Evansville, a Dot on a Map: By Bill Hazelip

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The excitment builds for the destruction of Roberts Stadium. We can’t wait to get in down fast enough. “At first, I was against tearing down Roberts” John Hill, former Stadium Manager often said, “we could bring many events to Evansville, but we only have so many non-conflicting dates open” John, would have loved to have another arena that would seat 12,000. But, as my subject matter says, “Evansville, a dot on the map.” This city’s past success and lack of it is an embarrassment that needs to be hidden as soon as possible.

This city has lost another Television Station (channel 7) and now this Kentucky station shows us the street scenes from Owensboro and Henderson. We lost our national weather bureau to Paducah, Kentucky and the television “weather channel” oftens refers to us as Evansville, Illinois. We are now a one traditional newspaper town and it is shrinking in size and quality as fast as the city of Evansville.

Our leaders want to improve the city’s image by building a welcome center next to the big blue 2 million square foot manufacturing plant. The city’s leaders don’t think the visitors will ask, “what’s with the big blue building?” If you want to improve the city’s image, tear down the big huge Whirlpool plant!

This city has lost enough industry to be a city larger than Nashville, come to think of it, we were about the same size at one time! It is difficult to name a manufactured product that was not made in Evansville at one time. We either made the product or part of it!

The new Ford Center Arena says more to us than just another small arena in a dying town. It tells a visitor and a prospective employer where the city leaders see the future of Evansville. When the media and the city leaders go out of their way for three years to tell us that we will have a new 12,000 seat arena, (which shrinks to 9,000 plus) adjacent to a renovated hotel with plenty of parking and then, we have to settle for this little cramped up building with small seats and one entrance and with parking scattered over blocks away. With no Hotel! So, now the city leaders are pleased that only 4-6 thousand people attend events.

So, bring on the wrecking ball, this city needs more city parks. We need jobs and people will have jobs mowing grass —come to think of it we also made lawn mowers in Evansville at one time!

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

50 COMMENTS

  1. Depressingly True! I wonder if the point of no return,–is before us, or already has passed? Or if you like,–“Do you still beat your wife?” The politicans and Elitists –have slapped her (Evansville) around some to be sure! I do not expect to see them change any time soon! Food Banks are in NEED,– yet, “We” are going to hang over $200,000 dollars on the side of the “The John” (ford center). Evansville has the lowest “Quality” aristocracy in the USA!

  2. Very Very Sad!! Especially the fact that so much money was spent on the Ford Center when so much need is elsewhere. I have to bet that there is group of people that represents most of those who attend all the events at the Ford Center and that group is a small percentage of the population of Evansville. And Mr. Hazelip is correct in that, from what I have heard, this is not a very comfortable place to sit back and be entertained.

    Who came up with this idea that providing entertain brings business and industry to a city? This is very like the feds spending billions and billions and billions on a war that should never have happened while taking money from genuine needs areas. Not that I equate a war with entertainment but the there is no logic to either approach.

    Whether you are for or against demolishing Roberts Stadium is immaterial at this point. It is the bigger picture that is the failing issue and all the flash, dance, and PR will not change the fundamental problems that are dragging Evansville down.

    For those of us that believe that Evansville could and should be better we must stop blogging and complaining. We must step up and commit to a long slow difficult process of ground-up improvement and growth for our city. It will take a couple of generations at least to get that done but I for one believe it will be worth it. Do you?

    • Evansville has been digging the hole it is in for about 60 years. The USSR spent just over 70 years digging the hole that it is in. Both will take as long as they took digging to fill the hole and be back to where they were before the digging began.

      That means if Evansville will stop digging today and starts doing things right, in the year 2072 it will be back to its place of prominence in the world pecking order that it occupied in 1952. Is it worth it? Each person can answer that themselves. It would be worth it if local government was not doing the digging.

