Why Arena Supporters Should Be On Our Side

(lafourche.org)

For those who have been following this site, you know that I have made it perfectly clear that the Save Roberts Stadium movement is NOT Roberts Stadium versus the new arena...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/10/this-is-not-roberts-stadium-vs-new.html

Rather, this issue is about whether you believe in investing in sports facilities for your city or are against it. Like me, I hope that you truly see the gifts we have been given whether it be the Soldiers & Sailors Coliseum, Roberts Stadium, or the new arena. These are all great and unique facilities that will serve us well.

Unfortunately, many residents have been led to believe that this issue is about Roberts Stadium competing with the new arena. Arena opponents want you to believe that it must be one or the other, that the two facilities would fight for the same events, and we can only have one facility. This is completely false. In reality, Roberts Stadium supporters and new arena supporters are on the same side. How is this so?

Why Supporters Of The New Arena Should Support Keeping Roberts Stadium

Not only will Roberts Stadium and the new arena be kept from competing, Roberts Stadium will actually enhance the new arena. With Roberts Stadium, we can use a parking lot that would normally be empty on non-event days to shuttle patrons down to the new arena...

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

Having the ability to use Roberts Stadium for parking for the new arena can only increase ticket sales for the new arena. Most importantly, it will all but eliminate the complaints of arena opponents.

Another reason supporters of the new arena should support keeping Roberts Stadium is because of its ability to coordinate events. Yes, we do have the Centre but the Centre won't always be empty, nor will it have the capacity to handle youth sports camps. With Roberts Stadium standing, we can pursue Olympic style events that will require multiple venues for competition. Having Roberts Stadium will help the new arena go after more competitive games and tournaments.

Also, Roberts Stadium will free up more dates for the new arena. Imagine a top-notch concert wants to come to town to play in our new arena but can only play on a day that is already booked by another event. Without Roberts Stadium, we will have to pass on this concert or cause a mess for the event that is already booked. With Roberts Stadium, we can shift the smaller event out of the new arena so that the top-notch concert can set up shop downtown.

Lastly, what happens to Roberts Stadium will determine what happens to the new arena when it gets old. With the Roberts Stadium situation, we can look at how our city handled the Coliseum situation...

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

In a court of law, the Coliseum situation would be a huge case law we could use to support saving Roberts Stadium. If we lose the battle to save Roberts Stadium, it will probably have tough implications on the new arena once it gets old. Currently, Evansville has an image of keeping its old and historic venues such as Roberts Stadium, the Coliseum, and Bosse Field intact. If Roberts Stadium were to be demolished, it would then become an example arena opponents could use to demolish the new arena. We need to make sure that respect for our facilities continues with Roberts Stadium so that this situation will repeat itself when our new arena becomes old.

Why Supporters of The New Arena Should Support Building The Ball Fields At Kleymeyer Park

When the ECVB unveiled their plan to build the ball fields at Wesselman Park and on the current footprint of Roberts Stadium, they cited the east side development as their primary reason for choosing this site. Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't make sense AT ALL.

We just agreed to pay over $127 million to construct a new downtown arena for the sole purpose of stimulating downtown Evansville. I fully agree with this decision and I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of arena supporters want this arena to be downtown. Slowly but surely, downtown Evansville is coming back!

So why would we want to build our ball fields on a site that would not drive development downtown? With Kleymeyer Park, the closest hotel is the hotel that will be constructed across from our new arena and Centre. Isn't that the hotel that should be getting priority over the east side hotels?

If we construct the ball fields at Kleymeyer Park, we will be connecting North Main Street with South Main Street. In other words, our ball fields and new arena would form a 1-2 punch for downtown Evansville. Doesn't that make more sense that constructing the fields at the Roberts Stadium site which is landlocked and will only promote urban sprawl?

I know there has been a lot of bad blood between those who support Roberts Stadium and those who support the new arena. Truthfully, both sides have the wrong idea about the other. We must come together as one if we are ever going to defeat the naysayers who refuse to invest in our own city. We must realize that both facilities, as well as the ball fields project, CAN ALL BE BUILT if we work together to defeat those who refuse to let Evansville make progress.

New arena, ball fields at Kleymeyer Park, and Roberts Stadium. Together, they complete the puzzle!

(macmurray7thgrade.pbworks.com)