The Public Finally Got To Meet The Real Roberts Stadium & They LOVE IT!

Of all the meetings, research, and fact finding missions I have gone on in the past 18 months to save Roberts Stadium, none of these events were bigger than today. Today was THE day that Roberts Stadium had to come up big for us and boy did she deliver for us.

For our 2nd of 3 public listening sessions, our Roberts Stadium Task Force decided to host the event at the arena itself. I'm very thankful for this opportunity because I knew the public would finally get to see the real Roberts Stadium that those who support demolishing Roberts Stadium don't want you to see.

At roughly 10 A.M we began our tour of Roberts Stadium before our meeting. I'm sure those who support demolition will try to spin it off that no one showed up, but I am more than satisfied with the amount of people that showed up...

Right off the bat, you could tell that chief demolition supporter Dave Rector of the Evansville Vanderburgh Building Authority was going to do everything he could to make Roberts Stadium look bad. Indeed, that was his plan from start to finish. The last thing on his mind was showing us the great attributes of this building. It is very easy to see why those who followed him on previous tours such as politicians, media members, and any one else was led astray by his theatrics.

The great thing about today was that the public finally got to see Rector's true colors and THEY DIDN'T BUY IT AT ALL. First, Rector showed us a puddle of water and claimed it was from a massive water leak that the Courier & Press has ran to every single time they went inside the building (I sure hope they are changing their ways).

Mr. Greg Stillwell of the task force asked one of the workers (I'm not going to name names because I don't want this worker to get in trouble) how much it would cost to fix this leak. The worker replied,"It's only about $1,000 but we were told not to fix it." Demolition supporters want you to pay anywhere from $200,000 to $1.25 million to knock down a building that is estimated to be worth $10 million to $20 million over a $1,000 water leak. That sums up best their intentions.

Next, Rector took us to the far edge of Gate 2 and pointed to some tiles that had fallen through and were damaged. These tiles were less than a foot from the entrance to the door and could be replaced for less money than it would cost to repair the water leak. By this time, the public had quickly gathered what kind of tour they were on and began walking around Roberts Stadium on their own.

The public deciding to take their own guided tour proved to be good news for Rector as he was already out of damages to show. His next step was to show us.... gasp... THE WATER PUMPS! The funny thing about showing us the water pumps is this...

1. They were running just fine.
2. They won't even be in Roberts Stadium if the correct step of raising the floor is done.
3. They have already proven to be under budget anyways. Rector told us that mothballing Roberts Stadium for $300,000 a year was a conservative estimate. Already, Roberts Stadium is scheduled to fall over $67,000 UNDER that estimate.

Before I show you the real Roberts Stadium, I want to make sure that everyone realizes that the public did not buy into Roberts Stadium being beyond repair. Three instances proved this...

1. As I was walking up the stairs to the main level, I followed two ladies and a gentleman who said, "I know Dave Rector sees this stadium differently than us but I just don't see any reason to tear this place down."

2. As I was sitting in on one of the group discussions about Roberts Stadium, a lady said, "This place was built to last and that is exactly what it's doing." This was followed up by another lady saying, "You see this room (the conference room), you can't possibly convince me that this needs to be demolished or isn't needed."

3. As I was leaving the meeting, a gentleman pulled his car beside me in the parking lot and said the following, "I know you're on this committee so can you please help me out? The man who was leading this tour. What's his deal? All he did was complain about small things. What's his agenda?"

To those who weren't able to make it to the meeting today, I want you to see the real Roberts Stadium before I dive into the meeting itself because I want you to understand why those who attended today's meeting feel so strongly about Roberts Stadium being a perfectly healthy building.

Note: Some of these photos are a little blurry or dark. I have a new camera and am still trying to break it in. I apologize in advance.

First, let's start with the bathrooms that many demolition supporters have complained about being beyond repair. Aside from the fact that you almost always gut a bathroom instead of tearing your whole house down, the bathrooms at Roberts Stadium were in much better shape than even I thought...