  3. A Flash From The Past:

    FieldofSchemes.com

    March 18, 2009

    Evansville mayor: Arena will make little kids smile, bring rain of puppy dogs

    We have another sports facility being touted as “economic stimulus,” and this time it’s an elected official doing the touting:

    “There really couldn’t be a better time to build a new arena,” [Evansville Mayor Jonathan] Weinzapfel told members of the Rotary Club of Evansville. “It will create community pride, improve our quality of life and attract more prestigious and visible events to Evansville. An arena will be our own stimulus package.

    “It will put hundreds of people to work and support more economic development Downtown. And we will not raise property taxes to build it.”

    The proposed downtown arena would cost $127 million, and be home to the University of Evansville Purple Aces basketball and hockey teams. Make your own joke, people.

    Posted by Neil deMause in Evansville arena

    COMMENTS

    Build it and they will RUN!
    Posted by Bill Hazelip Evansville, IN. on October 12, 2009 06:25 PM

    * * * * * * * * * * *

    [Me]: The Weinzapfel quote that will live in infamy: “An arena will be our own stimulus package.” (Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel)

    I am still trying to get my head around the idea of $127. Million in new debt as “stimulus”.

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  4. Press,
    That is a heck of a definition of “stimulus” isn’t it?

    I believe you live in the county but really for all this economic mess the city and the county are in it together. I would like to see a list from you and any other intelligent thinking person whatever their political leanings as to what are the most important specific steps to take to move Evansville forward.

    We won’t all agree but who would be willing to make their own list? Joe W.? Beerguy? Bubbageek? CrashLaRue? Mr. Hazelip? Anyone out there who cares deeply for the people of Evansville (because it is the people who are Evansville) please jump on this list wagon. Not a list of petty complaints but a plan to go forward.

    I am genuinely interested in what everyone has to contribute. It would be a start.
    Thanks.

    • The most important step towards moving Evansville forward is educating the electorate about how government really works.

      We have a serious, some might say fatal, lack of media coverage where local government is concerned. There is a reason why the city council has looked the way it does for the last decade. If we had an informed electorate I am fairly sure it would not look that way today.

      The level of sophistication needed to run this city in a manner that would allow it to prosper currently exceeds the ability of candidates supplied by the local “machine” politics.

      There is a well established power base in Evansville that has controlled her government, regardless of which party is in power, for as long as I can remember. If, or when, they realize that they are slowly killing the city, we could see a turnaround. They might even think this consolidation attempt will help. I do not believe it will do anything but delay the inevitable.

      The best path towards saving this city is an open and transparent local government and an engaged media that asks the questions that need to be asked. When that is combined with the common sense that is possessed by the majority of the electorate we could begin to see the caliber of city office holders and managers improve to a level that would put hope back in people’s hearts.

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      • It is absolutely true that a background group of non-elected people (what Press refers to as a well established power base) has run Evansville for many many years. I was even given a verbal list of the most prominent of these by a well know and respected member of our local government under the promise of secrecy. I could have almost named a couple of them myself but it was certainly enlightening to have them listed none the less. This group has been in power whether Reps or Dems were the elected government employees so this group is not really partisan. It is just greedy for power and money. They are also behind the times and in some cases are pretty slow and stupid. In other cases wily like a fox. The fact that this group exists and are scattered through out the area makes them very hard to hit difficult to know who to trust. It is also difficult to know if you are voting for someone who has the intelligence, background and strength to form a following and to stand up to this power base. Sometimes it is difficult for a new electee to figure out this process until they are already in deep and by then the electee is in too deep to break out.

        I agree that news coverage is required and we don’t have a Woodward and Bernstein. But I do very much agree that good reporting is needed in all news outlets and further that citizens not only read, understand, and learn as they go but they must challenge in a constructive manner, not by complaining and walking away to let “someone else fix it.” This has been the pattern for the many many years.

