Happy Birthday Roberts Stadium

56 years ago today, it was October 28th, 1956- Opening Day for Roberts Stadium. After two long years of construction, the first event was finally held with the Harlem Globetrotters taking the floor...

(click on images to enlarge)

Ironically enough, the original design of Roberts Stadium is the design the city should be reverting back to today. If you look at this picture taken in 1960, you will see why the city should be scaling Roberts back to a mid-sized arena...

Although I'm glad to see Roberts Stadium still standing 56 years after 1956, I also realize the future doesn't look bright. And make no mistake, the future is dim because of Evansville's city government, not because of Evansville's legendary arena. I am embarrassed and ashamed for 56 years worth of hard work put into Roberts Stadium to be left in the hands of people like John Friend, Dave Rector, and Lloyd Winnecke who couldn't care any less.

Until our city commits to a complete change in leadership, we are constantly going to be blowing the candles out on the birthday cake for the final time.

Courierpress.com

One of the main things that I have learned from Roberts Stadium these past 2 years is that Evansville's brain drain has finally started to take its toll. Let's be honest, there are no more Ralph Legeman architects to draw up dynamic and industry changing designs such as the fieldhouse design, there are no more Hank Roberts mayors to make progress while focusing on preservation as well, and there are no more Arad McCutchans to lead our teams to titles while both their old and new basketball facilities stay intact due to their hard work. Nope, today's leaders are only focused on individual goals for their own careers, and that's mainly due to the fact that they just don't have the talent to accomplish much more than that.

So for what appears to be the final time- Happy Birthday Roberts Stadium! Thanks for the past 56 years!

What's The Difference Lloyd?

(click to enlarge)

Six Council Members & Winnecke Are Coming, We're Finally On Our Own

Although stranger things have happened, it now appears that last night was the final nail in the coffin for any hope of getting the city to do the right thing by scaling Roberts Stadium down to a mid-sized arena. With the Parks Dept, the City Council, and the courts all weighing in on the issue (of course they all had Winnecke supporters controlling them) it now appears that we are finally on our own...

First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Dan Adams, Al Lindsey, and Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley for electing to stick with their original no votes. It now appears that they were the last remaining obstacles to stop Winnecke's out of control destruction of Roberts Stadium, an arena they first said needed to replaced by the Ford Center because it wasn't competitive enough only to reverse course and claim the facility would compete with the Ford Center.

I also want to point out that the history books will now forever show John Friend, Connie Robinson, and Missy Mosby as the ultimate Benedict Arnold's of Evansville history for their decision to change their votes. They had a golden opportunity to do the right thing. This opportunity was theirs for the taking since their election bids even started. But in the end, they choose to side with The Machine as usual and I, along with the help of you the residents of Evansville, shall do everything in my power to remind voters of this decision on November 3rd, 2015 at the polls.

I wasn't surprised one bit in Mosby's decision (I'm actually kind of glad I don't have to act like I support her anymore), but for John Friend and Connie Robinson to cast their vote for this plan is simply mind-blowing given their bold decision to support rehabbing out city cemeteries.

Thanks for being consistent Missy!

As for the three others- Dan McGinn, Conor O'Daniel, and Jonathan Weaver, there really isn't much to say. They never cared about this facility, they never took any time to investigate this facility (Weaver was on the same sub-committee I was on. The whole time he kept fighting all plans to renovate the facility), and they certainly were never willing to go against The Machine to fight for Roberts Stadium. My only thought is this- What does it say for the city when those who are willing to destroy a perfectly fine building are more dedicated than those who are willing to vote to change Evansville by preserving and improving it with Roberts Stadium?

So where do we go from here? Truthfully, I really don't think there is anywhere to go. It would be nice if the city were willing to leave the outside walls and gates that could be used as both a memorial and a "roofless church" design similar to New Harmony. It would also cut down on demolition. But given that the mayor is hellbent on taking care of UE via the selling of bricks, that appears unlikely. And given that the mayor will probably take care of his buddies at either the UE or USI art departments when it comes time to design a horrendous looking memorial, I don't expect him to let the actual building itself get in the way. I don't expect the mayor to stop disgracing Roberts Stadium anytime soon, even after the building is gone.

For the time being, I will keep posting things here and there about this decision. I will also finally get around to posting a timeline that shows that Winnecke did not give a good faith effort to repurpose Roberts Stadium.   I don't plan on switching this blog back over to Remember Roberts Stadium any time soon.

I thank you the viewers of the blog for your support for Roberts Stadium and hopefully something else will put a wrench in Winnecke's plan to knock down Roberts Stadium!

For The Price Of An LST Dock

combinedops.com

We've heard just about every financial complaint known to man from those who want to demolish Roberts Stadium. We've been told by these so called "financial experts" that the city should not undertake any more investments in Roberts Stadium. Obviously, this argument fails on many levels from the start...

1. This belief fails to mention how it would save any tax dollars given that the Innkeepers Tax has been collected, is still being collected, and will continue to be collected regardless of what happens to Roberts Stadium. What it basically comes down to for the county is do they want a year round indoor facility or a seasonal outdoor ball fields facility. I think it's safe to say which option the public has expressed support for.

