An Idea For Roberts Stadium From Joe Gaiter

As previously stated, I enjoy receiving fan mail from this blog and love posting ideas from you the people. A few weeks ago, I received an email with an idea from Joe Gaiter for Roberts Stadium.

The following are links sent to me by him with a brief explanation...

http://www.raysmtb.com/mke/index.php
http://www.raysmtb.com/cle/index.php

Turn it into a Mountain bike indoor park. Go to www.raysmtb.com to see what they have done in Cleveland and Milwaukee. Could be a money maker as well as give Local youth and fitness enthusiast a place to exercise/ hone their riding skills through the winter.

We have been to both Ray’s sites and though Roberts is ½ the size there are great possibilities with the stairs and multiple levels as well as the corridors. Plus it would beat having to drive 6-7 hrs in the snow to go biking for the day. There is a lot of MX/BMX talent in this area but with weather blocking out ½ the year for outside practice an indoor playground would benefit Evansville as well as the surrounding area.

The thing that makes this idea such a great one is that RaysMTB specializes in mountain biking. Why would mountain biking be a natural fit for Roberts Stadium?

1. The Pigeon Creek Greenway master plan calls for taking the trail past Roberts Stadium:

http://www.indianatrails.org/PCG.htm
http://www.pcgreenway.org/pdf_publications/GreenwayPassage.pdf

This would tie in perfectly with the Greenway image. It would also give riders a place to go when it rains

2. It's profitable. RaysMTB is a private company that profits off this business thus proving it makes sense to explore this as an option.

3. It brings in tourists. RaysMTB works hand in hand with local hotels in Cleveland and Milwaukee to bring in tourists to those cities. You want an affordable option for the Innkeepers Tax? This is it. Furthermore, the other two RaysMTB locations are over 5 hours away.

4. The pricing is reasonable. It doesn't costs several hundred dollars for admission like some other venues may charge.

5. It fits the goals of Wesselman Park perfectly. Everyone seems to be in agreement that something recreational should go in Roberts Stadium. This is it!

Overall, I think it's a great idea and one that should definitely be explored. One idea that intrigues me is this: Could we raise the floor up, convert Roberts Stadium to a midsized arena with indoor soccer, football, and basketball, and then set Roberts Stadium up as a mountain bike course on off days?