We Have & We Can Make A Difference

With last night officially in the books, the task force is now officially on the same page. For highlights of the first meeting, which was strictly organizational, please visit Channel 14 WFIE...

http://www.14news.com/story/16557518/roberts-stadium-committee-to-set

Now that we have all of the logistics ironed out, we are now ready to begin the process of listening to the public. In the next two weeks, you will have 3 opportunities to express your idea(s), comments, opinions, suggestions, etc, etc. These dates will be...

Thursday January 26th- 5:30 pm @ The Centre

Saturday January 28th- 10:00 am @ Roberts Stadium

Wednesday February 1st- 5:30 pm @ The Centre

At these three meetings, the public will come forward, one-by-one, to speak. These ideas will be recorded into a data bank and then put together by the task force. If you can't make it to one of the meetings, there will be an online website established for you to record your idea(s).

It is also important to note that the task force WILL NOT make a recommendation. Rather, it will assemble all feasible ideas and then deliver them to Mayor Winnecke who will make the ultimate final decision. What I like about this process is that, in my opinion, this is the first step in replicating a program that Oklahoma City does called MAPS...

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

Although I'm pretty confident that city officials don't realize it, nonetheless, they are still slowly embracing the concept of MAPS where citizen ideas are compiled together and then embraced rather than a handful of people deciding on a plan.

Under this system, I will be standing in line with the rest of the citizens to express my ideas and thoughts (yes you better pack a sleeping bag). Could you imagine...

- David Dunn having to stand in line with everyone else to present his idea for where the ball fields belong. It would never  have held up against Kleymeyer Park where baseball history and nostalgia runs rampant.

- John Kish having to stand in line with his idea for where the Ford Center should have been built. We would have ended up with a much better design, location, and size of the Ford Center.

- Mayor Frank McDonald Sr having to stand in line to present his plan for the Civic Center. Something tells me we would have ended up with a plan that didn't divide Main Street.

Those are just a handful of projects that would have been much more successful if only they would have been treated equal amongst the citizen's ideas. Most importantly, all of the above projects would be much more popular with the locals if they would have been community projects and not individual projects.

Although I am a citizen of Evansville just like you, there are a few things I would like to challenge each and every one of you on before you step up to the plate with your ideas. They are...

1. PLEASE, and I mean PLEASE, look at the entire complex with your proposal. In other words, don't have a plan, have a vision. As someone who is dedicated to both urban planning and arena construction and preservation, I firmly believe that no arena shall be constructed or preserved without including plans for the surrounding area around it.

Already, and yes I am quite surprised at how quick it has happened, there have been Facebook sites claiming that my beliefs are anti-BMX, anti-swimming complex, and/or anti-trails. This is 180 degrees from the truth and I will tell you why. The main problem that some of the groups are facing is their inability to look at the entire complex and not just Roberts Stadium. Personally, there is a plan in Portland, Oregon that sums up best how I feel about the Roberts Stadium complex as well...

(bolding has been added by me)

http://www.pdxactionsports.com/the_facilities/veterans-memorial/

"Our proposal is to the leave Memorial Coliseum essentially intact, with updated seating and support facilities and a flexible-events program that not only includes ’showcased’ action-sports events but other events as well."

"Our proposal takes a long range urban planning outlook. We believe that the proper approach recognizes serious problems at the district scale (not just coliseum scale), and proposes infusing life into the area by fixing what is broken and making best use of what works, in essence, re-invigorating the district with action-sports activities while keeping the coliseum and the rose garden arena more or less intact."

This is just my opinion, which is no better or worse than yours, but I believe, and I want to see Mayor Winnecke thoroughly listen to, the idea that an action sports (BMX + whatever market forces demand down the road), water park, and mid-sized arena complex should work together not compete with each other. (If you really want to know what my complex idea looks like just send me an email- JordanBaer1@gmail.com).

Obviously, your opinion may or may not differ from that belief. However, I would like for you to be able to answer the following questions in your proposal..