2. This belief fails to mention that the proposed dog park plan is twice the price of renovating Roberts Stadium.

3. This belief fails to mention that selling the facility would in all likelihood prevent the city from synchronizing Roberts Stadium with the Ford Center, would prevent the city from using the back lot to connect Wesselman Woods with State Hospital Park, and would prevent the city from using Roberts Stadium as a designated disaster relief area among many other things.

4. This belief fails to reinvest the taxpayer dollars previously spent on Roberts Stadium in 1956 and 1990/91.

5. This belief fails to take into account the facts that the majority of expenses can be eliminated via raising the floor and shrinking the size of the facility.

6. This belief completely fails to take into account the revenue that would be accrued from a renovated Roberts Stadium.

If you go to page 9 of the Roberts Stadium Task Force Report (an actual page that wasn't added fraudulently) you will see that the price tag to renovate Roberts Stadium is $4,000,000 to $4,500,000...

http://media.courierpress.com/media/static/Roberts_report.pdf

Note: The estimate obtained from SMG is an estimate for a premier arena given that Evansville has no mid-sized arena. With a mid-sized arena, renting tenants would be responsible for their own expenses.

Now, let's take a look at how much it cost to recruit the LST...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/jul/09/no-headline---ev_lstvisit/?print=1

"To have Evansville as LST's home, the city built a $3 million dock in 2005, pays the vessel's roughly $20,000 annual electric bill and helps address some maintenance issues."

How many visitors does it bring in?

"LST visitor numbers aren't what they used to be — the 12,000 or so visitors per year they saw early on has decreased by about a third since then, Donahue said."

Basically, for Roberts Stadium to equal the amount of visitors the LST brought in each year, we would only have to fill the facility (assuming capacity is scaled down to 5,000 visitors) THREE TIMES all year. Or, to reach current levels we would just need to completely fill the arena ONCE a year.

With $3 million invested in Roberts, that would leave us with just $1 million to $1.5 million to go. Basically, the same cost as demolition. Given that the LST is under a ten year contract, we can set our naming rights deals to the gates equal to 10 years. Basically. we would only have to sell each gate for $25,000 to $35,000 a year to equal this cost.

What would Roberts Stadium do that the LST cannot...

1. Bring in more visitors

2. Bring in more revenue

3. Bring in a wider variety of entertainment

4. Provide more intangible benefits

5. Guarantee the city it will not pick up and move to another city

Make no mistake, I am a HUGE fan of the LST. In fact, I think the ship is getting screwed over by the city. The fact that the LST is still in the same horrible location it arrived at with no museum is pathetic. If I were the LST, I would have been gone to Jeffersonville yesterday.

The point I'm trying to make is not that the LST is a bad investment. Rather, the point I'm trying to make is that Roberts Stadium is being held up to a double standard. When the $3 million was spent on the LST dock there was no...

- People crying foul about spending tax dollars

- A green space being considered as an alternative

- City officials demanding that it turn a profit

Are there any other facilities that are losing money that is comparable to the one time renovation cost of Roberts?

http://city-countyobserver.com/2012/10/22/is-it-true-october-22-2012/

"...that the Evansville Zoo lost $3.2 millions of dollars in 2012?…that City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr. estimates that the Zoo will lose $3.4 million of dollars in 2014?"

That's right, the zoo basically loses in one year what it would cost to renovate Roberts Stadium one time. And these figures are coming from a City Controller who thinks Roberts is a bad investment? 

Earlier this month, the Courier & Press published an article from past mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. In the article, Weinzapfel talked about the city lacking a unified vision. He then went on to say that everyone should respect the views of others. This begs the question:

Shouldn't Roberts Stadium receive equal treatment as all other facilities that aren't even performing as good as Roberts would?

More Excuses From The Can't-Do Council

This past week, we've watched the Evansville City Council hit rock bottom. Just when you think you've heard the last excuse for demolishing Roberts Stadium, along comes another excuse that just makes you shake your head.

Earlier, we've already heard an offensive comment from Dan McGinn who compared Roberts Stadium to a Soviet Union style building. Truthfully, McGinn's comment doesn't surprise me given the offensive comments he made towards our city cemeteries when I went in front of the council to request funding to correct the dilapidated conditions they are in. Simply put: Dan McGinn is the perfect example of why our city has lost all faith in our council. McGinn doesn't care about the city of Evansville, and he certainly doesn't understand the ENORMOUS impact Ralph Legeman's fieldhouses have had on the state of Indiana...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/05/legend-of-ralph-legeman.html

If McGinn's comments weren't bad enough, the council has now indicated that they are ready to sign Roberts Stadium's death certificate. And not only are they ready to sign off on Roberts Stadium's demolition, THEY AREN'T EVEN WILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. Although last Monday's straw poll was 9-0, at least 3 members have indicated that they are being "forced" to vote for it. Last Thursday, John Friend went on EyeWitness News to say the council just couldn't leave a building without windows and doors.

