IS IT TRUE? July 20, 2011 PART TWO

IS IT TRUE that on first blush it seems as though regardless of whether the Kunkel Group or Prime Lodging LLC are chosen to go forward with the new Downtown Convention Hotel that the grand opening will not occur before 2013 and that it is highly probable that this grand opening will be roughly two years from right now?…that the estimates of the time to get to a fully vetted decision and for the necessary loans to fund is about 6 months?…that given the similarity of the bids with respect to number of rooms, height of building, cost to construct that either company will take about 18 months from the time the project commences to opening day?…that the CCO would like to suggest July 4, 2013 and are looking forward to the opening?…that some preliminary vetting efforts are starting today?

IS IT TRUE that speaking of spending public money that while our Congress is in Washington DC shaking fists at one another in a marathon cage fight to decide just how much to raise the nation’s debt limit, that back home in Indiana a surplus of over a Billion dollars was just announced?…that whether you are from the “My Man Mitch” crowd or the “Ditch Mitch” crowd that we all should take pride in the fiscal accomplishments of Governor Daniels Administration?…that running a surplus in a contracting economy takes diligence on a daily basis, innovation, and the willingness to sacrifice today for the future?…that all Hoosiers should be pleased and proud of how our state has responded to the economic malaise of the last 3 years?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission has placed a password requirement on the website for reading the minutes of their meetings?…that the minutes of these meetings are public information and should be easily available to the general public?…that as the entire country progresses toward transparency that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission has decided to put password protection on access to the minutes of public meetings?…that it is bad enough that the minutes are typically not posted until they are 2 months old?…that intentionally withholding minutes of public meetings from the public in a read only format has a very high probability that some very negative consequences may occur for those who are involved?

IS IT TRUE that in a short 111 days we will all know whether it will be Lloyd Winnecke or Rick Davis who will become the Mayor that will assume responsibility for executing the decisions that are playing out right now?…that that there are 165 days remaining in the Weinzapfel Administration?…that the latest extension in the four year saga of the McCurdy start date expires in 11 days?…that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission should take a page from its own playbook and rescind this agreement on the basis of non-performance?…that if the ERC had not done that very thing with respect to Woodruff Hospitality LLC that the downtown Convention Hotel would still be in perpetual limbo?…that even though we are 2 years behind schedule with the hotel project that at least some positive momentum is being gained?…that we should all cross our fingers for a vetting process that works and leads to a grand opening in 2013?

IS IT TRUE that just as the CCO predicted when the “Competitive Realities” study was released that a seminar has been held and that at least one of the speakers has hatched a theory that our weaknesses really are an indicator of strength?…that most of the reports from the seminar do however support the assertion that the weaknesses are a source of valuable information to be used to change for the better?…that change for the better is a concept that we enthusiastically support?…that to change that which is bad first requires one to acquire the knowledge of what is bad, then to accept that conclusion, followed by actions to correct the problem?…that we wish Greg Wathen and his team much good fortune in stamping out the bad through positive action?