Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke delivered his third State of the City speech today at the Evansville Noon Rotary Club meeting at Tropicana Evansville’s Conference Center. Speaking to a capacity crowd, Mayor Winnecke declared the city is officially “back in the convention business†with the announcement of the first major convention to be booked at the new Hilton DoubleTree Convention Center in Downtown Evansville. A groundbreaking for the $71.3 million project held Monday.
“The Indiana Association of Cities and Towns has agreed to book its annual convention in the new hotel shortly after it opens in the fall of 2015,†said Mayor Winnecke. “The last time the statewide conference was held in Evansville was in 2007, and IACT leadership is thrilled to return to our great city.†Mayor Winnecke introduced HCW Evansville Development, Inc. (HCWE) President Rick Huffman to the audience and thanked him for his “interest, patience and investment in Evansville.
The Mayor recapped highlights of his second year in office, including a commitment from the Indiana Department of Transportation to build a full cloverleaf interchange at U.S. 41 and the Lloyd Expressway, the success of Clean Evansville (the initiative earned Evansville recognition as the 2013 Indiana Association of Cities and Towns Community of the Year), and the launch of the Integrated Long Term Control Plan to improve the city’s sewer infrastructure.
In his speech, Mayor Winnecke also announced that the Rotary Club will sponsor the “Rotary Centennial Wetlands†at Roberts Park. “The wetlands will provide both an aesthetic and educational component to the park that will be inviting and usable to all ages,†Winnecke said.
For full video of the speech, go to:Â http://www.youtube.com/user/lloydwinnecke?feature=results_mainÂ
Thumbs Up: Cloverleaf at 41 & Lloyd; Clean Evansville (trash); City Sewer (if managed well).
Thumbs Down: Hotel (full speed ahead: ignore smoking ban overturned while believing EVV can compete); Hotel (if we get the Med School, private investors will build the Hotel).
Thumbs Way Down: Roberts Wetland even being discussed, while we’re $ 2 Million short.
Give it a rest !
The Clean Evansville program is laudable but really only public relations. A photo op. The city is filthy.
I don’t think the mayor has much choice about starting work on the sewers. It was federally mandated. It’s not something he can take credit for. The cloverleaf at 41 and the Expressway has been talked about since at least 2011. Contracts were to be let in 2013 and it was going to be fininshed this year.
Exactly! If Winnecke could get by with it, our sewers would continue to stink and we’d have a dog park at Boeke and the Lloyd.
I don’t expect to see that cloverleaf any time soon, either. Have they started land acquisition? I haven’t heard anything about it.
Wayne this guy has to up to 92% with all of this shite!
rk812 my Mole tells me his poll numbers is like Ivory soap-99.9%
wow, that is pure.
pure pasture biscuit.
If anyone thinks this city is united in a pro-Winnecke way all they have to do is look at the comments on Brad Byrd’s fb about the speech yesterday. The city just isn’t falling for this.
And let’s be honest about something, Ron Payne is beating Winnecke inch by inch, mile by mile.
“And let’s be honest about something, Ron Payne is beating Winnecke inch by inch, mile by mile.”
HAHAHAHAHA. Get a clue, please. You do realize that most people in Owensboro agree with Lloyd Winnecke, Steve Austin, Ed Whitfield, Kyndle, KYTC and Steve Beshear on NOT moving I-69, right?
Your hatred of this mayor is a bit juvenile. Please move on.
Ha, you finally started saying the right things as Come on Man and now you’ve had to change over again.
First of all, there’s a whole lot more going for Owensboro than an interstate. The fact that they have a convention center, two hotels (albeit not the Rivermont), ball fields, a riverfront park, AND a soon to be renovsted Gabe’s Tower all within the boundaries of the river and their bypass is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait til their plans for a new arena come on board (and a ballpark will soon follow if I understand them correctly).
The funniest thing about you people is that you tell us this hotel is a must, yet the city/county have built the interstate, the new north h.s, and the soon to be built ball fields as far away from the area as possible. A little consistency would help you guys go a long way towards building a cohesive city.
“Your hatred of this mayor is a bit juvenile.”
Not that I have any use for him whatsoever, but Winnecke was mayor in 2010?
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/may/12/scrap-i-69-use-the-money-elsewhere/?print=1
One last thing, how much you want to bet Parke and his puppets don’t call you out on an “assumed name”?
Just so you know, I’m not Come On Man, I’m Jacob Newkirk, and I once wrote Jake’s DTV Blog and the C&P’s TV/radio column. So let’s get that clear. No assumed names here. I’ve posted as JN – my own initials – since I started posting here.
And by the way, I live in Owensboro, and have for 14 years. I’m proud of most of what we’ve built both before and during Ron Payne’s time as mayor. But it’s a fool’s errand to try to move a highway that is legislatively set in stone and under construction on both sides of the river.