That's right, the 6 members who took a stand for Roberts Stadium just a week ago, have now found what they believe to be a valid excuse for them to switch sides. This brings up several questions that just don't add up...

1. How is it that whatever company that is taking the doors and windows out is finally getting around to it this week, a full two and a half months after the auction took place? Just last week, this was what Roberts Stadium looked like...

Why is Winnecke and Rector removing these things this week? Why can't the deal be cancelled?

2. How does losing doors and windows constitute an excuse for the council to demolish Roberts Stadium? How long did the Pagoda sit on the riverfront like this before being completely overhauled...

Even if the plumbing is gone, the building is not totaled. In fact, redoing the plumbing was a part of the renovation plan as well as re-configuring the HVAC system. It's quite simple, the council needs to tell Rector to board up the windows and doors and put a barbed wire fence all the way around the building until a decision is made. If Winnecke and the Parks Dept complain about this, they will have no one to blame but themselves for auctioning off parts to a building they did not have money to demolish.

3. A key member of the council has indicated that "the parks department would have the additional funding to knock it down anyways." Well, make them use their money then. Why does the council need to approve any additional funds? It's quite obvious that the parks department has no plan to take advantage of the Kleymeyer Park location, nor do they have a plan to clean up the rest of the parks. Make them waste their own funds on demolishing Roberts Stadium.

Basically, our city council has formulated an excuse they think will allow them to stay on both sides. We've watched Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley attempt to do this for the entire duration of the Roberts Stadium debate. But now, the rest of our council wants to try it as well, including members who you thought would never turn their back on Roberts Stadium.

I want to be very clear to these council members- If you vote to demolish Roberts Stadium, you will lose all support from the Roberts Stadium community. No one, and I mean no one, is falling for your "I am being forced into voting for demolition" notion. How dumb do you think this community is?

We are now just 8 days removed from Roberts Stadium's 56th birthday. Within 48 hours, we are going to know which council members are on Roberts Stadium's side and which are going to stay on the other side permanently. The choice is theirs AND THEIRS ONLY!

Desperate Carol McClintock Wants To Set Us Back

Editor's Note: I will be discussing last Monday's City Council meeting tomorrow and why you should drop your support for all 9 current members.

For the older demographic here in Evansville, you've seen this battle before, you fought this battle before, and you won this battle before.

This past week, several key members and supporters of the Save Roberts Stadium movement have called me to notify me that they had been contacted by Carol McClintock who claimed to be calling, "on behalf of the mayor." Before I get into how she is taking us back to a battle that we've fought and won many years ago,  I first want to first address the hypocrisy and irony of this decision made by the mayor to send his wife out to go after supporters of this blog...

1. McClintock, like all other demolition supporters, has never proven the allegations made on page 13 of the report. She cannot explain them, how they got in there, or even why they should be in the report since they were added after the final task force meeting. McClintock is like all other Winnecke followers, she has no time to debate or explain the facts, she only has time to tell you to support the mayor.

2. Isn't it ironic that the mayor has enough time on his hands to send his own wife out to talk to Roberts Stadium supporters about demolition but he has yet to spend any time talking to SMG/Venuworks (at least publicly), who both communicated to me that they would be interested in a mid-sized Roberts Stadium? We have yet to hear even a small peep about Venuworks and SMG's opinion from the mayor. Yet, the mayor has sent his wife to make phone calls while Dave Rector goes out of his way to round up demolition deals for Roberts Stadium. All of this while real estate agents who have worked for the same companies that McClintock has go before the council and newspaper to tell us Roberts Stadium is worth nothing.

Most importantly, Lloyd Winnecke has NEVER spoken with the general Roberts Stadium task force since the first public meeting, yet he claims it was the task force that came to the conclusion that Roberts Stadium was beyond repair even when a falsified task force report is still on the books. IS THIS THE KIND OF MAYOR YOU WANT FOR EVANSVILLE?

3. Thankfully, McClintock was unable to convert a single Roberts Stadium supporter over to her cause. And, the fact that Winnecke didn't have the guts to call these people, who tell me that they are very disappointed with him, tells us all what we need to know about Lloyd. It also makes you wonder just who really is the mayor of Evansville.

The phone calls being made by McClintock are bad enough from the start, but the conversations that are being described to me by the Roberts Stadium supporters are even worse. According to these supporters, McClintock tells them that historic buildings such as the coliseum, old courthouse, old jail, and old post office are already draining the city enough and that there isn't enough funds for Roberts Stadium.

That's right, we're heading all the way back to the 1950s and 1960s when debates raged over whether it would be a good idea to keep these facilities or not...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/11/just-remember-weve-been-here-before.html

And of course, back then we had real leadership in the mayor's office...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/12/hank-roberts-made-sure-coliseum-was.html

Where do I start with comments like this? I suppose I'll start by saying this: Keeping all of our downtown landmarks was a damn good decision by those who were in charge of Evansville during those periods of time. Our local veterans are doing a good job of keeping the Coliseum active, the Evansville Bar Association is filling up the Old Courthouse with a wide variety of events, we have a law firm in the Old Jail, and the Old Post Office is being renovated by a private developer...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/jan/09/no-headline---ev_oldpostoffice/?partner=RSS

We've enjoyed all of this success because those before us made the right decisions, not the wrong ones. Today, we are carrying this tradition forward by renovating the Old Greyhound Bus Station.These facilities are not a drain on Evansville. Rather, they are basically the only things Downtown Evansville has had to market before the Ford Center arrived.

