after the final task force meeting. It's bad enough that we've had to listen to the mayor try to justify wasting nearly $8 million on a dog and skate park.

But now, once more, we have conclusive and definitive proof of Lloyd Winnecke going back on his word. As you watch the video below, pay close attention beginning at the 6:28 mark...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-TkN01sRQI


"It is my request that the construction and implementation rely solely on the proceeds from gaming revenues or other capital funds and not general fund dollars."

That was on June 6th. Today, the mayor is giving us a completely different story...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/sep/11/roberts-herp/

Mayor says 2013 budget has money earmarked for Roberts Stadium demolition

"Winnecke, speaking at a news conference in his office, said a $500,000 line item for Roberts Park in his proposed 2013 Capital Improvement Plan is to be spent on the project."

This new move by the mayor has once more misled those in important decision making positions such as the Evansville City Council.

(From the link above)

"Some City Council members were concerned last week that the city was hundreds of thousands of dollars short of the needed cost — not thinking the administration's $500,000 Roberts Park 2013 budget request was to be spent on demolition and related costs."

So not only was the mayor already planning on using funds from the 2013 city budget for "Roberts Park," a request he spoke against at his Parks Board presentation, he is now moving these funds up for demolition.

It's pretty obvious what the mayor's next move would have to be. His only option is to argue that his speech was talking about construction of the park and not demolition of the arena. But as we see in the article below, Lloyd budgeted them all together...

 http://cdn.localwireless.com/wap/news/play.jsp;jsessionid=BEA1BC0B5BFC1ADD7B4FEE7B4F3A88B3.vapp03?sid=262&nid=2221088305&cid=11479&scid=-1

If you click on the video and go to the :40 mark you will hear the following quote...  

"We've said from the beginning this is a $6-$8 million project, we did not break it down into... ok we think demolition and preparation of the land for reuse is this, we think a skate park is this, we think a dog park is this. We have not done any of that, we have said from the beginning $6-$8 million for the entire project."

So after going to the above three links we now know the following...

- At the Parks Board meeting, Lloyd said he wanted to use gaming revenue and not general fund dollars for "construction and implementation."

- This week it was revealed that $500,000 for "Roberts Park" was in the 2013 budget.

- The mayor admitted that he lumped demolition and construction into one estimate.

So here we go again, doing one thing while saying another.

What will Lloyd's next move be? I guess you'll just have to read his lips...

50 Reasons The City Council Should Support Leasing Roberts to Venuworks/SMG

In no particular order...

1. Puts Roberts Stadium back on the tax rolls via sales tax revenue generated on items sold.

2. Puts heads in beds with high school basketball tournaments, college basketball preseason tournaments, mid-sized concerts, BMX tournaments, and trade shows.

3. Is cheaper than demolishing the arena and building a green space.

4. Since Roberts puts "heads in beds" it would be a good use of the Innkeepers Tax which is completely separate from the general fund.

5. Addresses the concerns of Councilwoman Connie Robinson who would like to see more diverse acts come to town.

6. Allows Venuworks to push all smaller acts out of the Ford Center so that bigger and more profitable acts can be scheduled in their place.

7. Allows the back lot, which is roughly the same size as the old airport lot on US 41 that is scheduled to be converted into a green space, to be converted into a green space as well.

8. Enables the grounds crew overseeing Roberts Stadium to take care of the green space in the back lot.

9. Would compliment both a future indoor water park resort and/or indoor natatorium next to Hartke Pool as well as an expanded Swonder Ice Rink that contains an indoor skate park.

10. Promotes the growth of mid-sized sports such as Evansville Crush indoor soccer and Evansville Rage indoor football who are drawing decent crowds at their existing venues but need a bigger facility to grow their businesses.

11. Helps grow nearby restaurants such as Kipplee's, Western Rib-Eye, and Turoni's who use to host pregame meals for tenants at Roberts Stadium.

12. Roberts Stadium, with room to grow around it, is the real "something for everyone'' due to its ability to host multiple events.

13. Roberts Stadium upgrades city safety by being designated a disaster relief area.

14. Roberts Stadium, using the projections given to us by Rector, only costs roughly $646 a day to run. With the water pumps gone, this figure would be trimmed significantly lower. The Evansville Crush, who would be the lowest rent tenant of all the interested tenants would be paying roughly $1,000 a day in rent. And that is even before revenue from concessions, tickets, and parking are even considered.

15. Roberts Stadium's parking lot can still be used for events such as Tox Away Day. A source in the Winnecke administration indicated to me that Rector told them that there are multiple organizations interested in renting the parking lot as well.