        • Many good points 292, but don’t agree we had secret “nonpartisan” cabal running the City for decades. What we did have was an entrenched fully partisan Democrat Central Committee/Mayor controlled City government that left us with urban blight and loss of tax base. The tragically inept handling of the McCurdy, Executive Inn and Roberts Stadium was the final act of this unchecked partisan power, where even elected Democrats were afraid to criticize or oppose the Central Committee/Mayor and their agendas which often served special interests and not the taxpayers. This is what needs to change for our City to get back on track.

    • Okay, I will take the bait. When working with a private company that is obsolete and failing a three big step process sets the stage for recovery. That is RIGHTSIZING, REMARGIN, AND THEN GROW. Rightsizing in the case of Evansville is to balance the public resources with the ability of the tax base to support the end result. Some prime examples to rightsizing would be reducing the number of parks to something that can be run in a pristine manner, demolishing the obsolete housing stock, and divesting of non-performing assets. Actually consolidation is a backwards approach to rightsizing. By expanding the revenue base consolidation could make rightsizing less painful if the people in charge are willing to make it happen.

      The remargin step in business is the public equivalent of adding value to the lifestyle and prospects for prosperity. The things that add up to remargining for Evansville are repairing the sewers, replacing obsolete water pipes, eradicating the litter issue, upgrading the workforce, etc. Remargin is doing the things that make people who are here recognize compelling reasons to stay and having outsiders recognize that Evansville is a worthy place to consider for living and prospering. The leadership gets it when it comes to words like “creating an atmosphere for entrepreneurs” and “promoting a great quality of life”. They know what the end result looks like and they know we are not there. What they are missing is a plan.

      Therefore my action proposal would be to develop a 25 year plan that does all of the things above and does it within the means of the projected tax base. There is no plan now and there has to my knowledge never been one that was followed. If 2013 ends without a plan as the Weinzapfel Administration and the Consolidation Committee did then I will be to the point of saying there is no hope for Evansville. As the little red hen said “those who won’t work won’t eat”. As successful businesses have learned in order to work effectively one must have a plan. Evansville does not.

      Growth will happen if rightsizing and value added lifestyle is completed over the next 25 years. If not the bleeding, shrinking, pollution, and brain drain will continue.

      • Joe:

        You include “…demolishing the obsolete housing stock,..” as part of your plan.

        To what extent do you see that as a function of “government”, and can the same be said about obsolete commercial properties?

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        • Yes government is the only entity that will do this here. Maybe that is tearing down and maybe that is zoning areas so business will do the demolition. Crappy houses and rotting industrial buildings are repellent to both attraction and expansion of business. As for the houses, most will never be needed again. Even if they are free they are so poorly designed and insulated that it costs more to live in an old shack than in a nice new home.

  6. Question: What Political Party has controlled City Council and the Mayor’s office over the past 50 years?

    How long has it been since the Republicans held a majority on City Council? Ever????

    That should tell everyone something very important.

  7. One administration is responsible for tearing this city down. In 8 years Weinzapfel and his cronies have brought this city to it’s knees. We once had a first class stadium that held 12,000 people but was in need of repair, his answer was to build a cracker box down town that is a nightmare for anyone working at the civic center when there is a day time event. No hotel, nowhere to park and a stadium that in 10 years will need millions of dollars worth of repairs. Next we tear down a building that is paid for to build another park that we can’t maintain. I for one don’t believe for one second that Robert’s Stadium can be torn down and back filled for $200,000 even with the scrap metal resale being used to offset some of the costs. A half million dollars would be closer to the true cost of demolition. Weinzapfel still skulks around with his gang of paid for thugs choking the local Democrat party until there won’t be an office held by a Democrat. The happiest day of my life will be when I read Weinzapfel leaves town and takes a bus load of his blood sucking friends with him.

    • There is so much truth in this statement I have to agree with everything said!!!!!!!!!!

    • What do Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and Evansville have in common other than huge municipal debt and shrinking population? Machine Democrats were in charge with complete power. No wonder they are all screwed up.