Tomorrow as you drive through Downtown Evansville, take a look at the Coliseum, Old Courthouse, Old Jail, and Old Post Office sites. Then, take a look at the Old Sterling Brewery, Old L&N Station, and Old Skora Building sites (all open fields). Which ones do you think look better?

Like Winnecke, there is also a little hypocrisy going on here with McClintock. It was Carol herself who sought to take over control of the Coliseum in 1989 so that Vanderburgh County could renovate it...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=927402

Then in 1992, she was criticized for overstepping her political boundaries by agreeing to lease 17 of the Coliseum's parking spaces to an accounting firm...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=943855

With all of that being said, I want to reiterate whats been clear since day 1: Roberts Stadium WOULD NOT be a drain on city finances. The amount of funds needed to renovate the facility is on par with the new ball fields price tag and this is even after the city auctioned off everything they could.

Furthermore, Roberts Stadium would be self-sustaining due to rent, concession stand, and ticket revenue that would be paired with naming rights revenue from the gates. Carol McClintock, like her husband who I hope isn't mayor of Evansville past 2015, has zero financial documents that show Roberts Stadium would lose money as a mid-sized arena. Both SMG and Venuworks have told me personally they would bid on running the facility, and they would book enough events to make it profitable as I've pointed out a thousand times on here.

Thankfully, those who have told me that McClintock has called them have ALL said that they told her they were not interested in changing allegiances. I am very proud of these supporters for the stand they took for Roberts Stadium. On the flip side, I am going to make one voter switch announcement. Because of the actions of McClintock, as well as a few other issues, I am now officially switching my vote on consolidation from Yes! to NO.

When I joined the Yes! campaign, I did it because I wanted to stop urban sprawl. But as I read through the legislation, and as I listened to Reverend Adrian Brooks, I have noticed that the proposed consolidation does not contain any new zoning ordinances.

Therefore, it would be up to the metro mayor and council to stop urban sprawl. Should we trust Lloyd Winnecke and Carol McClintock to stop this urban sprawl? Nope. In fact, McClintock represented Gene Hahn Realty when they redeveloped the corner next to Red Bank Road into Pearl Drive...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=844901

Can we trust them to run a good government? The answer to that question is the same. If you take a stroll through Evansville's history, you will notice that most of the problems that Vanderburgh County experienced with McClintock are the same problems that Evansville is experiencing with Winnecke. Let's dive into some of the problems Vanderburgh County had with McClintock...

In 1978, Mike Duckworth resigned from the Department of Parks and Recreation. One of his complaints was the department cutting a youth baseball program while giving a pay raise to McClintock (then Etherington))...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=668167

In 1980, Betty Knight Smith criticized McClintock for bypassing the councils to increase salaries in the Parks Department (she also came under fire for being a Republican hired by a Democrat mayor)...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=668073

In 1985, Bret McGinnis claimed he was fired as parks director because he was seeking to have an audit done on the department. McGinnis was fired by Vandeveer after being just 7 months removed from replacing McClintock. Previously in 1983, a preliminary State Board of Accounts audit had found 4 "internal control problems."

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=933904

In 1991, an audit of the Vanderburgh County Auditorium reveals sloppy financial practices. This happens while McClintock is President of the Vanderburgh County Commission. McClintock's only comments were that changes had been made...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=858026

Then again in 1991, Mark Owen admits that Carol McClintock is the "villain to Democrats"

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewarticle.asp?ID=402408

In 1992, the wheels begin to start falling off for McClintock. First, on January 31st, Rick Borries blames McClintock for a "collage of confusion" in county government...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=5248



Then, McClintock and Mayor Vandeveer propose spending at least $50 million to net 4,000 Department of Defense jobs...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=993639



After that, another state audit finds "sloppy bookkeeping" in another department under Carol McClintock and the Vanderburgh County Commissioners. This time, it's the Vanderburgh County Highway Department...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=943989



All of these errors couldn't have come at a worse time for McClintock as she faced off against Democrat Pat Tuley for re-election. Very quickly, Tuley came out publicly with allegations that McClintock had had a "political patronage" job with the Parks Department back in the 1980s...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=5313



In the end, McClintock's errors were too much as Tuley coasted to victory in November of 1992. Not only was McClintock defeated, her rival and main critic Rick Borries was re-elected...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=944000



Even as a lame duck, McClintock and the rest of the Vanderburgh County Commission were clashing with each other as more errors popped up. As usual, the auditorium was front and center as the commission argued over bookkeeping and legal fees once more...

http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=944021



Finally, in 1994 the Vanderburgh County Commission has to bring Carol McClintock and Mark Owen back in to sign minutes that had been missing from meetings that were held while they were on the commission...

tp://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=805429

So, as you read the above articles, you would have to be absolutely blind (or not up to date on Evansville events) to not notice that we are seeing similar, if not identical, problems with the Winnecke administration. Controversial salary raises, unpleasant audits, political patronage, and millions for jobs (earthcare) are all issues that are front and center in the river city today. So why would we want to bring all of this back to the county?

