Today, we received some great news that bids for the demolition of Roberts Stadium have soared past the $200,000 the city originally projected and budgeted for.
While this is great news for Roberts Stadium supporters, this SHOULD NOT have come as a shock to anyone, much less the Evansville City Council whose members are finally admitting they don't like the price tag on this project.
I have been saying since the beginning of this battle over 2 years ago that the price tag for demolition wasn't cheap, nor was it a better move financially for the city than a simple renovation of Roberts Stadium. I am also on record that "Roberts Park" will not even come close to being cheaper than renovating Roberts Stadium. Not to mention, I long ago identified sources of revenue for a renovated Roberts Stadium, the mayor has yet to tell us of any revenue for his dog and skate park.
So with all of that being said, I am here to let the Evansville City Council know that I, Roberts Stadium supporter numero uno, am stilling willing to solve problems and concerns that our mayor simply refuses to address. Let's dive into these problems and concerns...
Connie Robinson's Request For More Diverse Acts: It hasn't taken long for our city to see first hand that a mid-sized Roberts Stadium will not compete with the Ford Center. A few weeks ago, Councilwoman Connie Robinson requested that Venuworks schedule more diverse acts at the Ford Center. There was one problem though- Venuworks doesn't normally schedule these events due to the fact that they traditionally don't draw as good of crowds as other events and shows. For example, a Snoop Dog concert only drew roughly 2,000 fans in Evansville several years back.
So how does Roberts Stadium solve this problem? With a scaled down Roberts Stadium with a seating capacity of roughly 4,5000 to 5,200 seats, the economy of scale fits Evansville's market for diverse acts. This is NOT a problem just in Evansville. Even though Rapper Wiz Khalifa rose to top of the charts with his song "Black and Yellow," he still picks the smaller Civic Auditorium over the larger Century Link Arena when he visits Omaha, Nebraska...
http://www.omaha.com/article/20120904/GO/709059906/0
A mid-sized Roberts Stadium is Evansville's Civic Auditorium. I am committed to helping Councilwoman Robinson recruit, attract, and retain diverse acts that cannot afford the Ford Center.
Evansville's Budget Concerns: It appears our City Council is finally starting to realize that money doesn't grow on trees, even if they are 300 year old trees in Wesselman Woods. With a tight budget that has no room to grow, Roberts Stadium must at least break even. Fortunately, with a renovated Roberts Stadium, we would be able to eliminate the water pumps expense as well as cut down on the air conditioning expense.
Because of these advantages, rent for tenants will be affordable which in turn will recruit multiple tenants who will cover their own expenses as well as those of Roberts Stadium. The market for a mid-sized arena in Evansville has never been stronger. Yes, we will now have to put a few things back that the city was hellbent on auctioning off before getting a demolition contract, but most of that was budgeted in the mid-sized arena plan anyways such as raising the floor, redoing the air conditioning flow system, as well as completely redoing the bathrooms.
I am committed to making Roberts Stadium solvent and eventually independent of the city.
Evansville's Financial Outlook Concerns: It seems that all we hear from our Convention & Visitors Bureau is that we need to put more heads in beds. We also need to bring in revenue to Evansville for other retail outlets as well. Just the other day, I drove by Kipplee's and noticed that their "Stadium Inn" sign is gone. They have nothing to help them recruit business to their restaurant now.
Contrary to what the city wants you to believe, a mid-sized arena is a huge recruitment tool for tourists, guests, and visitors. With the capacity to host high school basketball tournaments, youth soccer games and tournaments, as well as BMX, concerts, and sporting events in general, a mid-sized Roberts Stadium will do what we need it to do- bring revenue to Evansville.
I am committed to improving the business outlook for the city of Evansville with Roberts Stadium.
So while it may have taken quite a while for most of our city leaders to wake up to the harsh reality that demolishing Roberts Stadium is, the truth still remains, that we are still in a good spot to renovate Roberts Stadium into a mid-sized arena. Although there have been a bunch of miscellaneous parts sold off for auction, the building itself is still there. And not only is the building still there, the opportunity to build something cheaper than the mayor's plan as well as something that will be self-sufficient is still there.
It is now more than obvious that Lloyd Winnecke is not committed to solving the above problems. But that's alright, because as long as we have Roberts Stadium, we can solve these problems ourselves. I urge the Evansville City Council to reject the request for more funding, and I urge the city to reallocate the Casino Aztar funds earmarked for Roberts Park to be used for renovating Roberts Stadium.
Save our budget, Save Roberts Stadium!
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