  10. Former Mayor Wienie-Zapple built the Ford Center to make himself independently wealthy from the kickbacks he got from contractors building the arena. It was inevitable that the scheme would eventually ruin his reputation. Now that he is independently wealthy from his maniacal pursuit of crony capitalism maybe he and his buddy Barack Insane Obama will find a nice, small, backward African country to bankrupt, and leave honest, God-fearing midwesterners alone.

  11. BTW, has it occurred to anyone other than me that the Ford Center looks a hell of alot like a Airsstream travel trailer?

  12. A couple of things I would like to add to this well thought out letter. Evansville officials are always willing to “jump in bed” with developers and scam artists from Indianapolis. And you forgot to mention we lost or run off “Thunder on the Ohio”. And it looks like the LST boat is moving on, if you can count that as a loss. That may actually be a win.

    • Another thing we have lost is Welborn Hospital. At one time we had the choice of 3 hospitals. St. Mary’s bought out the competition.

      We had 4 local TV stations with competitive news teams, now we have only two who mainly read press releases or present, “feel good” news.

      The taxpayers are treated like docile cows who are not only being milked, but stripped empty.

      • The taxpayers of Evansville are treated like docile cows because the vote like docile cows. They are no better than chickens voting for the chicken farmer.

  13. What does anyone see as the positives to Evansville and Vanderburgh County? We can complain all day long but it is good to build on positives. And by the way, 292 has a point. Complaining without action does nothing to improve anything.

    • The biggest positives are Signature School and the fact that the public school system has a number of schools that are performing well. Some don’t and one has to be careful in making choices but Evansville still offers an acceptable public education in more than half of the schools. As for uniqueness in recreation the only thing that Evansville has that is not available elsewhere is Wesselman Woods. Traffic is not bad, housing is affordable, and there is a pretty decent healthcare business in place. Most everything else is average.

      In one seminar that I attended there was a formula for a thriving downtown. The minimum requirements were 10 stores that are completely unique, 10 restaurants that are completely different, and 10 places that are open at night. That was 2007 and that simple formula is still not happening. In another seminar the leader asked the question “what are you homesick for when you are away”? I moved away six months ago and aside from my family Turoni’s is the only thing that I really miss. If one is not homesick for their home that speaks volumes about the place.

      • In the 1960s, Bosse Highschool was ranked in the top 65 in the Nation! I believe they were ranked 61st.

        • I grew up believing Evansville was a Caring community, with that spirit in mind, we must set our short term goals and our long term goals. These “Crops” will honestly be reaped by our children. Just Remember the Goal line everytime you see a child smile, or someone go hungry.

        • Crash,
          Evansville is still a very caring community. Look at all the charitable organizations, and “help thy neighbor” actions that take place all the time here. For pete’s sake, the Fall Festival is one huge help to all “helping” groups. If you ask almost any person in this town to help you in an emergency they will step. At least this is what I have seen. And all that kindness is returned. That is one thing that I always think of when I think of home, of Evansville.

          • Generosity stats of the states place KY at 21st and Indiana at 24th both contributing just over 8% of income to charities. AZ is 38th with 7% The most generous are the deep south at around 13% while the least generous are the New England states that dominate the bottom of the list and only donate 5% to charity. I found this on USAToday.

          • One of the reasons for Evansville’s generosity is the number or people living at or below the poverty level. More people seem to be needing help.

            Over half the kids in the EVSC are on free or reduced lunches. That means we are paying for their books and netbooks, too. The EVSC doesn’t help by reducing the number of fees, special programs and uniforms, the kids must pay for, but instead keep piling them on, year after year.

            Every week there are new appeals for donations for someone who doesn’t have health insurance, has a rare disease, needs a radical medical treatment, or funds to pay for a funeral.

            Those who are still working are supporting those who are not or are in deep financial trouble, either of their own making or not.

