Councilman Adams Responses to Promenade’s Steve Martin’s Video of May 4th 

    12

    Dr. Dan Adams

    Ivy Tech’s inclusion in the Medical campus remains a goal of everyone involved. That institution’s funding issue is but a temporary setback. Many are working to ensure Ivy Tech’s partnership in the project that remains integral to the overarching goals for Evansville’s Allied Health Consortium campus. I know I am !

    The downtown Evansville, bipartisanly derived site was selected in a fair bidding process. It was done by an impartial review of the IU Board of Trustees and has been now additionally confirmed by the State Legislature. All bids included financial information for each development plan. The IU Board of Trustees examined every element of each proposal. They determined that the Downtown Evansville proposal was fiscally sound, and most in line with IU’s long-term goals for the Evansville Medical campus. The Indiana University Medical School polled students wanted it there too.

    There were elements of our proposal that other locations did not offer. The Downtown Evansville campus is the only proposed site that is centrally located to the partner schools and their students. It also affords students and employees of all levels of income easy access to the METS downtown public transit system hub. The downtown site offers a walkable community for students and staff of the Medical center. Restaurants, stores, arts & entertainment, museums, churches of various denominations, the riverfront and more are within easy access by walking or riding a bike. AND the Downtown TIF funds HAVE to be used there ! The three various clinics close by the downtown campus will offer many, varied patients for the all students to see and learn from.

    Yes, the campus being located in Downtown Evansville we trust will spur downtown redevelopment and growth. In a few short years, it will grow jobs in construction, retail, food & beverage and other sectors and, of course, the campus jobs. And more people will be living downtown. All of this will increase tax revenue for the City. It was a no brainer for the City of Evansville to make a sizable investment in a Downtown location for the IU Medical Center campus. It’s an investment that will realize a solid return in assured future growth of tax revenue. BUT in the final analysis, it is also the BEST place for all the students to come together and learn, including the great Ivy Tech ones.

    H. Dan Adams, MD MBA

    Evansville City Council President

    Please take time and vote in todays “Readers Poll”. Also we just posted our current TRI-STATE VOICES TV show. This weeks guests are Courier and Press political reporter Zack Evans and Channel 25 reporter Jordan Vandenberge discussing the primary election results. This is a must view program.

    Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    12 COMMENTS

    1. Impartial?–Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha.
      The rest of this concocted Fable?—“and Old Downtown shall become the Land of Milk and Honey”.

    2. Trust but verify . . . . where is the IU-prepared site selection study which awarded the Downtown site over the Promenade and Warrick County sites ? Would be interested in the factors considered in this decision making process . . . .

    3. Your not talking about milk and honey, what the point is, is the overall cost. Millions less for already shovel ready superior infrastructure, and far more advanced logistics and standing valuation. Either the USI campus or the Gateway area where all the new medical facilities are already supporting the valuations validity.
      The other sites could easily accommodate the Ivy Tech students as well as with more buildings and usable space for the available funding that’s now budgeted for the IU medical extension school project.

      That walkability issue in the downtown is a joke, walk two blocks down there in that section of town if one doesn’t get pan handled by some daily wanderer, its uncommon. The downtown is lacking the “honey” as a select few usually milk all that as well. That campus if built on that failed and mandated infrastructure in old downtown Evansville, will linger just long enough to die on the vine like everything else situated in the terrible logistical knot of broken throughput and decent accesses.

    4. All of Adams’ reasons for siting the medical school campus downtown are cheapos. Almost embarrassing to read.

      The school would have even less chance of impacting the imagined revitalization of downtown than any of the expensive failed projects that have gone before. Downtown is dead and word surgery will not reivive it. Neither will an infusion of millions of dollars. All of the reasons for plopping it downtown that doctor/politician Adams gave pale when compared with the Gateway or Promenade areas. The Gateway area has sprouted a vibrant medical community unencumbered by tinhorn politiicans and would seem to be one of 3 logical choices for the siting, the other two being USI and The Promenade.

      • Warrick is now spending millions on new sewer accesses and pump stations to insure the gold star infrastructure is set for even more expected growth as it moves forward.
        The Downtown site still reeks of broken down combined sewers filled with toxic CSO.

      • That’s about what one who has studied the situation needs, thanks to the Martin group, and also big thanks to you “Big Pop.” If one is driven to transform, then the best in route is researched and with the science added and strategically selected to succeed. The message is simple more school for the investment. Along the already modern logistical infrastructure. How easy is that?
        The downtown cannot, and we are confident will not, ever match the numbers given by the promenade or any of the other requested proposals. The downtown site kneecaps IU’s based objectives, and deals out those Ivy Tech students. That’s bad for Indiana. Never mind Mr. Mark twain imitator/ Sam Clements kazoo playing guy pleading and sporting. The game requires facts for the future. We will continue to call bull on the downtown cronies plan. That ever worked for you or them, yet?
        We have the solutions……………………….. They however do not.

    5. ” They determined that the Downtown Evansville proposal was fiscally sound, …….” ( Councilman Adams )

      * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

      Don’t have to read any farther than that. I guess they also determined that the city government was likewise “fiscally sound”? Clean audit and all that sort of thing, etc.

      • When the city starts using proper accounting practices your claims might have a little more import Mr. Adams.

    6. Doesn’t anybody on that city council have the balls to pull the plug on the Med school being placed in Downtown Evansville??? The PROMENADE has everything in place…… they could be digging footings tomorrow. The cost savings would be huge. IT’s sad that location was cut and dried almost two months before the other locations had a chance to make their proposals. Somebody needs to put a stop to this reckless , out of control spending and lunatic decisions!

    Comments are closed.