16. Roberts Stadium would still be intact to pay tribute to Evansville Mayor Hank Roberts who is a veteran whereas naming a dog park after him is offensive.

17. Roberts Stadium can be used to market local architect Ralph Legeman who holds the patent for the Indiana field house design, is recognized at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame by having it next to one of his gyms, and created over 32 gyms around the Midwest (Roberts being his biggest).

18. Renovating and then leasing Roberts Stadium maintains the $16 + million taxpayer dollars invested in it in 1990/91 as well as the taxpayer dollars from 1956.

19. Roberts Stadium allows Venuworks/ the Ford Center to maintain a place for storage thus eliminating the need to construct another one on the future site of the downtown hotel.

20. Renovating and then leasing Roberts Stadium gives the city/county control over all three of the Centre, the Ford Center, and Roberts Stadium thus giving the government the right to prevent similar events from taking place at the venues on the same nights (ex: Aces basketball and NBDL basketball games).

21. Roberts Stadium can be co-branded with the Ford Center to attract tourists and guests to Evansville.

22. Since Roberts Stadium would need to be scaled down to become a mid-sized arena, most of the things auctioned off were not needed anyways.

23. Selling naming rights to the gates, plazas, and walkways inside and outside of Roberts Stadium will drastically cut the renovation price tag down.

24. Roberts Stadium, with its economy of scale, will attract new business to the city that can't afford the Ford Center and/or the Centre such as the Boat Show.

25. Roberts Stadium, on non event days, can serve as the indoor trail hub for the greenway which would run behind the arena from Wesselman Woods on its way over to the State Hospital grounds.

26. A renovated Roberts Stadium would address the vast majority of the ideas presented at the task force such as a disaster relief area, a BMX tournament center, as well as a green space in the back lot (plus whatever the city builds around it).

27. Roberts Stadium can serve as a shuttle stop for the Ford Center so that those who liked parking at Roberts Stadium for Aces games may do so and take the shuttle to the Ford Center. This also cuts down on drunk driving as well as grid lock downtown.

28. Using a small portion of the Innkeepers Tax to fund renovations to Roberts Stadium would prevent the city from taking $8 million from the Aztar fund which can then be used on other much needed projects.

29. Renovating Roberts Stadium would show that the city cares about what the vast majority of its residents want, including the 150 neighbors of Roberts Stadium who displayed Save Roberts Stadium yard signs in their yard.

30. Renovating Roberts Stadium prevents unwanted development such as a strip mall, an entertainment center, or any other commercial use from being built on the land.

31. Renovating Roberts Stadium, and then leasing it to SMG/Venuworks, allows the government to take a mostly hands off approach to the site while getting around the deed to the land which would revert back to the state of Indiana if the land was sold outright.

32. Renovating Roberts Stadium immediately provides a place for USI to play preseason basketball tournaments, one-two regular season games, as well as the GLVC tournament (would be flexed from Ford Center since it only draws 1,000-2,000 so that the Icemen can have another weekend home game) and can eventually be used full-time by USI when the university decides they have outgrown PAC Arena.

33. Roberts Stadium would allow families who can only afford $5,$10,$15 tickets a place to go for concerts and sporting events when they regularly couldn't afford the Ford Center anyways (which sells out most of their premier events anyways thanks to Mr. Scott Schoenike and Venuworks).

34. Roberts Stadium provides a much safer place for graduations. Last year, several residents who attended the EVSC graduations had to be taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion.

35. With Roberts Stadium being an indoor greenway trail hub, a walking path can be constructed from Roberts Stadium to the 1977 Aces plane crash memorial on the campus of UE. This path/trail would pay respect to those who died in that fatal plane crash that will always be on the minds of local residents.

36. Maintaining Roberts Stadium and its parking lot will allow our local police to maintain the spot where they train their officers how to drive emergency vehicles at high speeds and through dangerous situations. On non event days, the police could train inside as well.

37. A mid-sized Roberts Stadium would continue to serve as a buffer between Wesselman Woods and the city of Evansville.

38. A mid-sized Roberts Stadium would bring back some, if not all, of the lost SMG jobs that couldn't be transferred over to the Ford Center.

39. Leasing Roberts Stadium to Venuworks or SMG would ensure that the facility does not compete with the Ford Center or the Centre as they would share the same venue operator who would be able to synchronize the two facilities.

40. Renovating Roberts Stadium would end the lawsuit against the city, thus saving the city any future legal costs.

41. Renovating Roberts Stadium would follow in the footsteps of the Conrad Baker Foundation who saved the Coliseum, the Old Courthouse, and the Old Jail which was clearly the correct and right thing to do.