Long story short, vote no on the current consolidation plan while telling Carol McClintock NO to demolishing Roberts Stadium. With Roberts Stadium, we want to preserve the past not live in the past!

Roberts Isn't Totaled!

Winnecke Says One Thing For Consolidation, Another For Roberts Stadium

http://griffingrype.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/double-standard-390x250.jpg

Breaking News: Lloyd Winnecke is holding Roberts Stadium up to a double standard. Ok, it really isn't breaking news, but it's definitely news that is proving to be sustainable. Whether it be financial data, public support, or even a few banners and road signs, Lloyd Winnecke has NEVER given Roberts Stadium a fair chance. I know, I know, we had that wonderful task force that evaluated all ideas given right? Well, not exactly.

Today's Winnecke double standard takes us to the land of consolidation where it appears once more that Roberts Stadium isn't being placed on the same scale as a project that Winnecke supports.

This is what we heard from Lloyd about consolidation...

(Note: bolding has been added by me)

http://www.yesforunification.com/key-support/

“After serving in county government and now as Mayor of Evansville, I am convinced that unified city-county government would provide taxpayers with more efficient and representative government. Regardless of political affiliation, my peers in Indianapolis, Nashville and Louisville all agree that unified city-county government was the catalyst for progress in their communities. It’s an idea whose time has come for Evansville-Vanderburgh County.”

This is what we heard from Lloyd about Roberts Stadium...

http://m.courierpress.com/news/2012/jul/23/lawsuit-seeks-block-demolition-roberts-stadium/

“I don’t think the city is large enough to sustain three competing facilities,” said Winnecke, referring to the Ford Center, The Centre and Roberts.

Although these two comments may appear to be light years off on the surface, if you take a closer look, you will notice that these two statements are held to two different standards despite the fact that they can be measured on the same level. How is this possible?

You see, Lloyd Winnecke is telling us that the Evansville market should support consolidation because Indianapolis, Nashville, and Louisville all did it. But when it comes to Roberts Stadium, we don't hear a peep about those three cities. All we hear is that it is his opinion that Evansville can't handle three venues that he believes will compete, a view not shared by SMG or Venuworks when I reached out to them during my time on the task force.

Given that Winnecke believes Indy, Nashville, and Louisville are fair game for consolidation, let's take a look at how these three cities are handling multiple venues...

Indianapolis

Image of Pepsi Coliseum courtesy of in.gov

Most supporters of demolishing Roberts Stadium don't want you to hear about the Pepsi Coliseum. They only want you to hear about how Indianapolis demolished the RCA Dome (in debt at the time of demolition and replaced by a convention center that was capable of going in the old dome) and Market Square Arena (was originally suppose to be a mixed-use development but the project failed so badly that the site is still a gravel parking lot today).

Last year, I talked about all of the great things Indianapolis is doing with Bush Stadium being the best...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/as-indianapolis-progresses-evansville.html

But when it comes to scaling Roberts Stadium down to a mid-sized arena, there is no better comparison than what Indianapolis is doing with their Pepsi Coliseum...

http://www.wthr.com/story/16506213/state-fair-approves-38m-pepsi-coliseum-renovation

--- The Indiana State Fair Commission says it's time to rehab the 70-year-old Pepsi Coliseum. It means the building will soon shut its doors to undergo a transformation.

--- This fall, the doors will close for construction, meaning a loss of half a million dollars. In 2014, when the renovated facility opens for the fair's headline concert, it's likely to be a much smaller affair. The facility will only seat up to 9,000.

Note: Roberts Stadium would only seat between 4,500 to 5,000 seats (not Indy's 9,000 because we are a smaller market) if scaled down.

--- "In this market an 8,000- to 9,000-seat venue is perfect. We're not in the business of competing with the other venues. What we're in the business to do is to restore this product. It's an $89 million economic impact," said Hoye.

--- There will be no suites or club level. It's just a historic Indiana landmark being brought up to code, and as some put it, getting the "queen" of the fairgrounds in good operating condition for the future.


Nashville

eventful.com

Like Indianapolis, Nashville has two arenas as well (both have convention centers similar to the Centre as well). What is most unique about Nashville's situation is that both of their arenas- Nashville Municipal Auditorium and Bridgestone Arena, are comparable in size yet don't have a "non-compete" clause in their contracts.

I talked about Nashville's situation last year as well...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/07/nashville-did-right-thing.html

Nashville's Municipal Auditorium sets a good example for Evansville...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_Municipal_Auditorium

--- Having served the greater Nashville area with many diverse events for 50 years, today the Auditorium is a popular venue in Nashville for major touring family shows, such as Sesame Street Live, The Wiggles, The Doodlebops, Barney, Bob the Builder,Disney Live, Harlem Globetrotters, and the annual Al Menah Temple Shrine Circus.

