A Tale of Two Cities: Winnecke vows to “fight like the dickens”

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Brad Linzy

By: Brad Linzy

In a recent statement to an Indianapolis radio show, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said his Administration would “fight like the dickens” to bring a proposed 4-year IU Medical School to downtown Evansville. In his statement, Winnecke suggested he would fight both developers without and developers within the City of Evansville who want the med school built anywhere but downtown. “We are in the early stages of putting together what we think will be a dynamite plan for downtown,” Winnecke said, “and we know that we will be competing with developers who will want it in another county. We know we will compete against developers who will want it in other parts of the city, but we’re gonna fight like the dickens to get it right downtown.” The Mayor’s remarks follow a trend of politicians supporting downtown growth in Evansville by pumping millions into downtown projects. The Ford Center, the Loft developments, Front Door Pride, and now the new convention hotel are just a few examples of this trend. According to statements released by several City Council members, a majority of them also support a downtown IU development, although it is unclear how many would support a development in another part of the city.

John Friend, a Councilman from Ward 5, the most remote Ward in relation to downtown, has publicly stated support for a downtown development, but has also expressed reservations, “I think we should keep our options open as much as possible. We don’t know what [IU] are looking for exactly. We do know they’ll probably want access to teaching beds.”

Dan McGinn, the Councilman from Ward 1, also represents a remote ward with relation to downtown. He could not be reached for comment.

Ward 3 is the home to three of the proposed sites for the IU medical school (Roberts Stadium, Evansville State Hospital, and Old North High School). Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley, the Councilwoman from Ward 3 is adamant about finding out more about what IU wants. “We really need feedback from IU, because we haven’t asked. Warrick County has an active committee and they’re getting information somehow. We’re behind,” said Brinkerhoff-Riley.

She also thought the idea of pitching the Roberts Stadium site had merit and could reinvigorate the Boeke area. “Roberts would be a great site,” she said. “It’s an idea that eliminates a lot of problems. It’s already razed for development. It doesn’t put it on the tax rolls, but the dog park wouldn’t have done that anyway. At the Roberts location it bridges east and west. Boeke could be a Broadripple type development in the future with the right planning. East side has stretched out so much Roberts Stadium might be a perfect bridge.”

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7 COMMENTS

  2. This should be done right, there is currently no reason to think it will be. If, as SBR says, Warrick is getting information about what IU Med is looking for and Vanderburgh is not, it would seem we are on the glidepath to being outmoved. As somebody wrote here a couple of weeks ago, this is the first project in a while that would be an ongoing asset to Evansville instead of just a monument to some puny little egos or conmen who can’t stand the light of day (ok, he didn’t mention the puny little egos or Earthcare). The benefits to Evansville would be many and continue to accrue through the years. Our end of the siting process should be guided by somebody who knows what they are doing.

    The only thing I see wrong with offering the Roberts site is the lack of proximity to ‘teaching beds’. I think I was in one of those in New Orleans a long time ago and paid for the privelege, they are not all they’re ‘cracked’ up to be. Seriously, plenty of geriatric learning to be had right up the road at Good Sam and a broader variety of illnesses just south at St. Mary’s, ready to give up their secrets to med students from the IU Med School, Evansville campus.

    I thought some church was threatening to buy the old North High School a while back. The State Hospital grounds have stayed nice for over a century. I’m sure many developers have lusted after all that pretty green space for just about as long. Strike it from the list. Leave it to the kids for sports, the ducks for waddling, the kites for flying, the joggers for running, the runners for jogging and to the folks who have to live there for some peace and quiet.

    Riley’s reasoning behind the Roberts site has merit. Her concept of bridging and presumably tying our northeasterly sprawling city a bit more together is the stuff of city planners. I did not know we had one.

    • Click this MAP: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?hl=en&mid=zl7L8cNHY9EI.k2mpnNQ2oObA

      There are tracts of land within the ESH campus that used to contain buildings anyway, which aren’t being used for anything, including sports. None of the sports fields would need to be touched. Check out the highlighted areas on the map. The original ESH main building used to stand at the north end of the big yellow area inside the hospital grounds. It’s now empty space.

      It is within safe walking distance to St. Mary’s via quiet side streets, a far cry from Warrick’s field next to a loud and busy expressway.

  3. Pictures of the State Hospital in the early 1900s show it was thoughtfully laid out, lots of landscaping, winding roads, flowers, etc. It has maintained its parklike feeling through the years, even as old buildings burnt or otherwise went down and new ones were added. Empty space where some of those great gothic looking old buildings once stood is not necessarily a bad thing. The State Hospital grounds serve a lot of people and with other viable sites available (like Roberts), I’d look at them first. If part of the Woodmere site is offered and accepted I’d like to see the school on the northern part, nearer to where the Red Cross building is. There is a nice little frontage road there that you can drive 90 on. Students could also parachute in, late for class would be a thing of the past. I agree there is plenty of space at the State Hospital site to allow for major construction without encroaching on the soccer and baseball field(s). I do think anything that fundamentally changes the character of that tract of land should be looked at very closely (before firing up the ‘dozers).

    There would be some constraints building on that property. The med. school could almost start with a blank slate at Roberts. I don’t think the dog park idea for Roberts is much more than ‘place keeper’. I don’t expect it to be a dog park, whatever that is, at least for long. It will be developed and that development should be a genuine asset to the city, not superfluous ball fields to further enrich hotel owners.

    I wouldn’t rule the ESH site out, it surprises me it’s stayed nice for so long. Such an underrated community asset should not be taken for granted. If any major changes are made they should be done right and for the right reasons. Construction graft and vote-purchasing logrolling should be kept to an absolute minimum.

    • There is one large empty field fronting Lincoln too, which could be developed without disturbing the park in any big way.

      Lots of possibilities for that site without harming the overall character of the place and its parklike atmosphere.

      Living nearby, I visit this park regularly. It’s a jewel of a location.

  4. I disagree with the suggestion “Boeke could be a Broadripple type development in the future with the right planning.”
    The neighborhoods surrounding Roberts Stadium property are some of the few real gems left undisturbed.
    They do not deserve to have a “Broadripple type development”. The neighborhoods are quiet and without the section 8 housing that have ruined so many formerly good neighborhoods-such as Covert & Vann area.

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