42. Renovating Roberts Stadium, by selling commemorative bricks and plaques, will boost community unity by allowing everyone a chance to participate in saving Roberts Stadium and by everyone having the opportunity to have their name outside of Roberts Stadium.

43. Renovating Roberts Stadium instead of constructing a dog park gives the city of Evansville one less park to have to maintain.

44. Renovating Roberts Stadium would follow in the footsteps of smaller cities who are working their way up by maintaining multiple arenas. Such cities include Grand Forks, ND, Sioux Falls, SD, Grand Rapids, MI, and Wichita, KS.

45. Keeping Roberts Stadium would avoid duplicating the situations of the Executive Inn and Corpus Christi's horrendous demolition of their old arena that drove the demolition company into bankruptcy and took over a year.

46. Roberts Stadium would be another tool the ECVB could use in their marketing of Evansville.

47. Roberts Stadium could either have a food court built inside it or next to it with another development project while avoiding the dreaded strip mall at the same time. This idea has been around since the 1980s.

48. Saving Roberts Stadium is what Kris Beard and her daughter Lisa Jean Beard support. They are the grand-daughter and great grand-daughter of Hank Roberts.

49. Renovating Roberts Stadium is STILL cheaper than building a new mid-sized arena.

50. Roberts Stadium does not have the roof support, the club seats, or the seating capacity (once scaled down) that the Ford Center does thus guaranteeing the two will not compete for premier concerts, hockey tenants, or anything else that the Ford Center wants/needs.

There you have it. No matter how you slice it, the truth still remains, saving Roberts Stadium is the right thing to do!

26 Years Ago Today Was One Of Evansville's Darkest Days



Twenty-six years ago today, former Evansville mayor Hank Roberts died in Regina Continuing Care Center. Personally, I don't think Evansville has suffered a bigger loss than that of Mayor Roberts. Evansville has never been the same and has never come close to recovering.

Born in 1897, Hank Roberts served in the Navy during World War I and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention for Indiana. From 1952 through 1955, Roberts served as mayor of Evansville where he was successful in making a lasting impact on the city in just one term.

You can read more about mayor Roberts here...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=678349

Of the 33 men who have served Evansville as mayor, mayor Roberts most closely aligns with my beliefs, goals, and opinions (Benjamin Bosse is a close second). Mayor Roberts built Roberts Stadium as a part of his "Program of Progress." I find this program to be eerily similar to the MAPS program I am wanting Evansville to replicate from OKC...

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

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

As you read in the article above the two links, you will see that no other mayor has been able to make as much progress as Roberts. In fact, during his tenure as mayor, Roberts also joined a, "Forward Evansville" committee with a local activist...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=943547

To keep tabs on his progressive programs, committees, and policies, Roberts kept a "scoreboard of progress" to make sure Evansville was on the right track. As usual, there were naysayers, penny pinchers, and those who were hellbent on stopping progress, but in the end it was Roberts who was correct...

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

From 1950 to 1960, Evansville's population rose from 128,636 to 141,543, a 10% gain. Most importantly, 1950 to 1960 has been the last time Evansville has gained residents instead of losing them. 8 years after Roberts left office, Evansville was making steady progress, but then the city took a nose dive in population and has never recovered.

So what happened? What did Evansville do that suddenly contributed to this turn of bad luck? The answer to those questions is simple: They gave up on mayor Roberts' vision of making progress.

Since 1955, no new quality of life venues such as a ballpark, stadium, or arena had been constructed (the Ford Center is starting to change this but very slowly), downtown was been left to die, and Evansville has failed to be on the cutting edge of any technologies. Our town has turned its back on progress and now demonizes any kind of spending on it.

And now they want to make it worse. They want to take away the pride of Evansville that mayor Roberts fought for. They want to erase all the progress that mayor Roberts achieved with Roberts Stadium. They want you to forget what Roberts Stadium is about. They don't want you to look at this arena and see the byproduct of good government.

They know every time someone sees Roberts Stadium they see progress, government unity, and a rich nostalgic history. They know they can't defend mayor Roberts reusing the Soldiers & Sailors Coliseum while they pit arena against arena. Those are all things demolition supporters don't want you to believe. They would rather you line their pockets individually instead of building a sports arena as a community.

They would rather see a dying town continue to die so that they can live their urban sprawling life in the county without any worry about joining forces with the city, much less helping to build it back up. If they had their way, mayor Roberts would be the final mayor to achieve progress, and all of his accomplishments would be imploded.

Thankfully, Mr. Alan Brill has given us another shot at getting back on tracks towards the vision of Mayor Roberts. We are also very lucky that the truth about how expensive and costly demolishing Roberts Stadium would be has finally come to light as well.