--- The venue continues to serve niche concert markets, such as alternative rock, rock 'n' roll, heavy metal, pop, R&B, urban, oldies and Hispanic concerts.

Louisville

uoflsports.com

By far and away, Louisville, Kentukcy has the most impressive alignment of sports venues with legendary Freedom Hall, the KFC Yum! Center, the State Fair & Expo ground, as well as the International Convention Center. Like Roberts Stadium, Freedom Hall opened up in 1956 and has had its floor lowered during renovations.

When the newly constructed KFC Yum! Center opened, many thought that Freedom Hall would have to be demolished due to its main tenant the Louisville Cardinals moving out. That simply wasn't the case as Freedom Hall still stands today...

http://www.wdrb.com/global/story.asp?s=12066448

---It opened in 1956 at the time it was a state of the art venue. Don't expect demolition or one of those implosions like the vet in Philadelphia or an outdated office building in a major city.

--- "The new arena is going to be great, they're going to enjoy that, but you know, freedom hall is just a wonderful facility," said Harold Workman, Kentucky State Fair Board.

--- "We still have well over 100 events that happen there, and those dates are going to be very good for a lot of the various concerts and things like trade shows that have not been able to get in there," said Harold Workman, Kentucky State Fair Board.

--- Concert promoters are already looking at Freedom Hall, because Workman says it will be a lot cheaper to rent and said an event that would cost $12,000 at Freedom Hall, will cost you $35,000 at the new downtown arena.

Of course, demolition supporters are going to argue that all three of the above situations are irrelevant given that they are in a much larger market than us. As usual, they are failing to interpret the comparisons in the correct manner. 

First of all, we shouldn't look at the above three examples by the market size, rather we should look at the three examples by how they are coordinating their three facilities. Can we coordinate Roberts Stadium with the Ford Center like the above three cities are doing with their two arenas even though we live in a smaller city? The answer to that question is yes! In fact, Sioux Falls, Grand Forks, Grand Rapids, Wichita, and a host of other cities have done this already!

Now let me ask you this: Should Evansville not have roads, sidewalks, schools, and all kinds of other perks that the above three cities have because we are not as big as them? Your answer should be, yes of course we should have those perks but they should be built to the Evansville scale instead of the Indy, Nashville, and Louisville scale.

That is exactly what we would be doing if we scaled Roberts Stadium all the way down to a 4,500 to 5,000 seat venue. It would be the proper amount of seating for mid-sized concerts, indoor soccer games and tournaments, indoor football, high school basketball games and tournaments, trade shows, etc. etc. All of these events are either already in Evansville, already have been in Evansville, or are looking to get into the Evansville market.

So if Lloyd Winnecke thinks that we need to vote YES! for consolidation, shouldn't he be saying we do the same thing for Roberts Stadium?

No Sale, No Demolition!

No Sale, No Demolition, AND NO ADDITIONAL TAXES

I love my arenas (all three of them) and I love my city. I have always believed that it wouldn't be right for one  not to look out for the other. In the case of Roberts Stadium, it is vitally important that any plan drawn up be of mutual benefit to both the arena and the city of Evansville. This translates into the following...

1. No Sale- Unless Roberts Stadium were to be sold outright to a non-profit organization like UE, USI, etc, etc, it would not be a good idea to sell the facility. Selling the facility would prevent the city from synchronizing our top two arenas, prevent the city from controlling what goes next to Wesselman Woods, and would likely eliminate the idea of Roberts Stadium being a disaster relief area.

2. No Demolition- Demolishing Roberts Stadium isn't just a bad idea, it's a terrible idea. Demolishing a facility that is still in good shape despite having been gutted is not the way to go. Demolition would prevent the city from retaining and attracting mid-sized events, bringing diverse entertainment to Evansville, retaining the $16 million taxpayer dollars invested in the facility in 1990/91, as well as preventing the city from flexing smaller acts away from the Ford Center so that it can bring in bigger and more profitable events.

3. No Additional Taxation- By far and away, increasing taxes or using revenue from any fund in the city budget should be off the table. At this current time, our city budget needs to address critical shortfalls such as   repairing and renovating our decades old sewer system, creating jobs via the creation of a slack water port in the Howell Rail Yards, and rehabilitating our current parks. Due to the out of control urban sprawl our city refuses to control, our budge is tapped out for any development project not located in Downtown Evansville.

At this point, most of you are probably saying, "No sale, no demolition, and no additional taxation? That is impossible!" If this were just about any other project, you would probably be right. But in the case of Roberts Stadium, we can pull this off. How so?

The answer, at this point, is very simple. Although it would involve the ECVB and the County Council, using the Innkeepers Tax to fund renovations to Roberts Stadium is THE BEST PLAN AVAILABLE. Why is the Innkeepers Tax a perfect match with Roberts Stadium?