What I don’t understand is why anyone thinks it’s a good idea to let the Twin Bridges stand without building an alternative for the many people who cross in either direction every day. If the worst happens – and someday it could – and one or both of those bridges goes down, there needs to be a safe alternative that serves the Evansville-Henderson metro, not one that’s more than 40 miles up the river. I realize it will be costly, but we’ve done costly things before that were right and needed. This is one of those.
Is that too much to ask?
That sucks you feel the way you feel bc I enjoyed your blog. Yes that is too much to ask for, especially when you go on some tangent about when Payne is brought up whose resume is loaded with more projects combined than this bridge has puppet supporters
You completely down play the cost of this auto only monstrosity like its somehow reasonable. It’s not and if there’s a problem with the twins, like 41, fix or replace them. That’s more than enough for these sprawling disasters
Obviously you only see things your way, Jordan, so we’ll just agree to disagree …
Correct. Now let me ask you this: Is there anything left in the old Channel 7 building in terms of television related infrastructure or was that all pulled out of the building?
If there is, I’m not aware of it. I think they emptied the place out when they put it up for sale.
By the way, Woodward has the building listed for the low, low price of $975,000. 😉
http://woodwardrealty.catylist.com/listing/0VOf8n49HV0/477-Carpenter-St-Evansville-IN-47708
Wow that’s a lot.
The reason I ask is that when the two channels merged I was hoping either they would stay/move to Evansville or the other two would move to that Times Square lot just across Carpenter from the old 7 building while being able to use some of the old infrastructure across the street.
That would make a nice view with a glass studio at the triangle corner of 2nd & Carpenter, a news ticker running on top and condos or lofts on top and behind it. Heck, you could even do the weather report on Carpenter and have little to no affect on traffic.
But with millions of existing infrastructure already in Henderson, I guess they had to make the decision to move while the 44 channels probably have no desire to move. Moving a doppler radar alone would be out of this world I would imagine.
Of the two, the Henderson physical plant is just the better of the two. It’s in better shape and, since the conversion to HD, thoroughly up to date, while 477 Carpenter really wasn’t.
I’m not 100% sure the WEVV move will end up happening, especially given the new FCC chairman’s move late last week that would force existing SSAs to be unwound within 2 years and ban new ones. We’ll have to see.
And of course I forgot, yes the interstate will probably not be shifted. Not that it matters, because Payne will simply move the number from 69 to 67 and be done with it long before this generation to build bridge is complete (8 years haha).
If you don’t believe me about the city not being united behind this mayor, once again, check out brad byrd’s post. All those opposed to the mayor used their real names too!
They represent a tiny fraction of the population of Evansville. People who aren’t anti-something don’t often feel the need to express that they’re pro-whatever, and I think that’s sad.
The people posting on there have listed multiple things they were for and are for. You, like the rest of the yes crowd, think somebody can only be for something if it’s something the city is pushing. None of you would be on here talking about a hotel or even a bridge if weren’t already being peddled by the city.
The City is United, it is the Winnecke-Weinzapful-Union-Party crowd alliance United against everybody else.
The Winnecke-Weinzapful alliance is winning.
Can’t wait for the money to start rolling in for our good ol’ boy business owners and for all those highly paid service industry workers.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=753750877970689&set=a.306954662650315.83183.305927339419714&type=1&theater
(From Mr. Brad Byrd’s Facebook)
Vera Hatfield Hughes says “Brad, I’m not commenting on this.”
Joe Wagner says “Once he found out the county had no desire be part of the city he had no choice but to shove a useless Hotel ..Evansville has nothing to offer.”
Kevin Adams says “Is the construction contractor for the build of the hotel from Nashville instead of Evansville what’s up with that?”
Don Woehler says “He will be a one term mayor. He enjoys spending the city into debt. He has poor judgement. He tore down Roberts with no clear decision on what do with the land nor how to pay for it. The city snow removal was horrible this year. The office of mayor is more than he can handle. He was only elected because Rick Davis turned on his own party, in turn his party turned on him and supported the opposition. The democrats will run a qualified candidate and Winnecke will be back in the private sector.”
Sandra Myers says “I wish he’d save more of our historical buildings instead of tearing them down , let’s hope he decides to save mesker ampitheatre”
Jack Gerhardt says “Respect isn’t commanded when you run around telling your constituents what they need and should have…no different than the previous mayor.”
Doug Adams says “there is never a shortage of hotel rooms in Evansville why build another” & “if your going to waste money and build it anyway at least use local company to do it”
Benjamin Joseph Blair says “I think think its funny that he finds the town “united.” He tried to pass an ordinance to unite the city and county. We all know that failed miserably. Thousands of dollars in advertising wasted on a campaign that went nowhere. A leader would’ve done things to improve our city, and in turn, the city woul feel united. However, he isn’t a leader and, contrary to his belief, the city is less united than we’ve ever been… even with simple issues like development and renovation.”
Is it true that the “state of the city” voting record is pathetic? Only 24% register voters case a ballot for 2011.
This leaves only maybe 13% of register voters that really voted for the current mayor? The 2007 election had only 19.5% turn out.
County and state elections on non presidential years were 2010- 37% and 2006-45%.
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