26 years later, we renew Hank Roberts' battle to get Evansville moving forward!

I Am Willing To Solve Problems The Mayor Simply Doesn't Care About

Today, we received some great news that bids for the demolition of Roberts Stadium have soared past the $200,000 the city originally projected and budgeted for.

While this is great news for Roberts Stadium supporters, this SHOULD NOT have come as a shock to anyone, much less the Evansville City Council whose members are finally admitting they don't like the price tag on this project.

I have been saying since the beginning of this battle over 2 years ago that the price tag for demolition wasn't cheap, nor was it a better move financially for the city than a simple renovation of Roberts Stadium. I am also on record that "Roberts Park" will not even come close to being cheaper than renovating Roberts Stadium. Not to mention, I long ago identified sources of revenue for a renovated Roberts Stadium, the mayor has yet to tell us of any revenue for his dog and skate park.

So with all of that being said, I am here to let the Evansville City Council know that I, Roberts Stadium supporter numero uno, am stilling willing to solve problems and concerns that our mayor simply refuses to address. Let's dive into these problems and concerns...

Connie Robinson's Request For More Diverse Acts: It hasn't taken long for our city to see first hand that a mid-sized Roberts Stadium will not compete with the Ford Center. A few weeks ago, Councilwoman Connie Robinson requested that Venuworks schedule more diverse acts at the Ford Center. There was one problem though- Venuworks doesn't normally schedule these events due to the fact that they traditionally don't draw as good of crowds as other events and shows. For example, a Snoop Dog concert only drew roughly 2,000 fans in Evansville several years back.

So how does Roberts Stadium solve this problem? With a scaled down Roberts Stadium with a seating capacity of roughly 4,5000 to 5,200 seats, the economy of scale fits Evansville's market for diverse acts. This is NOT a problem just in Evansville. Even though Rapper Wiz Khalifa rose to top of the charts with his song "Black and Yellow," he still picks the smaller Civic Auditorium over the larger Century Link Arena when he visits Omaha, Nebraska...

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120904/GO/709059906/0

A mid-sized Roberts Stadium is Evansville's Civic Auditorium. I am committed to helping Councilwoman Robinson recruit, attract, and retain diverse acts that cannot afford the Ford Center.

Evansville's Budget Concerns: It appears our City Council is finally starting to realize that money doesn't grow on trees, even if they are 300 year old trees in Wesselman Woods. With a tight budget that has no room to grow, Roberts Stadium must at least break even. Fortunately, with a renovated Roberts Stadium, we would be able to eliminate the water pumps expense as well as cut down on the air conditioning expense.

Because of these advantages, rent for tenants will be affordable which in turn will recruit multiple tenants who will cover their own expenses as well as those of Roberts Stadium. The market for a mid-sized arena in Evansville has never been stronger. Yes, we will now have to put a few things back that the city was hellbent on auctioning off before getting a demolition contract, but most of that was budgeted in the mid-sized arena plan anyways such as raising the floor, redoing the air conditioning flow system, as well as completely redoing the bathrooms.

I am committed to making Roberts Stadium solvent and eventually independent of the city.

Evansville's Financial Outlook Concerns: It seems that all we hear from our Convention & Visitors Bureau is that we need to put more heads in beds. We also need to bring in revenue to Evansville for other retail outlets as well. Just the other day, I drove by Kipplee's and noticed that their "Stadium Inn" sign is gone. They have nothing to help them recruit business to their restaurant now.

Contrary to what the city wants you to believe, a mid-sized arena is a huge recruitment tool for tourists, guests, and visitors. With the capacity to host high school basketball tournaments, youth soccer games and tournaments, as well as BMX, concerts, and sporting events in general, a mid-sized Roberts Stadium will do what we need it to do- bring revenue to Evansville.

I am committed to improving the business outlook for the city of Evansville with Roberts Stadium.


So while it may have taken quite a while for most of our city leaders to wake up to the harsh reality that demolishing Roberts Stadium is, the truth still remains, that we are still in a good spot to renovate Roberts Stadium into a mid-sized arena. Although there have been a bunch of miscellaneous parts sold off for auction, the building itself is still there. And not only is the building still there, the opportunity to build something cheaper than the mayor's plan as well as something that will be self-sufficient is still there.

It is now more than obvious that Lloyd Winnecke is not committed to solving the above problems. But that's alright, because as long as we have Roberts Stadium, we can solve these problems ourselves. I urge the Evansville City Council to reject the request for more funding, and I urge the city to reallocate the Casino Aztar funds earmarked for Roberts Park to be used for renovating Roberts Stadium.

Save our budget, Save Roberts Stadium!