1. A mid-sized Roberts Stadium will put heads in beds with tourists and guests coming in for mid-sized concerts, Div II basketball preseason tournament games, high school basketball tournament games, volleyball tournament games, professional indoor soccer tournaments such as the Hoosier Cup, BMX shows, etc, etc. These events would accompany local events such as minor league basketball, indoor football, and trade shows just to name a few.

2. The Innkeepers Tax is ALREADY BEING COLLECTED. Whether it is used to fund a renovation to Roberts Stadium or not, this tax is already being collected and will still be collected. Unlike youth baseball fields, Roberts Stadium can be used year round, will bring in more visitors, and will be a greater benefit for local residents at the same time given that we already have over 50 ball fields.

3. Using the Innkeepers Tax would mean no funds would come from the general fund. The Innkeepers Tax is specifically designed for tourists facilities only. If I'm not mistaken, a certain percentage of it has to be spent on brick and mortar as well. There is no better way to use the Innkeepers Tax than on a scaled down mid-sized Roberts Stadium.

4. Using the Innkeepers Tax keeps Roberts Stadium in public hands. This is crucial not just for Roberts Stadium but for those who want a green space as well .With Roberts Stadium still in public hands, the city can construct a park/green space behind Roberts Stadium that would be approximately the same size as the green space going up at the old airport. This would allow Wesselman Woods to still be connected with State Hospital Park and would be "something for everyone." This would prevent special interests from taking over the lot.

5.  Renovating Roberts Stadium is a better deal than the ball fields project. Initially, the cost to scale Roberts Stadium down to a mid-sized arena was $4-4.5 million. Since the facility has been gutted, there will need to be two things added to the bill- 4,500-5,000 seats and parts of the central plant that were sold off.  The rest of the renovations such as raising the floor, repairing the roof, renovating the bathrooms, demolishing the precast tunnel sections, and reconfiguring the HVAC system were ALREADY in the initial budget. If we add  the estimated $5 million for a completely new central plant system we will be at $9 million which is the median of Bob Warren's ball fields estimate.

Roberts Stadium becomes cheaper than Mr. Warren's plan once naming rights are sold and rent from primary tenants are factored into the equation. Not to mention, year round ticket sales from Roberts Stadium will bring in more revenue than seasonal sales to baseball groups at 8 dull and boring ball fields.

6. Renovating Roberts Stadium would dump revenue back into the Innkeepers Tax. Events at Roberts Stadium WILL BE PROFITABLE. In an earlier edition of the Courier & Press, it was estimated that it costs $646 a day to run Roberts Stadium (of course Denise Johnson is trying to run this figure up some more now). This estimate came from DAVE RECTOR's calculations himself that he passed out at our second public task force meeting. This cost will be reduced significantly when we raise the floor because it will eliminate the water pumps expense as well as reduce the amount of heating and air conditioning needed each year.

Even if the above figure were doubled, Roberts Stadium would still bring in revenue by renting the facility to tenants for $3-5,000 (this is the going rate for indoor football and minor league basketball teams) plus parking fees, concession stand revenue, as well as a cut in merchandise sales that would be shared with the tenants. This revenue would replenish the Innkeepers Tax before we even consider how many hotel rooms Roberts Stadium would fill.

We have heard from some residents that selling Roberts Stadium is the best idea. Yet, this idea would have to clear several hurdles such as the land deed. We have heard that demolishing the facility is the best idea. Yet, this plan requires $8 million that will never be recouped.

Given these constraints, using the Innkeepers Tax to renovate Roberts Stadium into a mid-size 4,500-5,000 seat arena makes the most sense. Of course, the last thing you are going to hear from the ECVB, the mayor, or the C&P is a word about using the Innkeepers Tax. They have their hearts set on wasting more money on a ball fields complex that is heading for the wrong location with the wrong design. We don't need to add any more ball field complexes until we've addressed the facilities we currently have such as Roberts Stadium.

If you believe Roberts Stadium is a keeper let the mayor know you want him to use the Innkeepers Tax!

6-3 For All To See

Last night was yet another major milestone in the battle to save Roberts Stadium. By a vote of 6-3, the Evansville City Council rejected putting funds into a demolition account for Roberts Stadium. The following Council members voted against demolishing Roberts Stadium...

2nd Ward- Missy Mosby
3rd Ward- Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley
4th Ward- Connie Robinson
5th Ward- John Friend
6th Ward- Al Lindsey
At-Large- Dan Adams

We owe these 6 people a HUGE thank you. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to the mayor as I learned first hand when I got a phone call from him the day after page 13 was exposed in the media. The mayor is hellbent on destroying Roberts Stadium and is willing to spend and do whatever it takes to get this great building in the ground.

Since these 6 council members stood up for what is right, I am willing to give all 6 of them..

A. 1 free banner on the right hand side of this blog
B. 1 free positive comment about Roberts Stadium underneath their banner.
C. 1 free post to keep their name in front of voters and ahead of the 3 who didn't vote for Roberts Stadium.