            Yes, the working people in this area are generous and caring, giving of their time and money, while the big corporations, like Vectren, keep making it more expensive to live here, especially for those on the poverty line.

    • IMHO, the savings are not there now, but maybe later after we get our act together. I don’t think this is a turn of the switch with immediate success/savings that will be visible. I think it will take 2 decades to get through the actual changes. And most of those changes will happen during election years and through natural attrition.

      DDD

    • We are blessed with air. rail, and water transportation systems. We have an excellent water supply, Ohio River, Wabash River, White River, Green River. Do you realize that Phoenix could dry up virtually overnight? The odds of that happening here are infinitesimal, and yet, for the past 20 years, Phoenix consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing economies of all metro areas in the United States. The value of goods and services produced in the Phoenix metro area reached $187.4 billion in 2008, larger than the output of many countries.

      We offer a secure power source, coal, and a secure water source. Rates on both of these SHOULD be very low in our area, which has historically made Evansville a good place for manufacturing.

      We still have a hardwood market in this area, and plenty of craftsmen who know how to work that wood into marketable products.

      Unfortunately, Evansville has had a series of mayors who have failed to keep the city’s infrastructure up to acceptable levels. We can no longer afford to turn our back on the city’s infrastructure problems.

      Poor planning, such as building the new North Schools in an area that lacked the necessary infrastructure,should not be tolerated going forward. Remediation always costs more than doing it right the first time. When it happens to the degree it happens around here you begin to wonder if it ineptitude or if it is planned.

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      • Good information. It is not just what one has it is what is done with it. Your comparison with Phoenix is quite interesting. In 1950 Evansville was home to 128,636 people a full 20% higher than Phoenix’s 106,818. By 2010 Phoenix had grown to 1,445,632 while Evansville shrunk to 117,429. I find a couple of other facts interesting about Phoenix. One is that Maricopa County, AZ has never voted for a Democrat for President. I am sure that is reflected by local government. Second Maricopa County and Phoenix are not consolidated.

        • It is true that what you are given and what you make of it are independent factors. And Evansville has been blessed with many wonderful things.

          Four more comments about Phoenix:
          1)Since it has a higher percentage of retirees than Evansville, that might effect the above pop. numbers, as well as their schools and their partisan leanings.

          2)Their proximity to the Mexican border may effect pop and schools as well.

          3)What is the crime rate in Phoenix? A friend who moved back to this area from Phoenix stated as her reason for returning here that not only is this area home but she was becoming more fearful of the drive-by shootings happening in her area. She left town when one occurred at the house next door to her.

          4)Thankfully we are blessed with water (most of the time unless it is the summer of 2012, but even then we still have the rivers.) and thus green vegetation. Although the desert can be beautiful, I will take green space any day. I can survive with my garden and my chickens. (Go ahead and laugh but it is true.) I do need other support systems obviously but looking at the history of the Colorado River and how it has been exploited, I would rather stay in the midwest and fight for cleaning up the environment I call my own.

          5)What are the main types of industries in Phoenix? Are they ones which are particular to that environment or location, or could they have gone elsewhere? What labor force do they tap? I have no idea.

          I do think that Press has several interesting points and both Press and Joe have hit on planning and follow through as much needed issues in Evansville. Who does this planning? The mayor? Council? Various department in the city or county? I would imagine local businesses could form boards to address what business structures are the most viable here if they felt they could do this without bias. Building community helps all businesses.

          • Checked a few stats and am quite surprised. The median age in Phoenix is 32.2 and in Evansville it is 36.5 making Phoenix a younger population. The crime index in Phoenix is 372.9 which is just slightly higher than Evansville’s 343.6. Phoenix has about 50% more murders per 100,000 while Evansville has 200% more arson and leads Phoenix in property crimes. These towns are statistically more alike than I expected. The only drastic difference is the diversity of the population. Evansville is 81% white while Phoenix is only 46% white with a large Hispanic community making up 40% of the population. Phoenix has a 50% higher rating for educational attainment. Phoenix is more dependent on construction and less on manufacturing than Evansville but otherwise the job base is similar.

