IS IT TRUE May 21, 2012
IS IT TRUE that the Mesker Amphitheatre is in Evansville’s 6th Ward?…Al Lindsey is the elected representative on the Evansville City Council for the 6th Ward?…Councilman Lindsey was not told in advance about the closing of Mesker Amphitheatre and that he learned about it in the newspaper like the rest of the people of Evansville did?…not giving at least an hour of notice to the elected representative of the people of the 6th Ward before announcing this closure was insulting and in poor taste?…it was also not even close to being transparent and will be remembered by the people of the 6th Ward for many years?
IS IT TRUE the Evansville City Council will be meeting tonight at 5:30 in the Civic Center?…the agenda includes the 2nd and 3rd reading of Ordinance G-2012-9 that simply states that it is to rescind Ordinance G-2012-1?…there is no reference whatsoever in the agenda as to what Ordinance G-2012-1 is or why it is being rescinded?…every other item on the agenda without exception has a written description of what the Ordinances are about?…leaving the fact that Ordinance G-2012-9 is to rescind the approval for the $4.8 Million loan previously approved by a 5 – 4 margin off of the agenda is just one more verification that the City Council is trying to slide this through under the radar and is cowardly when it comes to cleaning their own messes?…it is better to have a flock of chickens clean the mess than it is for the mess to go without cleaning so if the only way to do this is like a chicken then so be it?…City Council members Stephanie Riley and Dan McGinn got in front of this thing and did the due diligence that GAGE and the Mayor’s office should have done?…that those two are certainly not cowards like many of the others who woke up last November and found themselves elected to office?
IS IT TRUE we encourage those of our readers who are disgusted with how this went down to pack the room tonight and let the City Council know that passing things without reading or understanding them in the style of Nancy Pelosi is not an acceptable way to govern?…unless the people who supported this have a consequence for their cavalier actions and condescending demeanor that this sort of idiocy is certain to happen again and again as it did under the Weinzapfel Administration?…that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?…that it is time for the government of the City of Evansville to cease with the insanity?
IS IT TRUE the minutes from the Evansville City Council meeting on March 26, 2012 when the loan for Earthcare was approved are finally available on the City of Evansville website?…that the CCO has them posted under a separate heading?…if one reads the transcript of those minutes and pays close attention to the words of Councilman Conor O’Daniel it is nearly incomprehensible to understand how he could have turned around and voted YES?…what would be more interesting to read would be a transcript of the meetings in the hallway when Councilman O’Daniel was “convinced†into voting YES?…Councilman O’Daniel could have saved the City of Evansville much embarrassment by voting to extend that night so the VETTING which was underway in private circles could have been completed?…that someday we will know the cost in real dollars of this emotion driven fiasco?
The March 26 Minutes are very interesting. Can’t wait for the CCO to get the Minutes from the Loan Committee meeting that gave $200,000 to EarthCare, that Connie Robinson is “sure” EarthCare will give back to the City.
Mesker Amphitheatre will do very well when Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden takes that over. They will have the Volunteers, the FRESH ideas, and certainly find the right FUNDS to help this viable and much loved venue. SMG Evansville is to be commended for what all they could do with so little money the City of Evansville ever allowed to put in there. I know that with their help finding Federal Disability Act Funds and what several groups I was able to find sources of Funds to help bring drinking fountains back to the place after many years of NO water for the Patrons, this is only ONE example of how SMG Evansville worked to keep the place from tettering backward. The Venue needs a lot of help, can be once again the viable place it has been for decades. The Youth of today need a summer place to come and have FUN and they really enjoy the Mesker Movies, as did a LOT of area families who wanted good clean FUN entertainment and it was FREE. Mesker Movies is very popular. I thank the companies that brought in Flowers for at least 10 years to Mesker Amphitheatre, I volunteered and watered them with family and friends for 6 years and save Taxpayers money as back then we also donated flowers and items to help keep the place look colorful and more delightful. Kathy Shockley, who took care of Mesker Park, and I got an Award from the West Side Improvement Association when Shirley James was alive, for our volunteer work. Back then, a lot of folks wanted to keep the Place going. Two years ago, I asked to form a Volunteer Group to help Mesker Amphitheatre and I was advised to sit it out and allow things to evolve from the condition of the facility. I was all right with that. Otherwise, I would have been doing something. Mesker Amphitheatre will once again be allowed to be the Facility and the Grace it has been if allowed to be a part of Mesker Zoo. When you do a separate entrance to the Zoo, please do keep the front main entrances there from the times Thunderstorms come…folks need to get to their cars FAST in those times. Mesker Zoo wants to explore all avenues on this place……it couldn’t be in better hands, and, THANKS!!! to SMG Evansville, for hanging in there under horrible conditions to get the necessary funds to keep this place going in the Respectful way it should have been kept up. The same ballgame as what was done with Roberts Stadium. Thanks! to SMG Evansville for the new upstairs restroom and the Concession site expansions and help with added shows in the past. You Rock! Awesome! Good Luck! to Mesker Amphitheatre.
If you have reliable information that the zoo would keep the amphitheater, I would like to hear it. Everything I’ve heard is that the zoo would like to take over the property so it can expand the zoo. No more amphitheater. The fact that you were “advised to sit it out and allow things to evolve from the condition of the facility” speaks volumes. This is basically a page from the Robert Stadium playbook. Intentionally neglect it and defer maintenance, then show everyone what bad shape it is in. I’m not blaming you at all, but we’ve all seen this scenario before.
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