The 1 free banner logo and comments will be placed on the right side of the blog underneath the old poll (they can be emailed to JordanBaer1@gmail.com)...

Thanks to you the viewers, I am very close to getting this blog back to where it is pulling in over 120 viewers a day before I made the switch to "Remember Roberts Stadium." We are now way over 32,000 viewers all-time. These viewers will be encouraged to support these six council members as long as they stay committed to Roberts Stadium.

Moving forward, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. As always, the last thing the Winnecke administration is interested in is repurposing Roberts Stadium. It is very obvious that they are going to still try and double down on demolishing it. Therefore, we have to keep the heat on the mayor's administration so that they do not get the funds to knock it down.

Also, the idea of selling Roberts Stadium is still very much alive and stronger than ever. Although this idea is head and shoulders better than demolishing the facility, it is still not the correct decision as it will compromise the city's ability to control the land next to Wesselman Woods as well as bring in revenue from a mid-sized Roberts Stadium.

What is the correct plan for Roberts Stadium?

1. Use the Innkeepers Tax Revenue to repurpose Roberts Stadium as a mid-sized arena. This is cheaper than building ball fields out in the middle of nowhere and it will bring in tourists for sports tournaments, small concerts, and trade shows that are currently unavailable at the Ford Center.

2. Sell naming rights to the gates, concourses, and plazas. This will significantly lower the city/county contribution to Roberts Stadium.

3. Form a non-profit entity and place them in charge of Roberts Stadium.

4. Establish a master plan for future construction around Roberts Stadium such as a park in the back lot, a natatorium inside a new Hartke Pool, and a BMX only facility attached to Swonder Ice Rink in the northern parking lot.

Those four steps are clearly light years better than any other path the city can take at this point. In fact, there's over 50 reasons for them to do so...

http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2012/09/50-reasons-city-council-should-support.html

Once again, thank you to the six council members who voted against demolishing Roberts Stadium. Because of their decision, we now have yet another fresh start at winning the battle for Roberts Stadium. Let's make sure we keep this momentum going and the pressure turned up on the city to repurpose Roberts Stadium.

When It Comes To Signs, It's Wrong Way Winnecke

Proving once more that hypocrisy knows no boundaries with our mayor and city government, all road markers for Roberts Stadium have been removed entirely. This decision was made despite the fact that Roberts Stadium still stands while the banners advertising the auction company picked by the Winnecke administration to auction off some of the miscellaneous items inside the facility was allowed to stand for over a month after the event (not to mention one of the owners donated to the Winnecke campaign last year).

When travelling by Roberts Stadium, you will no longer see any signs for the iconic grounds on US 41...



The Lloyd Expressway....



Or Division Street where just the two metal poles holding the sign up were left (middle left)...

In a city where you cannot find a politician who isn't willing to waste millions after millions on urban sprawling roads that go here, there, everywhere, this move just goes to show how desperate our city officials are to get you to forget that Roberts Stadium ever existed.

What I find to be ironic about the situation is that it took multiple citizens having to get the Area Plan Commission involved to get the city to take 3 lousy auction banners off of the building itself, yet to my knowledge no citizen has ever complained about the Roberts Stadium road signs and they were gone in a New York minute. And let's be honest, if the Area Plan Commission didn't take action against the signs, they would probably still be hanging on top of Roberts Stadium today.

So if you're hanging an auction banner up an entire month after the auction, you're fine. But, if you hang road signs for a building that is STILL STANDING you better remove them asap. You see, Roberts Stadium is still in a fairly good condition even after surviving all of what the mayor's administration and the building authority have done to it...


Yet another sign showing how progressive Roberts Stadium is/was

Of course, our city didn't even hesitate to issue an emergency demolition order for the Executive Inn after Klenck walked off the job, but if they leave a barrel next to the building authority road blocks (which have been sitting there for over a year now), then that is allowed...



What you are seeing is further proof of what Roberts Stadium supporters have been saying all along- That neither the mayor nor the city have ever been interested in repurposing Roberts Stadium. There never was a good faith effort from the mayor to convert this facility to a mid-sized arena, so now our last hope is the Evansville City Council.

Over the next week or so, Lloyd is going to try to do everything he can to get the City Council to give him the remaining $500,000 for demolition. Luckily, most of our City Council has spoken out against this. Hopefully they are seeing that it makes no sense to demolish this arena when it can address all concerns brought forward by our local residents.

Roberts Stadium can STILL remain viable, still bring in diverse concerts that Councilwoman Robinson is looking for, still be something for everyone with a park in the back, BMX events in the summer, and a new Hartke Pool next door, and it can STILL bring in events that won't compete with the Ford Center. Doesn't that sound like a much better plan than an $8 million dog and skate park?

The truth still remains though, and that is that Lloyd obviously doesn't care that he will still need to get at least $7 million more out of the City Council for his dog and skate park even if he gets $500,000 for demolition. All he wants to do is knock this facility over and then worry about that later. This type of planning has now become the corner stone of the Winnecke Administration. And it makes you wonder, isn't it about time we changed another road sign in Evansville?...