Mayor-Elect Winnecke, Are You In?

(goinsource.com)

Mayor-Elect Winnecke,

I am very proud to announce to you that the investor I have been in talks with has just officially acquired the indoor football team that he has been working hard on getting to place at Roberts Stadium. His team has been given the clearance to play their home games at Roberts Stadium starting in 2013 if the proper renovation of raising the floor is completed.

Of course, indoor football isn't the only team he is willing to provide us. This investor is willing to step up to schedule mid-size concerts that can be coupled with indoor soccer, minor league basketball, and youth sports events that he has deep connections in. He also can bring indoor lacrosse and inline skating if there is a demand for them as well. We can do all of this while still pursuing USI basketball, high school basketball tournaments such as the Ralph Legeman Classic, and small trade shows while keeping the building intact to serve as a disaster relief area should it be needed.

Mayor-Elect Winnecke, we cannot afford to pass up this once in a lifetime opportunity. We cannot afford to demolish an arena that is already bought and paid for with an endless amount of opportunities.

You have expressed a desire to look at Roberts Stadium from a financial standpoint versus an emotional standpoint. Well, here is your chance. This investor is willing to split concession stand and ticket sales with the city. All he asks for is a fair lease so that his team can compete and remain sustainable for years to come. He IS NOT interested in the Ford Center, it's just too expensive and impractical for his teams. We can do this by raising the floor and eliminating the enormous costs of the water pumps once and for all! This is about making Roberts Stadium financially viable as a mid-sized facility, not competing with any other facility in Evansville.

Mayor-Elect Winnecke, these opportunities are just the tip of the iceberg for what we can do with Roberts Stadium. You have expressed a desire to improve our Greenway. I ask you this: If it rains, snows, or storms where are Greenway walkers going to go? Most of them will probably head for the couch. If Roberts Stadium is left open on non-gamedays, these walkers, joggers, and cyclists can take advantage of Roberts Stadium as an indoor trail hub for the Greenway. Isn't that more logical than placing yet another park on the lot that the Parks Department can't afford to maintain and the city won't use on days when the weather is bad?

Also, what about those who don't want to deal with parking at the Ford Center? Wouldn't it make more sense to run a shuttle from Roberts Stadium to the Ford Center on Aces and Icemen gamedays? Wouldn't this satisfy both sides of the argument while bringing those loyal fans back by Kipplee's and Turoni's on the east side?

Lastly, there are several viable sources of funding for renovating Roberts Stadium. Benefit concerts, personally named bricks, naming rights, selling pieces of the old court, and hosting autograph signings are just a few options we should explore.

Mayor-Elect Winnecke, you have always been nothing but class, integrity, and professionalism. I have done the hard part of finding the investor who can supply us the teams for Roberts Stadium. Now I'm asking you to help me finish this project off. Together, we can get this done, and we will deliver a historic icon of Evansville's past to our local citizens. This will bode extremely well for your career, and the history books of Evansville will look upon you favorably just as they have with Benjamin Bosse and Hank Roberts.

You have my email address and you have my phone number. Please feel free to contact me anytime as I am more than willing to work with you day after day until we get this done.

So with all of that being said, I just have one question for you: ARE YOU IN?

(Nike)