          • One of the scariest photos I have ever seen was a satellite photo of Phoenix. It is an oasis in the middle of the desert. It is a disaster waiting to happen regarding it water supply.

            So why are so many businesses with national sales willing to locate there?

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  14. You can’t have a thriving city composed primarily of falling down rental houses. There is an unspoken but very real attitude in the area that to be considered successful you must leave the city and reside in one of the dozens of cookie-cutter subdivisions ringing Evansville. You then have tacit permission to look down your nose at ‘City folks’ and take quiet delight at the continued decline of infrastructure and quality of life, secure and warm in the belief that you are one of the gifted few who have ‘made it’ and the status of Evansville no longer has an impact on your comfortable suburban life.

    Accordingly, Evansville is becoming largely populated with low-income renters, an underemployed working class, old people who are unable or simply too stubborn to move, and a smattering of solidly middle class people fighting a desperate holding action against their neighborhood being taken over by Section 8 slum-lords. Not exactly a recipe for a thriving community…

    • That’s exactly why I moved out of the city as soon as I could afford to. Our neighbors on one side were great, but on the other side were big-time drunks. Across the street were druggies with 2 pit bulls. Not a place where I wanted to raise my young daughter. People didn’t take care of their houses and yards like I did and you could just see the property values sucking out of the neighborhood.

      • And that’s unfortunately more the rule than the exception. There are very, VERY few parts of town where houses are consistently decent and well-maintained. Most streets are quite run down, with well-kept houses sticking out like a sore thumb. Even in the good neighborhoods you have to deal with constant pass-though by dirtbags on foot or on scooters as they roam from one crappy Section 8 rent house or apartment complex to the next.

        We have actually bought several houses on our block which were either shabby rentals or destined to become shabby rentals, rehabbed them, and now they are great little houses with good folks living in them (note I said ‘living in them’ not ‘renting them’). Not everybody has the time and resources to take those steps, however.

        The underclass are ovewhelming Evansville with their drugs, crime, litter, sheer numbers and lack of community values. I personally think we’ve reached a critical mass and there’s no turning back.

        • DeltaB, spot on comment. The complete inept mismanagement by the former City Administration created GAGE, Bond Bank, CVB, ERC, McCurdy and Executive Inn disasters, squandered untold monies that could have been put to infrastructure and real neighborhood development. Very sad to see the decline in the City over the last decade.

    • It is necessary to destroy the machine that has produced and maintained Evansville’s current culture.

      When the Evansville City Council becomes peopled by intelligent, capable, and caring individuals who put the well being of the city above the well being of the ole’ boy network, then, positive change can take place.

      Without the destruction of the machine Evansville has no future.

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        • The people are clueless. The local establishment media sees to it that the people remain that way. It is how the ole’ boy network thrives and survives in Evansville.

          You are either IN or you are OUT here. That is why we can not attract decent companies to this town. That is why the State treats us like a skunk at a family picnic.

          Information is the wooden steak that must be driven through the heart of this beast that is sucking the life-blood out of Evansville. If just a few good people came forward we could start the process that would eventually revive Evansville.

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        • All them buildings are abandoned even though Detroit has a new Ford Field and Baseball Stadium. The have a casino too. Imagine that Weinzapfel. Games and the places people play them do not save dying cities. And to think, the machine gave us this.

        • The key quote from Governor Daniels is, “We’ll wind ’em both up by the end of the year,” Daniels said. “I don’t know exactly. The money needs to be given for the purpose that somebody donated it. We can’t take it and divert it to a different purpose.”

          In Evansville we were treated to the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” fundraising up to the last hour that he decided not to run followed by moving the bulk of the money to the “Weinzapfel for Indiana” PAC. Governor Daniels’ statement reflects respect for donor intentions. The former Mayor’s actions do not.

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