These bathrooms weren't just clean, they were sparkling. I could see my reflection in the sinks...




Also, thanks to Chief of Staff Director Steve Schaeffer, Dave Rector finally removed the graffiti from the windows...

We owe Steve a HUGE thank you!

And then there's the bowl area itself. I don't believe that even the most dedicated supporter of demolition could argue against it being in great condition...



Honestly, is there any seats in the bowl area that are damaged? Could the concrete be any more smooth in the playing area and steps?






Next, I went to the visiting team's locker room. Keep in mind, since only visiting teams use this room, nothing luxurious is suppose to be in there (home court advantage). Yet this locker room was in far better shape than the ones I visited at Madison Square Garden, The Air Canada Centre, and The Palace of Auburn Hills...



While we're by the locker room area, let's take a look at the dock area. Although these pictures came out very dark and blurry, you can still see that this area is in great shape and can transport any vehicle into the middle of the arena with the greatest of ease...

(Note: A few other task force members reported to me that they viewed the Central Plant system and it was in tip-top shape!)







One of the places that grabbed the attention of today's audience was the meeting rooms where we discussed Roberts Stadium. As you can see from the pictures, this room, which is two rooms combined, looks exactly like The Centre (No, they will not compete with each other)...







The tiles on the roof in these rooms are all healthy as well...



Let's not forget the main level walkways. These areas have taken a lot of heat from demolition supporters, yet if you look at these pictures you will see that there is nothing wrong with them, they will make for great areas to display our history, and they are rather clean as well...







And now, let's take a look at my FAVORITE spot in Roberts Stadium. Certainly, you will never see those who support demolition showing you pictures of these locker rooms. The entrance sign on the door sums up my feelings about Roberts Stadium...



As you look at these pictures, try to imagine what these locker rooms could do for USI and/or the Evansville Rage...









It is unbelievable how nice those locker rooms are. We owe it to USI, their alumni, and their boosters to work on bringing them into Roberts Stadium.

So, how did the meeting go?

The meeting went well for the most part. As usual, USI and Evansville Rage indoor football were mentioned several times. This time though, we outnumbered demolition supporters 90-10 easily.

Before we broke into groups, task force member Greg Stillwell addressed the crowd by saying, "If our task force isn't successful, this will be the last time you will be in Roberts Stadium."

First of all, I want to say thank you to Greg for saying this. As Dave Rector printed off maintenance balance sheets that were clearly skewed and biased, Greg Stillwell said what needed to be said. He put into words just how important our task is.

Unfortunately, several citizens took this the wrong way. They interpreted this statement to mean that the decision on Roberts Stadium has already been made and it's demolition. They also suggested that Larry Steenberg didn't belong on the task force.

Let me be VERY clear, this task force is not a dog and pony show. The decision has not been made. All 15 members of the task force take their task very seriously and are giving Roberts Stadium her due.

Also, I want to say that I am behind Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, task force director Larry Steenberg, and the rest of the task force 110%. I have put a lot of time and money into saving Roberts Stadium these past 18 months. I would not be on the task force if I thought it wasn't serious about Roberts Stadium.

Mayor Winnecke has given me an opportunity I could only have dreamed about. I have always dreamed as a kid that I would have the opportunity to save a sports venue. Mayor Winnecke has now given me that chance. Furthermore, he has ALWAYS listened to my ideas, my goals, and my vision for Roberts Stadium. I am truly grateful to him for that. Remember, Mayor Winnecke didn't have to form this task force, but he did it anyway!

On a side note, Mayor Winnecke's hiring of Steve Schaefer, Russ Lloyd Jr., and Denise Johnson are all great hires that will pay huge dividends for our city for many years to come!

As you read the post below this one, you will see that we all can win. You will also see that I am committed to making the area around Roberts Stadium a place where the swimming, biking, and green space community can all enjoy as well. Lastly, I am committed to making Roberts Stadium compliment, not compete, with the Ford Center.

Thank you to all those who came out and supported Roberts Stadium and I will see you @ The Centre this coming Wednesday!