1. What is your plan for Roberts Stadium? I.E-Leave it as is, renovate it, or convert it?
2. What is your plan for the back lot? I.E- Leave it as a parking lot, build another facility add-on, or return to nature?
3. What is your plan for the lot between Swonder Ice Arena and Roberts Stadium? I.E- see #2
4. What is your plan for the rest of the parking lot? I.E- see #2
versa? Same thing with anything nature you plan to add to the complex.

Basically, I want YOU to be an urban planner, not just a manager of Roberts Stadium. That is the only way we are going to develop a plan that is efficient, smart, and well-received. It is also the only way we are going to save Roberts Stadium long-term, not just short-term.

2. Try to consider and implement as many ideas from others as possible. As I mentioned in Point # 1, I believe that I have a complex where all of the parts are arranged so that those who want a natatorium/new Hartke Pool/indoor water park resort, those who want a BMX Super Pavilion, those who want to promote the Greenway and outdoor nature, as well as those who want to see the mid-sized events (which are currently dormant in Evansville) brought to town while addressing the concerns of those who look at this from a financial standpoint only.

Keep in mind, there are also many intangible benefits to consider. For example, how quickly and easily could your idea be converted to a disaster relief area? How would your idea compliment the Ford Center? How would your idea be used by others when your events aren't using Roberts Stadium or the surrounding complex?

I feel like many ideas that we have heard over the past two years are good, but they will only be great if we can COMBINE them all into one large idea that gathers support from all areas of the city. Remember, Roberts Stadium has served ALL OF EVANSVILLE for the past 55 1/4th years. If she is going to stick around for another 56 years, ALL OF EVANSVILLE must be represented in our final master plan.

3. Make sure your plan makes sense financially. We've heard every bit of a thousand ideas. Unfortunately, I can tell you without a doubt that there are not a thousand separate plans for Roberts Stadium that make financial sense (although there still are many to choose from that do). When you have sat down, thought about what you would like to see Roberts Stadium converted to, analyzed how this plan affects the surrounding complex, and then put the plan together, make sure you thoroughly investigate how much it would cost.

Make no mistake, you will not have to have your plan down to the penny. Truthfully, no one will be able to get their plan down to the penny until our tax advisers, our construction and engineering experts, and our city finance officials have had time to apply our ideas to the Roberts Stadium complex specifically. Therefore, you don't need to come in with hardcore financial statements. What you simply need to come prepared to do is to have a rough estimate for what the costs might be to implement your entire plan.

When evaluating costs, be sure to think about...

- The P3 model which is Public-Private-Partnerships.
- Grants that apply to your idea
- ROI (Return On Investment) for your idea

4. Lastly, make sure you continue to show your support for Roberts Stadium. The only way we are going to defeat those who support demolition is if we stay united. In my opinion, we have demolition supporters beat by at least an 80-20 margin. In order for us to win this battle, we must remain a "big tent" rather than a divisive group caught up in a civil war.

All you have to do to see this belief in action is to look at our very own Vanderburgh County Democratic Central Committee. For the record, I am a moderate who is affiliated with neither party. But if you look at the VCDCC you will see what happens when there are too many egos involved. The division in their party has and will continue to cost their party many elections without their opponent having to lift a finger.

This is not what we want. Every single person who will be coming to the three above meetings with ideas on how to reuse Roberts Stadium has one central belief in their heart- Preserve and Protect this Evansville icon. Truthfully, as long as we do this, I'm happy and I hope you will be as well.

With all of that being said, the ball is now in your court (pun fully intended). There really isn't much to say between now and our first hearing on the 26th. Therefore, in the next few days, this blog will be discussing sports arena situations around the U.S such as Wichita successfully having 3 arenas, Detroit finally changing their ways, and what happens to cities and neighborhoods who demolish sports venues. I will also be releasing a statement from Hank Roberts' granddaughter and great-granddaughter so that you know who you are fighting for!

Thank you for all of your support for Roberts Stadium and I hope to see you at the hearings! One person can make a difference for Roberts Stadium. Will you be that one person?